Read Like a Bee to Honey for Free Online Page B

out. “I’d be glad to. Can I carry anything for you? Paints? Pencils? Cats?”
    â€œWill you carry the paints? I will see to the cats.”
    Rose shepherded Farrah Fawcett off her pillow and herded her out the door. She picked up Leonard Nimoy and the scratching post and walked out of the honey house.
    Josiah followed a few steps back, as if shielding her from an attack, and whistled a tune from the Ausbund . She relaxed a little. The whistling meant she didn’t feel pressure to have a conversation with him. Her head was swimming with too many worries already.
    They walked up to the porch and found a dead mouse waiting for them on the welcome mat. Rose shuddered. Josiah gave her a sympathetic smile. He must have thought she was the most pitiful girl in the whole world. He picked up the mouse by the tail and flung it off the porch.
    Inside, Aunt Bitsy stood regarding the sink with a pair of sunshine-yellow rubber gloves on her hands, a plunger in her fist, and a temporary spider tattoo crawling up her neck. She turned when she heard the door open. “Josiah Yoder,” she grunted. “I’m glad you’re here.”
    Josiah grinned like Leonard Nimoy with a ball of yarn. “You are?”
    Aunt Bitsy rolled her eyes. “I’m not glad to see you. I’m glad you have strong farmer’s arms. My sink is clogged, and I can’t press this plunger hard enough to clear it.”
    Josiah’s grin only grew wider. “I’m happy to help.” He set the bin of paints on the table and took the plunger from Aunt Bitsy. With all the force of his broad shoulders, he shoved the plunger into the sink, pumping it up and down vigorously and making water splash on the counter and the floor and Aunt Bitsy.
    â€œDon’t flood my kitchen, Josiah Yoder. I haven’t made supper yet.”
    Josiah worked that plunger up and down for another minute, then pulled it from the sink. Both he and Aunt Bitsy eyed the drain.
    â€œNothing,” Aunt Bitsy said. “It was no use for you to be here after all.”
    â€œI could unscrew the curved pipe thingy below the sink,” Josiah said.
    Aunt Bitsy narrowed her eyes. “The curved pipe thingy? Josiah Yoder, I get the feeling you don’t know much about clogged sinks. I’ll wait for Luke Bontrager. Much as I’m against it, he’s coming to see Poppy tonight.”
    Josiah stood up as straight and tall as a sycamore. “I can do it. I’ve watched my brother-in-law unclog a sink before.”
    Aunt Bitsy took the plunger from Josiah. “All right then. Let’s see what you can do yet.”
    â€œDo you have a bucket?”
    Rose fetched the cleaning bucket from the storage room as Josiah cleared all the soap and rags and supplies from the cupboard under the sink. He turned onto his back and slid so half of his body was inside the cupboard and he was looking up at the sink from below. Rose handed him the bucket, and he set it down at his knees within easy reach.
    He began unscrewing one of the washers connected to the elbow-shaped pipe.
    Aunt Bitsy leaned over to watch him work. “You’re going to get—”
    The water trickled slowly out of the unsealed pipe for a few seconds and then in a great woosh , soaked Josiah and his clean blue shirt with filthy, gray dishwater. Josiah howled, sat up suddenly, and smacked his forehead against the metal pipe. Rose winced. That was going to leave a mark.
    â€œâ€”wet,” Aunt Bitsy said.
    Pressing his hand against his forehead, Josiah shot out of the cupboard as the rest of the dishwater splashed to the bottom and dribbled out onto the floor.
    â€œAre you all right?” Rose said.
    His entire upper half was soaked, and there were little bits of rice and lettuce and other food particles stuck to his navy shirt. He took his hand from his forehead, leaving a smudge of black scum. A small goose egg was already starting to form just above his