“OK, so Gracie and Milton and Velma's grandmothers are having like the deepest grandma-level conversation ever.”
This was Eleanor Ludlow (11) giving the cue to cousin/siblings Glendella (10) and Andrew (10) to begin the greatest habit Gracie and Velma Trent had taught them: quality eavesdropping.
The three oldest little Ludlows came back to eat dessert with wide eyes and full brains.
“OK, so, yeah, that was deep,” Glendella said.
“Grandma Jubilee is on a whole different level,” Andrew said, “Not that she believes in Greek myth or anything, but could you imagine seeing three of your sons getting on the ferry over the river of death and sailing away on some foolery when you come from the background of singing 'I Stood on the River of Jordan'?”
“Two totally different choices in life, two totally different rivers,” Eleanor said. “You know you are going one way and your kids are going another – and that just tells you: Papa has been going through it, because that's what happened with his kids, our parents, Andy.”
“Wow,” Glendella said. “Y'all know my parents and grandparents are just on different boats going the same way, but it has got to be something when 'Tale of Two Cities' is a thing in your own family, and you're already grown and you gotta watch your kids sail off in the wrong direction.”
“Yeah – how does that book open?” Andrew said. “ 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. We were all going directly to heaven, we were all going directly to hell.' But, in generations of your family – yikes.”
“But that's not even the deep part,” Eleanor said. “I mean, Glennie, we know that your folks are so all kinds of messed up that you had to get out of there, and you're all kinds of messed up but getting better like we are all kinds of messed up and Papa is all kinds of messed up but we are getting better. But I'm with Big Mama Velma Stepforth on this: how is Grandma Jubilee not all kinds of messed up after going through basically what Papa went through?”
“Well, I mean, her oldest son made it and he's right there,” Glendella said as Sgt. Vincent Trent brought even more food out of the Trent house. “That's gotta help – I mean, there's that song called 'Love the One Your With,' so, yeah.”
“That is kind of how we are making it, too,” Andrew said. “We are loving the ones we are with.”
“Well, yeah,” Glendella said. “And maybe it is something else too. I don't hate my biological grandparents, and I don't hate my parents, but I am done with them. When you know, even if you're ten, you know. Maybe Grandma Jubilee just got done.”
Eleanor and Andrew considered this.
“Papa was done with our parents, and marched right on, so maybe,” Eleanor said. “I don't know if Andy and I down to Edwina are ever getting over it while Amanda and Grayson and Robert kinda are forgetting but they get to do that because they are so much younger – so they really couldn't start.”
“Well,” Andrew said, “here's the thing. Papa, Grandma Jubilee, and Big Mama Velma are grandparent-old. I mean, their getting done has got to be on a whole different level than you, Glendella. But here's the thing: you're 10, Glendella, meaning the doneness is in our reach, Ellie.”
Eleanor and Glendella considered this.
“Well,” Glendella said, “the foolishness is still going on, but without me. In your case, Andy and Ellie, at least the foolishness is over, so you can just go on.”
“That's basically what Grandma Jubilee was saying: the foolishness had to stop so we could go on in peace and actually get to be kids,” Eleanor said.
“I guess we'll just keep deciding to go on,” Andrew said, “and one day, we'll look back and the pain will be so far back it won't hurt any more.”
“Well, I mean, I guess you could just be done with the past day by day into the future,” Glendella said.
“Sounds like a plan,” Eleanor said.
“It really does,” Andrew said. “When you think about it, it makes sense because even barbecue takes time to be done. How long did Sgt. Trent say it took to cook the brisket?”
“18 hours,” Eleanor said. “I guess we could put some time in on getting done, because we want to be done right in the end.”
“And that's what we're seeing in Grandma Jubilee,” Glendella said. “When the marinade and the spicing and the pressure and the heat are all done, then you get done and you get peace and you get beautiful again if you are done right.”
“No wonder Sgt. Trent understands how to cook brisket; he must have watched his mom do all that,” Andrew said.
“Yeah,” Eleanor and Glendella said.
“Who would have thought brisket could be so inspirational, though?” Glendella said.
“Well,” Andrew said, “Sgt. Trent sure does know how to cook some brisket, and our grandma is always saying great food is just the edible version of great art.”
“And great art is just another version of great storytelling,” Eleanor said, “and you can learn a lot, doing quality eavesdropping on other people's great stories.”