Eleven-year-old Eleanor Ludlow was troubled. Mrs. Maggie Lee her big cousin could see it, but did not press the pre-adolescent. Eleanor's intellect, like that of her six siblings, was quite precocious, but she was still just eleven years old. There were a lot of things she had to grow into, and she had lost both parents in that same eleven years.
So, the big cousin and the little cousin kept cutting fruit for lunch until the little cousin said, “Was it really necessary for my parents to make an early departure to have things be all right? I mean, we know now that we could have had our parents and our grandparents because you and Cousin Harry are really doing such a great job.”
Mrs. Lee stopped cutting for a moment.
“That's kind of deep. Didn't realize we were making that kind of a difference, but I'm really glad to know and Cousin Harry will be too.”
Eleanor smiled, but then became sad.
“Never mind,” she said. “Neither of my parents ever would have said that. They didn't get it.”
“Sometimes it takes time,” Mrs. Lee said, “but the thing is, we don't always have the time we think we have, which is why we have to be sure that we love the people that we love, right now.”
“And don't choose drugs, and things, and money, over those people,” Eleanor said.
Eleanor then lifted her chin, and Mrs. Lee glimpsed the elegant and iron-willed woman she was going to become.
“I hate that my parents chose to make an early departure instead of loving me, and, Edwina, and Robert. I hate that my other grandparents took this long to choose to get into Alcoholics Anonymous and start choosing anything over the next drink. I really hate it, Cousin Maggie. It hurts every day, but you know what? I thank God He chose to spare me to live where I have two big cousins and two Ludlow grandparents who love me. He chose to give me an early departure from the awful way things were going, and I'm OK with it. I'm OK with it!”
Mrs. Lee opened her arms, and received her little cousin as she cried … and healed. Somehow, Eleanor's baby brother also knew he was needed, and on came five-year-old Lil' Robert who came running with his hug and forgetting he was both a chunky and fast late toddler. He nearly knocked both his sister and Mrs. Lee down, but was instantly forgiven, because …
“Everything's gonna be OK – it's all good, Ellie, and not only that, I love you, too!”
“You know what, Rob?” Eleanor said as she kissed his little forehead. “You're right. It really is all good, and I love you, too!”
Mrs. Lee gave them both a kiss, and she and Eleanor and Lil' Robert washed their hands and got back to work on lunch, with Lil' Robert helping out by finding the reddest raspberries to put in the fruit salad.