The bees.

 We couldn’t have a real Christmas tree.

We couldn’t have any pets.

She had allergies.

Mom said she was sick every Christmas until they realised, she had allergies.

Grass, trees, pollen, pet hair and dust all made her sick.

 

We were jumping up and down on the couch....oh, it was so much fun!

We were with our cousins on our Nana’s porch.

That old couch had always been on the porch but we had never jumped on it before!

The adults were all inside and we were absolutely LOVING our freedom! 

'Ah!'  'Ouch!'  'Ow!'

What? 

We were surrounded by bees! 

Angry, angry bees!

We all started screaming.

She was swatting at the bees as she called out to us, ‘GO!  Go inside!’

She yelled at me to take my baby cousin with me!  ‘Hurry!’

I ran as fast as I could with a toddler holding my hand, off the porch and around the side of the house and into the kitchen, ‘MOM!’

‘What’s wrong?’  ‘What happened?’  ‘Why were you jumping on that couch?’

‘BEES!’

‘WHERE IS SHE?’

There was so much noise!

Crying and yelling and everyone asking questions and demanding answers all at the same time...

Someone grabbed me by the shoulders. 

‘Show us!’ they demanded of me. 

They followed me as I ran back outside to the porch. 

There she was, standing all alone, watching hundreds of bees fly all around her.  She was crying.

Somehow, they grabbed her and threw her into the car.

I stood alone watching our car race out of the driveway and down the road. 

I didn’t understand what was happening.

Everyone got stung but me and she had to go to the hospital.  

I wished I had never jumped on that couch. 

I was sorry I made her sick.

I never told her.

Not once.