24 November 2025, @mariannewest's Freewrite Writing Prompt Day 2931: not quit yet

Photo by the author, Deeann D. Mathews

“So, do you want to talk about it, Grayson?”

“Yes, I actually do, although I really like walking with you a lot and just looking too, Papa.”

Capt. R.E. Ludlow made time to take a walk every week with each of his grandchildren, and now with adopting his little cousin Glendella as his “bonus” (grand)daughter, this meant sometimes two walks a day. But he was a 33-year Army veteran who still kept himself in readiness; these walks were not physically taxing to him.

The challenge with six-year-old Grayson Ludlow was that Grayson was like a miniature of his own father Edwin Ludlow: quiet, tending to get lost in his work … Grayson communicated a lot with his hands, with his drawings, his Legos, his clay. As a child Grayson's age, Capt. Ludlow had learned to interpret his father's moods by keeping track of the works of his father's hands at home. So life came full circle as he checked in with Grayson's work daily and did exactly the same thing.

Capt. Ludlow's mother had done the work of getting her aging husband out of the house and into the sunshine to walk around and talk, and thus to play with their two children … and so he could relax and get back in touch with his genius through watching them play. Something he loved to do with them was build sand castles … and so, much later, Capt. Ludlow and Grayson had some of their best conversations sitting in the Lego pile and building things together.

But like Edwin Ludlow, Grayson needed to take time to be centered in the works of God – in Creation, outdoors – so that the immensity of his gift to build as a (eventual) man would not be too much of a burden to him. Already, Grayson's sense of responsibility was outsized for a boy so young, in a county that was in as much need as it had been when his great-grandfather had started out in his work. Grayson had been really frustrated with the latest news of Lofton County's building mishaps, and Capt. Ludlow had marveled at how many drawings he had made in response – dozens of them a week, in all the detail that white crayon can add to blue construction paper.

But Grayson was six, not 36, not 66. He did not need to carry all that frustration, and so his grandfather invited him to unburden himself on this walk.

“My thing is, Papa,” Grayson said, “it's like Great-Grandpa left all these architectural guides so people wouldn't have to build stupid, but some people did anyway, and it makes no sense.”

“No, I guess it doesn't – but it is a part of being a human living with humans,” Capt. Ludlow said. “Sometimes we just want to do things our way, and we pay a price for that.”

“Yeah, it just seems like Adam and Eve happens over and over and over,” Grayson said.

“That's exactly what's going on,” Capt. Ludlow said.

“But you know, Rob really helped me,” Grayson said, referring to the other Robert Edward Ludlow in the family, five-year-old R.E. Ludlow III. “He told me that just like we don't have to clean up the messes that George makes, I don't have to build the new high school and rebuild Bayard Heights because I didn't mess it up.”

“And Rob is absolutely right,” Capt. Ludlow said. “That's basically what I was going to explain to you, but I see that Robert Edward Ludlow III is handling the Robert Edward Ludlowness on your end of the equation.”

“It's kinda nice to have another you at my size,” Grayson said. “I really love Rob because he talks enough for both of us so I don't have to, and he takes life and people serious. I kinda think we have this thing worked out.”

“Really?” Capt. Ludlow said.

“Yep,” Grayson said. “Rob and Amanda are going to build up the people, and Edwina and I are going to build the buildings for them and make sure they are strong and safe but also beautiful inside and out, and also Edwina is all the security we need although Rob and I will have her back at all times.”

Capt. Ludlow smiled at both his eight-year-old granddaughter Edwina's fearsome reputation and Grayson's fearless respect of it. Like Edwin Ludlow, Grayson could weather anybody's temper and then have something to say that would make that person sorry they had ever bothered to show out with him – Edwina had learned!

“Sounds like enough to do that is positive while the adults who are supposed to be building in Lofton County sort themselves out,” Capt. Ludlow said.

“Yeah, I think so,” Grayson said. “The other thing is, it's a nice day, and if God is running all this and is not bothered, why should I be? Grandma reminded me today that He knows what is going on and is going to deal with it. He takes his time, but she said He's not quit yet, after like thousands of years of handling business. I just need to stay out of the construction zone when He gets to working.”

“That's good wisdom,” Capt. Ludlow said, “since it is not your mess to clean up anyway.”

“Yep,” Grayson said. “I think I am just going to keep building up my skills for a while, and, when I start and graduate from college a year or so from now, I'll be ready.”

“Even junior college takes two years, Grayson,” his grandfather purred, with a smile.

“Well, I'm six, so I'll just give myself a little more time to figure stuff out,” Grayson said. “Next decade, though.”

“Yep,” Capt. Ludlow said. “Next decade, though – gotta get to those double-digit ages, and then things start happening.”

“Yep,” Grayson said. “That'll give Rob time to get through West Point too. He told me he was going next week, though, but, I've heard you say West Point is tough, so, we need to give him time.”

“Yep,” Capt. Ludlow said. “We will give him and ourselves time, or, considered more deeply, remember that God has set forth all things in His time, so we do not need to be in a hurry.”

Grayson considered this.

“I guess I could wait until I was actually tall enough to drive a bulldozer or a crane,” he said.

“Maybe,” Capt. Ludlow said gently. “Might be easier – be big enough to run a jackhammer, too,.”

“Oh yeah,” Grayson said. “Gotta be taller than one, because otherwise that makes a really messy and loud pogo stick.”

“I hadn't thought about that, but, that's a really good point,” Capt. Ludlow said. “Bit too loud to enjoy as a pogo stick.”

“Exactly,” Grayson said. “Who needs the noise? We have George, Edwina, Milton from next door, and the dumb people that call you sometimes for all that. Nobody needs an extra loud pogo stick around. I just gotta get bigger first so I can get work done and put the thing away.”

“Sounds like a good plan,” Capt. Ludlow said.

“Yeah, I think so,” Grayson said.