Image by Michal Jarmoluk from Pixabay
A gentle tapping on a horn outside one's door in 2020 was more an event than it had been before the pandemic, and so the Ludlows and Trents turned out to their front porches to see an old man and a strapping young man getting out of their car, and the young man going to the trunk.
“Wait a minute,” Capt. R.E. Ludlow said. “Is this Major Milhouse Maynard of Maynard's Magnificent Jams and Preserves?”
“It is, Baby Bob Ludlow,” the old man said with a smile. “My family has been drinking the Ludlow Bubbly, and I see you still have fine tastes in fruit flavors that I helped you get.”
“You best believe it, sir – to my family and neighbors, when I was your age, baby grandson Lil' Robert, all the way through your age, young Miss Vanna Trent, up to the day I left at 18 for West Point, I was going by the major's cafe every other day – three or four inches in my height is peanut butter sandwiches with all those different jams and preserves!”
Mrs. Melissa Trent smiled.
“Major Maynard was the first to integrate his cafe in Big Loft, and my father was there, sir, the day you wrote the sign that said, 'All people who love jam are welcome to eat it here!'”
Major Maynard smiled.
“I see Tom Stepforth in your face, young lady!”
“Thomas Stepforth Sr. is my father!”
“Wait a minute – your father was the high school basketball player who liked the double chunky peanut butter with the dollop of apricot jam!” Capt. Ludlow said.
“And he's still eating that!” Mrs. Trent said.
The young man with Major Maynard grinned.
“You always said good food brings people together, Uncle!”
“But see, you listened – this is my great-nephew, Marvin Maynard, and we just came to encourage your families to keep building as families and don't let go of that. All my children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews – they found work building on something for themselves and for others in their own family, and found work good and valuable. Not all of them are in the jam business, but all of them are successful and moving ahead because of the foundation of laboring with love with their families. Don't get so big as a company that you let that go – your biggest and best investment is in the younger people around you.”
The Maynards had brought a case of every type of jam and preserves the company made – even though the cafe had been traded up for a big restaurant between Big Loft and Minipolis, and even though it was prepared on a scale suitable for mass production, the jam still tasted like Capt. Ludlow and Mrs. Trent remembered.
“And now we can add inches to our height with it!” nine-year-old George Ludlow declared.
“Right – hook me up with that double crunchy peanut butter and the dollop of apricot jam, right now!” nine-year-old Milton Trent said about the favorite sandwich of his grandfather Mr. Stepforth.
“I love that there is a jam in here to match every color,” eight-year-old Edwina Ludlow said.
“And we get to taste all the colors!” her sister Amanda said.
“Ain't it the truth,” Gracie said. “I've been wondering about what rubies taste like, anyway.”
“Like strawberries, but more crunch,” Edwina said.
Eleanor (11) and Andrew Ludlow (10) along with Velma Trent (11) were talking with young Marvin Maynard about growing all the way up in a local food company.
This left Lil' Robert (5) and Grayson Ludlow (6) to work out some things for themselves.
“See, we gotta make sure we get it together so we can drive Papa around when he gets old so he can bless people,” Grayson said. “You and I can carry even more soda.”
“OK,” Lil' Robert said. “You build the car next week, and I'll drive it.”
“OK – Papa has to have a blue car because of his army stuff, and I think we have just enough blue Legos.”