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Colonel Lee was fine on the road – nothing engaged the senses like driving, if one wanted to stay alive – so, he and his fiancee enjoyed that thermos as two cups of tea once they had gotten back to Big Loft, along with two cups of tea for Mrs. Selene-Slocum Lofton and John Worley, also engaged to be married.

Grandmother Selene had noticed grandson Henry Fitzhugh Lee struggling a little over dinner, and was concerned … concerned initially because she knew all too well what could have happen when her grandson flipped all the way out, from when he was 18 and she had given him a cruel surprise … concerned after putting all that from her mind in a way appropriate to the maternal affection she had withheld from him when he had needed it the most in favor of cruelty, because she had hated his father so.

Slowly, as the healing in Christ continued, the relationship between grandmother and grandson became more and more of what it should have been.  Mrs. Selene Slocum-Lofton in repentance was somewhat reticent because unsure of how to express her grandmotherly feelings and uncertain of how they would be received, but, the grandmother did not lack courage, and in a moment in which her fiance and his fiancee were chatting over the excellence of Mrs. Hamilton's recipe, she gently murmured to her grandson: “What a surprise, eh, Henry?  The Hamiltons already know her!”

Colonel Lee knew what his grandmother was trying to do, and, delayed was not denied … he enjoyed having two loving grandmothers at last … better late than never.

“It was.  My mind is having trouble wrapping around all this good news lately.  I'm not used to that any more.”

This was a transparent answer from a man she had once hurt deeply – a sure sign of his sincere forgiveness.  Mrs. Slocum-Lofton, knowing this, was instantly fighting back tears.

“Well,” she said, “I thank God He let me live long enough to finally get right with Him in Christ so I could be here to help you get used to more good news!”

“Grandmother, just listen to all that good news in all that you just said.”

His soft smile indicated his joy, and the kiss he gave his grandmother on her cheek showed his love.

“I'll be all right, Grandmother,” he said.  “You know how we do.”

“Yes, I do, Henry – how we do on the bounce-back crew, as one of the young people was saying over at the high school the other day.”

“Oh yes, the young people have bars nowadays,” Colonel Lee said with a smile, “reference being to rhyming lines in rap that fit in rhythms that go with the time signatures … not the bars we want to keep them out of.”

“Right,” the grandmother said.  “All very strange to me, but I kind of like that one.”

Colonel Lee showed off his humorous musician side, and started snapping his fingers in time, along with a huge grin.

“Now y'all already know how we do/How we do on the bounce-back crew!”

“How do you already know the whole line?”

“You don't think I put in some time at the ROTC at the high school?”

In the next instant, Mrs. Thornton and Mr. Worley were shocked to see grandson get up and show off his dancing chops, clapping in the proper 2 and 4 rhythm.

“Now y'all already know how we do/How we do on the bounce-back crew!”

He reached down and took his grandmother's hand, and she got up – “Well, I never – but why not!”

Mrs. Slocum-Lofton had rhythm too, as it happened, and the more outgoing halves of the two couples had to play catch up.

Margie Bell and Hoppy Lee, also engaged to be married, had just gotten back from a party and had come upstairs to see if Harry and Maggie had gone to visit the elder engaged couple.

“Sounds like there's a party going on in here!” Margie said to Hoppy.  “Let's get in it!”

Happily bewildered John Worley opened the door to his apartment, and Hoppy Lee in particular was stunned to see his cousin leading his grandmother and fiance in line-dancing around the room.

“Now y'all already know how we do/How we do on the bounce-back crew!”

“What have y'all done to him – I mean, I'm not complaining, but, what have y'all done to him?” Hoppy said.

“Forget all that – let's get into it while it lasts!” Margie said, and dragged Hoppy right on into the line.

The Hamiltons heard about this whole incident the next day.

“Now you've done it, Aggie,” the major kidded his wife.  “Mr. Worley is going to start bottling your lemongrass tea and people are going to start wondering what other types of grass you've put in it, because Henry Fitzhugh Lee is actually happy again.”

“Well, why can't the man be happy at Christmas time without causing a panic – it's about time!” Mrs. Hamilton said.  “Thank God!”
Major Hamilton guffawed.

“I'm just trying to imagine the scene – all those middle-aged and senior White folks, dancing around on a rap line from over at the high school – not that we White people haven't been dancing to Black music for a century now, but just the whole idea of Harry and his grandmother – his grandmother from the most uppity echelons of Lofton County, and him the spitting image of the Lee, mind you, up there clapping on the 2 and the 4.  You know he knows the whole rap too, and probably sang it all, and they all came in on the chorus!”

Mrs. Hamilton considered this, and then burst out laughing.

“My tea probably won't be bottled – it'll be banned!” she said.  “You'll have to arrest me for making it in your police officer life!”

Major Hamilton, early in the morning before he went back to being captain of police in Tinyville, laughed until he cried at that thought.  

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