Two Jars of Honey and a Kiss

Lucas removed his shoes and socks, rolled up his pant legs, and waded into the water hidden behind a wild growth of willow, alder, and pine that shaded the river bank from the hot afternoon sun. Here, the river ran narrow and shallow and the water was clear and cool. Lucas cupped his hands, scooped up some water and threw it in his face. It felt good and washed the sticky dried sweat from his brow. Just a couple of hours earlier, he had been in town selling honey at the market, while sweltering the summer heat. It had been a fine day for him. There was a good market for honey.

“Lucas, hello…hello, Lucas!” The voice, distant and distressed, came from behind. He turned and squinted in the bright sun to focus on the figure of a young woman running down the hill toward him, waving.

It was little Sarah McDonald, daughter of the baker Theo McDonald and his wife Mae. Sarah reached Lucas standing on the river bank and plopped down on a boulder to catch her breath.

“Are you all right, Sarah? You nearly scared the devil out of me. What’s the big rush anyway?”

“My mama asked me to find you. She’s baking for the village fair and needs two jars of honey urgently.”

“And for two jars of honey she has you running around the countryside like a mad dog?”

“You know my mama. She’s a demanding woman.”

“That she is indeed.” He walked over to his wagon and peeled back the tarp. “Let me see if I have any left,” he said. Keeping one eye on Sarah, Lucas reached into his wagon and slipped a box out of sight.

“She’s wanting some of that dark honeydew if you have it.”

“Well Sarah, looks like I don’t have any more honeydew with me. I have some jars up at the house, though, if you would like to escort me there.”

“I guess that’ll be OK. But just for the honey, nothing else. No hanky-panky stuff.”

“Sarah McDonald, I don't know what you’re talking about.”

“You damn well know. You remember the last time I went with you.”

“Oh Sarah, I told you, I’d been drinking then and didn’t have my senses together.”

Sarah laughed. “Mama says you don’t have any sense to begin with. Says you got the best honey in the county but not a lick of sense in your head.”

“Your mama never liked me and never will. Everybody knows that.” Irritated, Lucas jerked the cover back over his wagon and tied down the flaps. “Let’s get going before I change my mind,” he said.

Sarah climbed on back of the tractor as he started it. “Lucas, why don’t you buy yourself a truck instead of driving around this old tractor and wagon?”

“I don’t need a truck. This tractor’s just fine for me.”

“The thing’s a hundred years old.”

“But it runs.”

“You’re such a scrooge. Got all the money you ever need and won’t even buy a decent truck.”

About a half mile up the road, Lucas’ house appeared off the side on a small hill. He had lived there for all of his forty years, and lived alone since his father’s death eight years earlier. Besides being a master beekeeper, Lucas was a skillful farmer. His grandfather and his father taught him to be self-sufficient and he valued that. Everything he ate, he produced, and he made a decent living selling his honey and produce at the local markets.

“Lucas, why haven’t you ever found yourself a wife?”

“You ask too many questions, girl.”

“That’s because you never give any answers.”

Lucas pulled off the road and parked behind the house next to the barn. Sarah jumped off the tractor and shook out her hair.

“You never answered my question. Why aren’t you married?”

“OK, if it’ll get you off my back, I did have a girl once. It didn’t work. She talked too much, like you.”

“Who was she? Do I know her?”

Lucas hesitated. “Lucy Helstrom.”

“You courted Lucy Helstrom! My God, she’s a pig,” Sarah roared with laughter. "Lucas and Lucy. I don't believe it. Did you ever kiss her?"

Lucas' face turned as red as a matador's muleta. “Girl, you take after your mama, you know that?” He reached into the back of his wagon and pulled out the hidden box. “Here’s your honeydew.”

“You had it all along. I knew it. You just wanted to get me up here again.” Sarah kicked the tractor tire, then pounded her fists on Lucas' chest. "You know what you are?"

“You’re so pretty when you’re mad. How about a kiss?”

“Mama’s right. You got the devil in you.”

“If anybody knows the devil, it’s your mama.”

“Well, that’s one thing you’ve said that I can agree with,” Sarah said. Lucas chuckled. “OK, let's forget it and start all over. How about I get you a glass of ice tea.”

“Just one glass, then I got to be on my way. Mama’s probably worried to death about me knowing I’m with you. She told me to get the honey and come straight back home.”

“I can give you a ride back if you want.”

“No way. You know what mama would do if she saw us together that way?”

“Damn, Sarah, you’re a grown woman. You shouldn’t worry all the time about what your mama might think. You know why your mama don’t like me?”

Sarah shook her head.

“Because I know about her and my daddy.”

Sarah frowned. "What are you talking about?"

“I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but you’ll find out anyway one day. A long time ago before you were born, your mama and my daddy had an affair. The way I heard it, my daddy broke your mama’s heart.”

“That’s crazy, Lucas, stupid and crazy.”

“It might be crazy, but it’s the truth. I saw it with my own eyes. I was about ten at the time. If you don’t believe me, go ask Deacon Davis. He’ll tell you.”

“Deacon Davis knows this?”

“Yes, I swear on my mother’s grave.”

Sarah walked to the back porch and slumped on the steps.

“There’s more. I told your mama once that I had certain feelings for you and she threatened me. Said she would tear off my head. I just laughed at her because I know she can’t do nothing to me. That really made her mad.”

Sarah perked up. “You have certain feelings for me?”

“Always have. Can’t you see that?”

“I never thought about it. Except for that one time when you claimed you were drunk, you never showed interest.”

“I guess that’s just the way I am. I’ve lived by myself so long, it’s hard for me to show my feelings sometimes.”

“Lucas, come sit with me.”

Lucas walked to the porch and sat down next to Sarah. They sat silently looking out across the field. Then Sarah grinned and broke the silence.

“Lucas,” she said. “Do you still want that kiss?”