@mariannewest's Freewrite Writing Prompt Day 2115: shark smile

Image by Dmitry Abramov from Pixabay

“So, for real, y'all, man to man: how do y'all feel so far about your Lee cousins taking over for your grandparents for the next eight weeks?”

This was nine-year-old Milton Trent talking with the entire Ludlow man-training unit, which consisted of his best friend nine-year-old George Ludlow, ten-year-old Andrew, six-year-old Grayson, and five-year-old Lil' Robert.

“Good!” all four said.

“I feel good about it because Cousin Maggie is as sweet as Grandma, and Cousin Harry is like a real friend,” George said. “A real grown friend, now – I mean, Milton, you and I have had to talk about how we have to keep our lives together, but you see how he and your brother Melvin just worked out all that math stuff today and its not scary any more? That's a friend!”

“Both of our Lee cousins are really genuine people,” Andrew said. “I feel good about them because they are real, and so is their love for us.”

“Yep,” Grayson said. “They are way more quiet than our grandparents, but they are still really there, a lot like me.”

“I like the food, and the way they smile at each other and us,” Lil' Robert said, “because, see, what you eat and how you smile goes together.”

“It does?” the other four boys said.

Lil' Robert's blue eyes flashed.

“It's like I say all the time: I'm going to eat the food, not be the food. Ever see how people shark smile?”

All four of the other boys groaned and sat down.

“Ain't it the truth – I know just what you are talking about, Rob,” Milton said.

“That real toothy grin people give you when they are trying to trick you,” George said.

“Adults do that mess to each other and think we don't notice,” Andrew said. “Can't trust people like that as far as we five together could throw them.”

“Not even next week, though, when we are big,” Lil' Robert said.

“Not in any week, no matter how tall we get,” Andrew said. “Those type of people are just bad news.”

“But see, Cousin Harry and Cousin Maggie smile real smiles,” Lil' Robert said, and smiled his big, genuine grin. “It's like Amanda always says: I feel safe now!”

“I do too,” Grayson said.

“Me too,” George said.

“And I do too,” Andrew said. “That reminds me, Milton: how is your father dealing with all the business calls that he and Papa would be sharing?”

“Oh, we haven't gotten any yet,” Milton said, “but see, Dad doesn't play that like your grandfather doesn't play that mess. My dad will stay quiet and use a few words to slap the taste out of bad business people's mouths and the shark smile off their faces, and if that's not enough, Maj. J.P.P. Dubois is the company lawyer, and he never has to call anyone twice.”

“I need to get with him and learn that!” George said.

“Y'all, Maj. Dubois once sent a draft letter over here that your grandfather and my dad needed to sign off on before it was sent to one of those people we can't trust,” Milton said. “I don't know what that letter said, but two days later, that person had gone out of business and fled the state. None of the men around us are playing, and I think your Cousin Harry fits right in with all of us.”

“Oh, he does!” all four Ludlow boys said.

“He loves us a ton,” Andrew said, “but he's still the Angel of Death, so, everybody still better get and keep their lives together.”

“That reminds me, George,” Milton said, “about that experiment with chalk dust and hair grease we were going to do to see if we could get our hair like the folks back in the day that wore those white wigs –.”

“NOPE,” all four Ludlow boys said at once.

“I thought so,” Milton said. “I was just checking on the nope.”