Neither the Trents nor the Ludlows had television, nor did they need it – the Trents still had three little children and the Ludlows had seven little grandchildren.
“But they have more than twice the entertainment over there,” Mrs. Trent said as she came laughing into the house from the latest Ludlow incident.
Capt. R.E. Ludlow was never without a pair of little eyes and ears on him, even when he wasn't thinking about it – which was rare – but he had gotten a phone call and was wrapped up in a happy memory.
“Oh, yes, of course I remember Major Herman – although he was of short acquaintance, I have rarely met a more winsome, radiant man and chaplain. If he gets the position it will be wonderful for the Veteran's Lodge.”
After the conversation, the captain was tackled from behind by his seven-year-old granddaughter Amanda, who had been quietly easing closer while he was on the phone.
“Thank you for loving all your short acquaintances – we love you too, Papa!”
“What?” he said, laughing in bewilderment as he turned around to return her embrace.
“We short acquaintances love you too!”
“Oh – you are thinking of height!”
“Yep!”
“All right, so let's see what we know, and what we can learn – do you know what an acquaintance is, already?”
“Yep – it was in the spelling words Grayson was looking at today. A-C-Q-U-A-I-N-T-A-N-C-E – acquaintance, a person who is known to you, but not intimately enough to be called a friend.”
“Very good, Amanda. Now short – it does refer to height, but also to a brief period of time.”
“Oh … so … uh … .”
Capt. Ludlow waited and let his granddaughter process the new information.
“You only knew Major Herman a short period of time, but you liked him?” she said.
“Very good, Amanda!”
“Yaaaaay!”
“Now, also know this: you will never be just an acquaintance of mine. You are my granddaughter, and in a few more days you will be my daughter by adoption also. You will not always be short in height, but that makes no difference: you are the darling of my heart, just like Edwina and Eleanor.”
Amanda considered this.
“Is being a darling better than being an acquaintance?”
“We like some of our acquaintances, but we love and cherish our darlings, Amanda.”
And he picked her up and snuggled her and kissed her on her forehead before putting her down and letting her go away to run and play, happy as she could be.