Image by Myriams-Fotos from Pixabay
George Ludlow and Milton Trent, nine years old each and best friends, all were waiting in the Ludlow house, and were not quite as happy as their younger siblings about life on the riviera – that is, stuck inside during a water main break.
“Have they let all the water in Virginia out here?” Milton said.
“No, because Grandma and your mom are washing dishes, so there must be one other pipe,” George said, “so there's just half the water out there.”
“It's going to take so long for all that to dry up in front,” Milton said, “and at least we have the gardens in the back and it's not too bad, but sheesh!”
“Sheesh!” George said, “and when you consider they are not going to let us play in all that perfect mud that there's going to be for days and days.”
“I don't get adults sometimes,” Milton said. “Do they forget all the fun stuff?”
“Knowing Papa the way I do,” George said, “and compared to the foster parents he rescued us younger Ludlows from, I think it is harder for good adults because they have to take care of us. Plenty of adults are out here doing what they want to do, but the kids just get run over.”
“You know,” Milton said, “I never thought about that.”
“Thank God that you never had to,” George said. “It's Crazy Town out there, Milton.”
“What you've told me sounds terrible,” Milton said. “I guess we are better off not having as much fun, but being with parents who love us – I mean, your grandparents love you so much they became your parents!”
“I couldn't be happier,” George said. “Even though Papa gets all over my nerves and does not apologize – even though if I looked too hard at that mud I'd be grounded for two extra days – I couldn't be happier to know that he is my forever dad. My biological parents were having so much fun it killed them with those drugs – but my forever dad, my grandpa, is as good a dad as your dad.”
“Yeah, my dad stays on top of me and my big brother Melvin is still a little scared of him,” Milton said. “We know we don't get to do the wrong thing and have the name Trent. Nope. He is different from your grandpa temper-wise, but in no other way. But it's kinda how we know he loves us. He loves us enough to teach us how to be good, and that's kinda how God the Father is too, I think.”
“Yep,” George said. “Andrew and I are always reading in Papa's big Bible when Papa isn't using it, and yes, your dad and my forever dad are doing their best to be just like God the Father.”
“And see, even though we don't get to play in the mud, that's what makes it okay,” Milton said, “because we know our dads love us and God loves us and they are learning from God and we are learning from them, and so we don't have everything we want, but we will have everything we need.”
“Yep,” George said. “And hey, by the time we are done being grounded, things will have dried up!”
“And,” Milton said, “as long as the water keeps running, we aren't grounded because I can't go home!”
The two boys then heard Capt. R.E. Ludlow gently laughing.
“Congratulations,” he said to the two little boys. “Now you are learning wisdom – God does things so well there is no need for us as men to complain. We follow Him, adjust to conditions, thank Him for walking with us in them, and then find His blessings along the way.”
The two little boys got up and gave him a big hug, and then Sgt. Vincent Trent, Milton's father, came into the room from checking the water levels in the front and got tackled by the same two boys in a big hug given at speed.
“I love y'all too,” he said as they landed safely on the Ludlow sofa, “but next time can we do that at less than 20 miles an hour?”
“But why do that when that looks like fun?” George's little brother five-year-old Lil' Robert said as he and his six-year-old brother Grayson came running at top speed and piled on.
Capt. Ludlow sighed and lifted the two little boys off after a few moments.
“There is a difference between a hug and a five-car pile-up wreck in that 20 miles an hour,” he said, and Sgt. Trent laughed. “I know Sgt. Trent can take it, but, think of the couch, boys, think of the poor couch!”