“All I'm saying is, God knows what He is doing and people who don't get it just don't get it – I mean, you see all this green in the world and all this pink and brown and yellow and red in flowers and fruits and different people, and then He has people like us who are all these pinks and beiges and brown living next to each other and has sat down and shut up stupid people who didn't want that to happen – all I'm saying is that you can walk outside and look at the world and at people and see God is into blending and contrasting colors too, and people who just don't get it just don't want to get it.”
Eight-year-old Gracie Trent and eight-year-old Edwina Ludlow were looking at a fashion magazine that Mrs. Velma Stepforth, Gracie's mother's mother, had put in the recycling bag. Gracie had explained to her that her friends next door used those magazines to make papier-mache, and Mrs. Stepforth had given it to her with the comment, “Yep – that's exactly what it's good for!”
“Your grandma is so right!” Edwina said. “This is supposed to be quiet luxury, and all there is in here is beige-colored people wearing all these beiges and grays and browns and white – I mean, if you have that kind of money, are you trying to look poor in public? Do you need to be that quiet?”
“The way Pop-Pop explained it to me was that sometimes rich people dress just to signal to each other how much money they have without attracting attention of poorer people,” Gracie said.
“What they are signaling is that they are boring!” Edwina said.
“And that maybe rich people are afraid of poor people and think they need a disguise,” Gracie said.
“Look,” Edwina said, “people gotta learn how to do things. We don't even have money, but we have security!”
“But maybe people think camouflage is a thing – I've seen my dad's ghillie suit, and so he used to dress up as weeds to get through enemy territory. He also had beige-colored camouflage for Iraq.”
“OK, fine,” Edwina said, “but what is the point of walking around as if you are at war every day when you're not – and these people aren't veterans. Look at them, Gracie – they aren't eating enough to even be fit for battle. Have you seen how much my Papa and Cousin Harry eat?”
“Yeah, my dad and my big brother pack it down too when they are working out together and staying fighting fit, and Melvin is not even in the military. Pop-Pop eats a lot too to keep up his capoeira with us. What we need to do, Edwina, is invite thse poor rich people to a meal, and once they get enough to eat, their minds will be working better and this mess here will disappear.”
“That's gotta be it, Gracie.”
“Look, Pop-Pop gets on his phone with his friends and is telling them all the time: just because you have money doesn't mean you have your life together. Time with family and friends eating real food and plenty of it would really help a lot of people.”
“The world is more messed up than we thought,” Edwina said, “but at least we know how to fix it.”
Five-year-old Lil' Robert Ludlow ran over.
“Did I hear something about eating?” he said.
“Do they look like they are getting enough?” Edwina said to her baby brother.
Lil' Robert looked, and then looked at his arm.
“They look like you took my height and stretched them out,” he said.
“Ain't it the truth, Rob,” Gracie said. “My sister Vanna was thinking abut going into modeling and then changed her mind, because this ain't it.”
“It really isn't,” Edwina said.
“Look, they need to eat as much as I do,” Lil' Robert said. “Let them have my thirds, and maybe half of my seconds, because, see, when you have a real tall soul, you just can't see people all stretched and not share.”
“There's being stretched and boring, and then there's having a real tall soul – and you do, Rob,” Gracie said.
“I'm going to go put this on the shredder pile and then come back so we can figure out how to rescue these starving people, now that we have a plan,” Edwina said.
“They alwys talk about starving kids in Africa, but nobody talks about this right here,” Gracie said. “Right here and they are putting these poor people in magazines and making them work!”
“In boring clothing!” Edwina said.
“But now we're here, so have no fear!” Lil' Robert said.
“Right,” the two girls said, and then hugged Lil' Robert.
“We got this!” Edwina said.
“Ain't it the truth,” Gracie said.