Image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay
“I like hanging out with our Lee cousins, because it is always real peaceful in here, and everything is quiet and fun,” six-year-old Grayson Ludlow said to his ten-year-old cousin Glendella Ludlow while they were working on the big 100,000 piece jigsaw puzzle Col. H.F. and Mrs. Maggie Lee had painstakingly brought over from the house they had evacuated to the “vacation homes” they, their Ludlow cousins, and their Trent and Stepforth friends were staying in.
“Yeah, this is really the life,” Glendella said. “I like my new Big Cousins Harry and Maggie a lot.”
“I don't really do quiet all that much,” five-year-old Lil' Robert Ludlow said, “but this is cool!”
Mrs. Lee brought out some strawberry lemonade for the three children, and then handed glasses to eleven-year-old Velma and eight-year-old Gracie Trent as they came in.
“Milton is voluntarily grounding right now and is reading in his room, and Vertran is editing video, but we figured it was a bit hot at y'all's house, Grayson and Glendella, so we thought we would come in here for a bit. There's definitely enough puzzle here, and also – thank you, Mrs. Maggie!” Velma said.
“Ain't it the truth,” Gracie said.
The Trent sisters settled right in, and the Lees watched them with a smile.
“We are their third space,” the wife murmured to the husband.
“I notice,” he said. “My grandparents' home was that too, growing up … tons of people there, but my grandparents are very calm and it is catching.”
“That's a good thing to have contagious,” Mrs. Lee said. “Anger and hate are far too catching in the world, and it only takes one really sick person to infect the others – many others.”
Col. Lee smiled at his wife with a slight sadness.
“I love you for who you are,” he said, “and I value that you grew up as I did in a world where you could think that people would not choose their infection, in this sense. But I tell you this: long before a great man of hate and evil emerges, he must have a base of support among people just like him. It is said that when the student is ready, the teacher appears, and this is also true in such matters.”
Mrs. Lee considered this and shook her head.
“You're right, I didn't think of that. When people choose a leader, they choose one to lead them where they already want to go – now whether they get there or not is a different matter, but there is a measure of consent.”
“Which is why it is such a blessing to be able to cultivate the desire for love, peace, and harmony in righteousness in these little ones,” he said, “and also the one to come.”
Mrs. Lee shivered with pleasure as her husband gently stroked her belly, where their child was just weeks along, and then reveled in the tender passion of a shared embrace and kiss.
Col. Lee's mind had gone to his grandparents who raised him, and his innate knowledge all his life that their deep love and welcome to each other had radiated outward and blessed the world around them. He knew he had to take the lead … and, fortunately, although of course they had their misunderstandings to work out from time to time, Maggie was easy and eager to love … and already, they had seen in working with their little Ludlow cousins and their friends that if they kept their love strong, that love would be a refuge for them and everyone around them.
And then, Col. Lee reminded himself to get into the moment … owing to the working of his mind, training and trauma and innate neurodivergence having made that work unique, he could be running all manner of plans and calculations and histories in his head long past the point at which another man would be overcome with pain or pleasure. Bipolarity and disassociation to the edge of split personality – that was an old Lee trait, explaining how they were generally loving and mild-mannered, but when provoked could be lethal by the thousands and then snap right back. But the difference was, Col. Lee knew what was going on, and could and did choose to bring his whole self back together.
Mrs. Lee felt this as a deeper relaxation, a leaning into the moment in her husband … this was precious to her because it was hard for him to completely relax, even in their intimate moments, but he was getting better at it at they went along. It was just a few seconds, but wonderful before giving their full attention to their little guests and the huge jigsaw puzzle they were enjoying on the floor.
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You're welcome ... thank you for reading!