Day 1504: 5 Minute Freewrite CONTINUATION: Friday - Prompt: richest people

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The good thing about Covid-19; you couldn't go to court, but you could do a deposition on Zoom, and, off camera, the love of your life could hold your hand.

Capt R.E. Ludlow had seen his three Slocum-Bolling uncles murder three Black men in the street when he was only five years old. He was one of dozens of witnesses who had come forward in 2020, but to him it was significant because he had blocked that trauma out of his mind for almost 53 years. To tell the story was to open up the deepest hurt of his life, to touch the terror his childhood had been in many ways, to examine how the crimes against humanity his family had supported had destroyed them as well as their victims.

After 33 years of military service, the captain could remain composed in any public circumstance – the grim, calm clarity of his memory did what it was intended to do. Only Mrs. Ludlow knew how his pulse was racing and bouncing under the extreme stress … but she just held on and held on until it was done, and the computer went off, and Capt. Ludlow burst into silent tears.

By about this time, the Ludlow grandchildren were getting up, and having them unsupervised was a recipe for disaster, so Mrs. Ludlow had to go at once, and Capt. Ludlow followed her after he had composed himself again – but that was quickly tested again. The epiphany he had upon looking at his grandchildren, all still in their tender years, shattered him.

Later on that afternoon, in the Ludlow Siesta time (because it was just too hot to do anything else at that point in the afternoon), Capt. Ludlow confided to his wife what was on his mind.

“You know, there is no list of richest people in the world for which I would do any harm to you or our grandchildren – I thought today of how off in the head one would have to be to even consider it. I also know that my Virginian ancestors were selling off enslaved men, women, and children for profit to the very last day, but not their own children – or, so I thought until today.

“My uncles sold off my entire innocent childhood for envy of someone else's profit on the Lofton County Richest People List – for envy of not being their own ancestors who destroyed childhoods for profit. So little they valued me, and their own children … and so little they must have been valued by their parents, and so forth, all the way back, that anyone would mar the mind of little children, and take their innocence from them, on all sides! And that is why we have the country we have right now. The damage done on all sides … the lack of love passed down on ours, except for money!”

“For the love of money is the root of all evil,” Mrs. Ludlow quoted.

“Today was the day,” Capt. Ludlow said as a tear rolled down his cheek, “that I realized what the Lord truly saved me out of – His love healed my heart so I can love you, and our little ones. How else would I have learned love? It still took too long! I married my first wife because of what she could do for me, and vice versa – our children never had a chance! There was no love for them, not real, deep, true love! And we went to church every Sunday when I was home from deployment, too – I mean, we just lived the Bible Belt life! I never cheated, never abused – I thought that was enough, because I was better than most of the men in my family! Pride! It cost me everything to learn!

“But I thank God now … now I know, in time so that these grandchildren can grow up and we can grow old, rich with love … now I know … thank You, Lord, thank You …”

He went to sleep at last, and Mrs. Ludlow saw peace on his face for the first time that day.