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All of a sudden, Ruth heard a sound like a buzz saw, and the sky went black as hordes of angry bees swarmed out of the hole.
In seconds, Idgie was covered from head to foot with thousands of bees. Idgie just stood there, and in a minute, carefully pulled her hand out of the tree and started walking slowly back toward Ruth, still humming. By the time she had gotten back, almost all the bees had flown away and what had been a completely black figure was now Idgie, standing there, gri
She held it up, offering the jar to Ruth. "Here you are, madame, this is for you."
Ruth, who had been scared out of her wits, slid down the tree onto the ground, and burst into tears. "I thought you were dead! Why did you do that? You could have been killed!"
Idgie said, "Oh, don't cry. I'm sorry. Here, don't you want the honey? I got it just for you... please don't cry. It's all right, I do it all the time. I never get stung. Honest. Here, let me help you up, you're getting yourself all dirty."
She handed Ruth the old blue banda
Idgie tried to cheer her up. "Just think, Ruth, I never did it for anybody else before. Now nobody in the whole world knows I can do that but you. I just wanted for us to have a secret together, that's all."
Ruth didn't respond.
"I'm sorry. Ruth, please don't be mad at me.”
"Mad?" Ruth put her arms around Idgie and said, "Oh Idgie I'm not mad at you. It's just that I don't know what I'd do if anything ever happened to you. I really don't."
Idgie's heart started pounding so hard it almost knocked her over.
After they had eaten the chicken and potato salad and all the biscuits and most of the honey, Ruth leaned back against the tree and Idgie put her head in her lap. "You know, Ruth, I'd kill for you. Anybody that would ever hurt you, I'd kill them in a minute and never think twice about it."
"Oh Idgie, that's a terrible thing to say."
"No it isn't. I'd rather kill for love than kill for hate. Wouldn't you?"
"Well, I don't think we should ever kill for any reason."
"All right, then, I'd die for you. How about that? Don't you think somebody could die for love?"
"No."
"The Bible says Jesus Christ did."
"That's different."
"No it isn't. I could die right now, and I wouldn't mind. I'd be the only corpse with a smile on my face."
"Don't be silly.”
"I could have been killed today, couldn't I have?"
Ruth took her hand and smiled down at her. "My Idgie's a bee charmer."
"Is that what I am?"
"That's what you are. I've heard there were people who could do it, but I'd never seen one before today.”
“Is it bad?”
"Nooo. It's wonderful. Don't you know that?"
"Naw, I thought it was crazy or something."
"No—it’s a wonderful thing to be."
Ruth leaned down and whispered in her ear, "You're an old bee charmer, Idgie Threadgoode, that's what you are . . .”
Idgie smiled back at her and looked up into the clear blue sky that reflected in her eyes, and she was as happy as anybody who is in love in the summertime can be.
AUGUST 29, 1924
It's fu
And now, a month later, it was because she loved her so much that she had to leave. Idgie was a sixteen-year-old kid with a crush and couldn't possibly understand what she was saying. She had no idea when she was begging Ruth to stay and live with them what she was asking; but Ruth knew, and she realized she had to get away.
She had no idea why she wanted to be with Idgie more than anybody else on this earth, but she did. She had prayed about it, she had cried about it; but there was no answer except to go back home and marry Frank Be
When she told Idgie she was leaving for home the next morning, Idgie had gone completely crazy. She was in her room breaking things and carrying on so loud that you could hear her all over the house.
Ruth was sitting on her bed, wringing her hands, when Momma came in.
"Ruth, please go in there and talk to her. She won't let me or her daddy in the room, and everyone else is afraid to go in there. Please, honey, I'm scared she's go
They heard another crash.
Momma looked at Ruth and pleaded, "Oh Ruth, she's just like a wounded animal, down there. Won't you please go and see if you can calm her down a little?"
Ni
Ruth took the long walk down the hall. Julian, Mildred, Patsy Ruth, and Essie Rue were all hiding behind their bedroom doors, with nothing but their heads poked out, staring bug- eyed at her as she passed them by.
Momma and Ni
Ruth tapped gently on Idgie's door.
From inside the room, Idgie yelled, "LEAVE ME ALONE, GODDAMMIT!" and threw something that crashed against the door.
Momma cleared her throat and said in a sweet voice, "Children, why don't we all go wait in the parlor and give Ruth some privacy."
All six of them went downstairs in a hurry.
Ruth continued to knock at the door. "Idgie, it's me."
"Get away!"
"I want to talk to you."
"No! Leave me alone!"
"Please, don't be like this."
"Get the hell away from the door and I mean it!" And something else crashed against the door.
"Please let me in." "
NO!"
"Please, honey."
"NO!"
"IDGIE, OPEN THIS GODDAMNED DOOR RIGHT THIS MINUTE, AND I MEAN IT! DO YOU HEAR ME?"
There was a moment of silence. The door slowly opened. Ruth walked in and closed it behind her. She saw that Idgie had broken everything in the room. Some things twice.
"Why are you acting like this? You knew I was going to have to leave sometime."
"Then why cain't you let me go with you?"
"I told you why."
"Then stay here."
"I cain't"
Idgie yelled at the top of her lungs, "WHY NOT?"
"Would you quit that yelling? You're embarrassing me and your mother. The whole house can hear you."
"I don't care."
"Well, I do. Why are you acting like such a baby?"
"BECAUSE I LOVE YOU AND I DONT WANT YOU TO GO!"
"Idgie, have you lost your mind? What are people go
"I DONT CARE!"
Ruth started picking things up.
"Why are you go