Getting Stung

Gail Nobles
June 19, 2009


A few weeks ago, I went outside to mow the grass. I pushed a tree limb with blossoms out of my way, and then a big, giant, yellow, and black bee landed on my arm. Hurriedly, I knocked him away, but he still bit into my skin a little bit. There was a tiny hole in the center of the swelling area. As soon as I could, I went into the house to put some alcohol on it. It was stinging a little, but after a bath and the next morning, it started to itch.

I began to think back when I was a little girl. My father got stung by a wasp. His face had swollen on one side so bad that I couldn’t tell if he was looking at me. My father looked mean as I tried to talk to him. He was watching TV, but he looked like he was watching me too. I couldn’t tell. Finally at last he said, “Hmm, hmm.” So I knew he had at least heard me.

When I think about that, I think about Laila Ali. When she hits her opponents, their faces look swollen. Laila Ali is just like the bumble bee. She’s got the sting just like her father.