“Dad – did you know accidents have at least two personalities?”
This was Milton Trent, running up to his dad with his latest life discovery.
Sgt. Vincent Trent smiled warmly and put an arm around his son.
“Really, Milton? Never heard of this before!”
“Yeah, Dad, because there are happy accidents and unhappy accidents – and it's sad that most of them are so unhappy!”
“It is, Milton. It truly is.”
“So, I was thinking that there has to be a way to help the unhappy accidents be happier, Dad, and I was talking with Grayson next door about it, and we had some ideas.”
Milton was nine years old, and Grayson was six.
“Oh, really?” Sgt. Trent said. “And there's Grayson, patiently waiting in his mask to come up on the porch – come up on the porch, Grayson, and sit down. You did ask your grandmother for permission to be over here, right?”
“Yes, sir, Uncle Sarge – she helped me get my mask right.”
Most of the time, the little Trent children and the Ludlow grandchildren forgot all about such things because for all intents and purposes, they were on the cul-de-sac living as friends and extended family, but Grayson was the type of child that, if thinking really hard, thought of everything he could.
Grayson had given Milton's idea his best and deepest thoughts.
“So, first of all, Uncle Sarge, sir, I had to make sure that I could spell accident and accidentally right.”
“Let's hear it, Grayson.”
“A-C-C-I-D-E-N-T and A-C-C-I-D-E-N-T-A-L-L-Y.”
“Very good, Grayson!”
“Thank you, sir. See, it's important because Grandma says that half the people nowadays really don't know what they are talking about, and Andrew says it may be because some words are really close together in spelling and if you don't pay attention, you can be talking about a whole different thing, so, he helps me out.”
Andrew Ludlow was 10, but already reading and spelling on a late high school level.
“I agree with both your grandma and Andrew, Grayson,” said Sgt. Trent.
“You can have an accident, trying to spell accident, basically,” Milton said.
“Basically,” Grayson said.
“And that brought up another point, Dad – the problem with accidents is that you can't plan them. If it happens accidentally, well, there you are with whatever their personality may happen to be. But then Grayson and I started thinking about maybe we can cheer an accident up afterward.”
“Permission to dump my Legos on the porch, Uncle Sarge, sir,” Grayson said.
“Granted, Grayson,” said Sgt. Trent.
Grayson had brought his little red wagon full of Legos over, and he and Milton dumped the wagon on the porch.
To be continued later today!
Waiting. :)
An interesting scenario seems may be unfolding. Can't wait to see how the personalities will mesh.
Thanks for sharing.
Sounds intriguing. Waiting patiently.🙂
Thanks for the read ... wait until you see what Milton and Grayson can do with a porch full of Legos and something they know about a scandal in my hometown...