22 June 2024, @mariannewest's Freewrite Writing Prompt Day 2411: fair or not

Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay

“Look, what happened to those guys is what was supposed to happen to them, because, see, money is paper, and it doesn't let you just do stuff to people fair or not – I'm not going for it, and good people are not going for it, and if these bad guys keep it up and think paper lets them do stuff, we're gonna wrap 'em in toilet paper and hang 'em over the toilet and let them think about their lives until they are ready to get their lives together! And don't tell me I'm too little to do all that – next week, though!”

Lil' Robert Ludlow, five years old, was hot, his little blue eyes flashing, because although he really didn't have a clue what a billionaire was, he also didn't care – if he heard someone was being unfairly treated, he sprang to the defense, because … .

“Because he has a real tall soul,” Mrs. Velma Stepforth said as she observed his reaction. “He really does.”

“I was thinking,” her eight-year-old granddaughter Gracie Trent said, “that if Grayson [Lil' Robert's six-year-old brother] could build just the right kind of time machine out of Legos, we could put Rob in there, make him old enough to be president, vote him in, and the problems of the country be solved. I'm gonna ask Grayson about this, but, how old do you have to be to be president, Grandma?”

“Thirty-five,” Mrs. Stepforth said.

Gracie thought about this.

“That's just thirty years – yeah, Grayson should be able to do that. Be right back.”

Gracie returned with Grayson and explained the situation in the presence of Mrs. Stepforth, and Grayson, future architect and civil engineer, sat down and thought about this.

“Well, you know Rob is already going to be president, because I'm building him both the helicopter to get there and a presidential cabinet to put stuff in, and then Eddie [their eight-year-old sister Edwina] said not to get a presidential seal but a penguin because he already has his tuxedo right.”

“Oh yeah,” Gracie said. “Y'all have been working on this.”

“The problem is, I have enough Legos to build the time machine to get Robert in there, but he's going to get stuck in there at 35, because you see how big your Pop-Pop is, and that's too big, and then you know how big my Papa is, and that's way too big. So then by the time we get him out of that jam and he heals up from all those Legos that are going to be stuck in him, he's not going to have time to really run for president.”

“And probably won't feel like running, after that,” Gracie said. “But then I did say we need to get you a bigger little red wagon – we can put him in there.”

“Nope,” Grayson said. “Your grandfather wouldn't fit in one twice as big, and my grandfather wouldn't fit in anything less than a golf cart. Besides that, how is anyone going to believe Rob is going to be a good president stuck in a red wagon with all of us pushing him instead of him running? I know President Trump is older than Papa, and so is Senator Biden, but they are both faster than that.”

“Ain't it the truth,” Gracie said. “From what I heard, they are running about neck and neck – whoever loses should just sign up for the Senior Olympics, though, because they are staying in shape and getting a ton of practice.”

She thought some more and then had another idea.

“I got it. Rob can outride them both if we put him on Mt. Rushmore and ride him down.”

“Nope,” Grayson said. “Three problems. Rob's not going to roll over anybody's face because he wants to be fair, we don't know where Mt. Rushmore is, and little red wagons don't have brakes.”

“You know, that last one is the problem,” Mrs. Stepforth said, “because you know, if you didn't have that last problem, you could just put him on Mt. Everest for a headstart.”

Gracie and Grayson considered this, looking so cute and serious.

“I just remembered – I'm building Nanga Parbat in Legos this weekend, and it's the ninth highest mountain in the world, so we could use the safe one I'm building instead.”

“There it is,” Gracie said. “We just gotta get you some more Legos so you can build a big time machine, and, problem solved and we have the right president.”

“Yeah, and maybe President Trump or future President Biden can hold it down until we get the technology right,” Grayson said.

“I think they can,” Mrs. Stepforth said, “and if not, hey, the Senior Olympics are waiting on them.”

“Ain't it the truth,” Gracie and Grayson said together, and skipped off holding hands, happy as could be.

“You were so sweet to them, Velma, although you just about killed me!” Mr. Stepforth said when he was done laughing in the bedroom.

“Gotta be nice to our granddaughter and our future grandson-in-law,” she said.

“Well,” Mr. Stepforth said as he shook his head, but nonetheless smiled, “I do see the natural match, and, if it has to be a white boy next door, let it be a Ludlow grandson, because they are being raised to value fairness and think very, very well. I kind of see Andrew and little Velma, too.”

“Yep, and that is because like with us and the Duboises, and therefore Vertran our grandson and Louisa their granddaughter, they feel all the bonds of love that are drawing our families together – so, all around them are Trents, Ludlows, Stepforths, Lees-of-the-mountain, Duboises, and the Jubilees-of-the-mountain. Now, obviously they are going to meet many different people as they get older, but what I hope that Gracie and Grayson, Vertran and Louisa, and all children have the feeling of before they grow up and go out into the world is true love, so they don't accept less.”

“Which is why I had to get out of the group of billionaires that Lil' Robert plans to have rolled up in toilet paper and hung over the toilet and instead get my life together, because I see now, Big Velma, what you see. In this world, if they don't see true love in us, they aren't going to see it.”

“You're too handsome to have spent the rest of your life as the toilet paper mummy,” Mrs. Stepforth said, “and I'm glad you figured that out!”

Mr. Stepforth almost fell over laughing, and said, “I'm glad I've figured that out – and later on, I want you to unwrap me, just to check!”

“Consider it done, Tom,” she said as they kissed briefly but intently.