15 for 15 Contest --- Closed

The sound of the bus pulling itself up the hill receded as the back door opened and slammed in quick succession. “Mommy!”

“In here,” called Judith. She poured steaming tawny liquid from the tea kettle into Great-Grand-Pappy’s cup, which sat upon the open newspaper on the table. Pages two and three in their entirety told stories from the Inauguration the day before. Little ripples formed across the tea’s surface as Daniel ran heavy-footed into the kitchen.

“Mommy, guess what?” he shouted.

“Well hello to you, too, young man. And give your Great-Grand-Pappy a kiss on the cheek. He’s got to go back to the home in a half-hour.”

Great-Grand-Pappy turned his weather worn face to the child. Daniel never looked at the deep wrinkles of life’s imprint on his skin; he only noticed the light in Great-Grand-Pappy’s eyes. Basking in the glow of their warmth, he moved closer and offered his best bear hug.

“So what’s your exciting news?” his mother asked.

Daniel snapped to attention, and goofy wrinkles formed under his chin. “I said the WHOLE pledge today at school. The WHOLE, ENTIRE thing and no mess-ups, Mommy! I was perfect!”

“Wow!” Judith gushed in a voice that tried to ape her son’s enthusiasm. “Only half way through kindergarten and you know it already? That’s great, pumpkin!”

Great-Grand-Pappy was watching with keen eyes. “Say, laddie, you think you can teach an old man that pledge?”

Daniel collapsed in giggles, managing to say, “Aw, come on! You know it!”

“I never gone to no school, boy,” he said plainly. Daniel’s face fell. He went on, “I left Tower Colliery in England when I was a wee lad; came to America with me Pa. We were poor, and went right to work. There was no schoolin’ for me. The coal mines of Clay County, Kentucky was me school. Was your daddy who was the first in the family to go to school, lad. So whatcha think? You gonna teach me that pledge?”

Daniel stood with a straight back, pulled his shoulders back sending his chest forward, and said, “It goes like this: I pledge allegiance…”

“Hold on,” Great-Grand-Pappy said. Slowly, leaning heavily on the newspaper lined table, he drew himself out of the chair. He stood at attention facing his great-grandson, and put his hand over his heart. “Ok. I pledge allegiance….”