“Look, y'all act like I went to some mysterious clinic and got some mysterious treatment all of the sudden – no, it's about doing the work, consistently. I've been in therapy and anger management for 15 years, and leveled up to some EMDR to directly deal with my deep past issues – but you don't have to take on that expense if you don't have my complications. You just have to do the work – we are courageous men, so how about being courageous for ourselves?”
Capt. R.E. Ludlow suddenly found himself the talk of the Veteran's Lodge and the veteran's community in Lofton County, VA, because old “Hell to Pay” was about to be hired as a specialized case manager – in essence, peer encourager-in-chief – for the Veteran's Lodge's mental health department. He did need to get certain certifications to qualify even at that level and was in online courses to do that – but the work had found him!
Meanwhile, Capt. Ludlow's seven little grandchildren were happy about this.
“Papa really is a big encourager,” eleven-year-old Eleanor Ludlow said to her best friend eleven-year-old Velma Trent. “I mean, although he is definitely memorable when mad, that big voice and personality just keeps us all going. You can't believe you can lose on anything if he is saying you can win.”
“Yeah, I see y'all working with that,” Velma said, “just like Grayson doesn't even know he has competition coming up at the Lofton County Virtual Spelling Bee – but then, he's six, so, the concept doesn't really exist for him.”
Eleanor laughed.
“Also, he shares a room with Robert, so with all that rough-and-tumble and Lego pile sharing – and then getting Edwina to understand he was having no nonsense from her, what competition? Grayson is going to win that because he is so confident he is going to make the others feel like they aren't ready!”
“But that's so Ludlow, just like Pop-Pop over here was a billionaire before he was a billionaire,” Velma said. “All of you are Ludlows just like although I am a Trent, I am a Stepforth granddaughter – we kinda soak up the confidence level.”
“Yeah, both our grandfathers have been flat broke and here we are,” Eleanor said. “Papa was still selling everything he owned except the necessities when he got me and Robert – paying lawyers and investigators – we moved down here because this was all he could afford on his next pension check.”
“Pop-Pop's family was actually kinda moving up by the time he was grown, but they don't pay college basketball players, and college is expensive, so he really had to believe because he was short to be a baller even in college – but you watch Pop-Pop as the Airstepper and you realize: he didn't know he was too short. Every game, he came to play and win, but he also wasn't going to play dirty and take shortcuts, and big players made a mistake trying to bully him. Pop-Pop was a master of misdirection – folks would try to block his shots and end up in the stands!”
“You just gotta do what you gotta do, and you can!” Eleanor said. “What I don't understand is why many grown people are harder to convince.”
“Look,” Velma said. “Do you have any choice but to be the best you can be, and do you think I do?”
“Oh, no – growing up with Papa?” Eleanor said. “And you with your grandparents? Oh no!”
“We have to leave here to have choices like that, and who wants those, because we are loved here!” Velma said, “but you know everybody doesn't get that, and if you are grown before you do, do you even understand?”
“You know, maybe not,” Eleanor said. “I was talking to Andrew about this. Papa loved his mother and my father, but he also had to be away a lot, and there was no Internet yet. Papa doesn't ever put my biological grandmother down for what she did or did not do, but I kinda figured some things out. So, yeah, I don't know if my parents got it early enough – and then you know what my mother's family is like. I mean how messed up do you need to be to get everybody dragged into court by Papa?”
Velma shook her head.
“I'mma do Gracie and Grandma Jubilee here – ain't it the truth.”
“It's like I really felt sorry for my mom after all this – you know that Grandpa Tristan and Grandma Isabelle are only staying in rehab because at this point The Fear of Papa has them afraid to come out?” Eleanor said. “The only chance any of them ever had is coming from one Ludlow person, and that isn't even fair to anyone – messed-up adults have had a lot of people dropping the ball!”
“But see, that's why our folks want us to be sure we know God for ourselves, because mistakes were made, balls were dropped, and the people who did all of it are putting together fig leaves and trying to hide,” Velma said. “And that's when they survive. Calling y'all's house and taking a chance on getting your grandfather or Edwina – when your eight-year-old relative is ready to break bad and take you out, you know there's gotta be all the people between age 8 and age 58 that are gunning for you.”
“You know,” Eleanor said, and put her head in her hands, “this has gotta be why it is so hard for adults: they gotta be really scared. No love and a world full of people they are afraid are out to get them: yeah.”
Meanwhile, seven-year-old Amanda Ludlow was radiantly happy as she went to take her grandfather the lemonade Mrs. Thalia Ludlow, the only grandmother she had ever known, had made for the family.
“Thank you, Amanda – gentlemen, I present to some and introduce to others my granddaughter, Amanda Green 'Keep 'Em Safe' Ludlow.”
“Hi!” Amanda said, and waved.
“Hey, little Miss 'Keep 'Em Safe' Ludlow!” a few of the men said.
“That reminds me, Papa – although your hero name is Papa, Edwina and I are running a poll among us for your second hero name, and we need you to know that 'Get Right or Else' and 'Big Safety' are winning so far.”
“Robert Edward 'Get Right or Else' Ludlow … Robert Edward 'Big Safety' Ludlow … I kind of like both of those,” he said as he put her on his lap for a moment.
“Can we get in the polling?” Lieutenant G.H. Truss said, “because I acted Don Giovanni to your Commendatore, and you see how I'm getting my real life together – y'all see how my whole life changed! I vote for 'Get Right or Else'!”
“Well,” Amanda said, “this is kinda a family vote, but, we'll keep your idea in mind!”
“Yeah, that's a Ludlow for sure,” another man said. “You can have whatever idea you want, but Ludlows are going to do whatever they have made up their mind they are going to do! How old is she, Captain?”
“You can tell them,” he said.
“I'm seven, and yes, I am a Ludlow,” she said. “This is my grandfather, and my real dad, and yeah: I'm with him.”
“And I'm with you,” Capt. Ludlow purred. “Thank you again for bringing me the lemonade, and please go tell your grandmother it is wonderful.”
“Okay – I'll see you later – keep 'em safe, Papa!”
“Working on it, Amanda!”
“Did I hear something about being a Ludlow?” five-year-old Lil' Robert Ludlow said as he peeked in.
“Come on in – gentlemen, I present to some and introduce to others my grandson, Robert Edward Ludlow III, with whom I share my vest of Robert Edward Ludlowness.”
“I'mma grow into that vest, too – next week, though!” Lil' Robert said as he came running. “Hi!”
After the grandchildren were gone, all these grown, hardened soldiers laughed, some until they cried …
“That's your mysterious clinic, Captain,” Major Hofstadt said. “I get it. That's why you do all this work, and that's also your reward.”
“You have a daughter who loves you, Major,” Capt. Ludlow said. “All of you have people who love you. Your reward is before you, and with you.”
Interesting story
Funny story
Interesting story
Thank you for reading!