24 December 2025, @mariannewest's Freewrite Writing Prompt Day 2961: no salvation

Fractal art by the author, Deeann D. Mathews

“Sometimes,” Capt. R.E. Ludlow said to his wife Thalia, “life surprises us in deep and complex ways.”

Tristan Green – no relation to Sam Green, Thalia Ludlow's first husband, but maternal grandfather to Eleanor (11), Edwina (8), and Lil' Robert Ludlow (5), called Capt. Ludlow to tell him: he had made it through rehab, quit drinking, and was sober at last.

“Robert, you are the only person who ever believed that I could, and you even paid for the rehab – thank you. I understand now why you are the way you are, and how Jesus is the way He is, winning our salvation at His total cost, while we could only humble ourselves, confess our total need, and receive.”

Mr. Green did not ask if he could speak with his grandchildren, and by that alone – by his lack of demanding anything – Capt. Ludlow knew he had indeed been saved and was doing the work on recovering from the patterns of addiction.

So, Capt. Ludlow extended more grace.

“I will ask our shared three grandchildren if they would like to hear from you how you are … our eldest prays for you every day without fail.”

“Only if they want to … and Lil' Robert probably doesn't even remember me, so let it stay that way until I can make a worthy memory.”

“Tristan, you are his grandfather, the father of his mother. That alone is enough. He may not understand today, but he will probably come along with his big sisters anyway, and it is good.”

“Robert, you've always treated me better than I deserved … I thank you, and I apologize for failing your son. You didn't fail my daughter Ellen. You gave her the same chance you gave your own son, and have given me and Isabelle. But I failed Robert Jr, and our grandkids through him and Ellen, and I'm sorry. I repent.”

“What Christ has forgiven, I forgive, Tristan.”

“I'd like to apologize to my grandchildren, if they will hear me.”

“I'll find out, Tristan.”

Eleanor Ludlow came running to the phone, with a more reluctant Edwina following her.

“I'm only here to support Ellie!” the younger sister announced. “I don't care about these so-called relatives that weren't there when we needed them, but I care about Ellie and she cares about them a lot, so, I'mma try to be nice, but I reserve the right to break bad!”

But both were shocked to hear their maternal grandfather calm, sober, repentant, and grateful, and Capt. Ludlow gave them all space.

Lil' Robert was napping in a sunbeam on the couch, and no one woke him … there would be time later to reintroduce him to his other grandfather.

Only one thing was wrong.

“Where's Grandma Isabelle?” Eleanor asked.

“Grandma Isabelle is not quite as far along,” Grandpa Tristan said, “but we'll keep praying! I'll tell her you asked when I see her!”

Capt. Ludlow groaned inwardly. One of the reasons married addicts didn't always make it is because in many cases, the sober one gets left, and since this dynamic is apparent before hand, both tend to choose what is necessary to stay in the relationship, which is, unfortunately, to stay in the same addiction.

Tristan Green had chosen to move into sobriety. Isabelle was not with him.

“But y'all both went to rehab at the same time,” Eleanor said. “I'm confused.”

“There's no salvation in rehab, Eleanor,” her Grandpa Tristan said gently. “I was reading in the Bible where it says there is no salvation in any other but Christ Jesus, and this is true. The thing is, the work with Him is to believe on Him. The work in rehab is to believe a better life is possible than to be addicted, and work toward it. The Lord will empower it, but you've really got to believe enough to move toward both.”

“That makes so much sense,” Eleanor said. “I mean, even eternal life – we've got it, so we're supposed to walk in it.”

“Sobriety is the same thing, except it can be lost easily, so every day, I gotta keep walking. I've moved so I'm not around my old temptations, and that helps. We pray Grandma Isabelle come too!”

“You tell Grandma Isabelle I said get your life together!” Edwina said.

Eleanor went skipping away from the phone, praising God, and so did Edwina, although she needed to add, “I'm only skipping to support Ellie!”

Mr. Green gave the full details to Capt. Ludlow.

“Isabelle never wanted to do rehab,” he said. “She just thought I wasn't serious and we would have a good vacation, and then I realized that's why Ellen is in the grave right now, playing games on opportunities to live a better life. Well, Isabelle checked out of rehab and left me there, cleaned out the house and had herself a good old time. When she realized I wasn't budging, she went off – and she's actually out looking for you right now, at the Veteran's Lodge, although I know y'all are not down on that end.”

Capt. Ludlow felt a pang of alarm.

“Tristan, how drunk is she? The road is out just a half-mile from where my house there is, and it is evening – if she gets mad and just plows through there –.”

“Way too drunk to remember all those details,” Mr. Green said, “but also, probably way too drunk to get past the gate.”

“Let me call down there, just in case,” Capt. Ludlow said. “I'll call you back.”

The idea that the second biological grandmother to his grandchildren might drive off the edge, literally and figuratively … the captain did deep breathing as he dialed the Veteran's Lodge's front gate.

“Capt. Ludlow, how did you know?” the officer in charge there said. “We have just taken a Mrs. Isabelle Green into the stockade drunk tank to sober up, and relieved her of a revolver that she had loaded with the wrong size of bullets.”

“That's the maternal grandmother of my own grandchildren,” Capt. Ludlow said. “When in the morning you get ready to release her, call me, and I'll go pick her up and take her home.”

“I bet she won't be trying to kill you then!” the officer said, with a laugh.

Capt. Ludlow called Mr. Green back and brought him up to date.

“Oh, she's going to be even madder about that,” Mr. Green said. “But, she wanted to confront you, so let's see if she can do so sober, or will be ready to listen to reason!”

“Well,” Capt. Ludlow said, “you know Eleanor and I will be praying with you.”