For Thanksgiving this year, we were privileged to have the Far Grandma and Grandpa as house guests. Brandon and I were excited to have them over, but a little apprehensive due to our poor guest accommodations--ie. we lacked a decent bed for them to sleep upon. They were planning to use air mattresses which (amazingly enough) they were willing to do, but though they did not complain, I knew it would be a trial for them. (They are sort of old and creaky, after all.)
Then, a few days before their arrival, someone happened to give us a nice king-size mattress. Problem solved! Brandon picked it up and brought it home and he and I began the task of moving it into the basement bedroom. However, we had forgotten to consider one important thing. The opening into our basement is not large enough to fit a king-size mattress. When we slid the mattress down the stairs it was about two feet above the opening into the basement. We then recalled that a queen-size mattress had barely fit and had required some stuffing to get through that opening. I felt quite disappointed. Things had seemed to be working out so perfectly and we were so close to having the needed bed.
I said, "Well, I guess now we'll have to give it away."
Brandon said, "No, we are going to get this in there."
"What?! And how do you propose to do that?"
"I don't know. Let me think." Then he said, "Can a mattress be folded in half?"
I said, "No! I mean, I don't think so. I don't see how it could. Wouldn't it be damaged? We are not going to fold this mattress in half!"
Brandon said, "I didn't take all this time and spend all this effort to go get this mattress for nothing. It's a good mattress and we need it."
He pulled the mattress up the stairs and rested one end on the edge of the dining table and the other end on the floor and he told me to stand in the middle.
I said, "No way! I'm not doing that. It will damage the mattress."
"So what? It was free."
"But it's a good mattress. I don't want it damaged."
He said, "Becky, just do it."
"No! It will damage the house. It will spring back open and kill us or bash a hole in the wall."
Brandon said, "Just trust me."
So, with me standing in the middle of the mattress and Brandon pushing one side up and using a tie down wrapped around the middle and cinching it as tightly as we could, we bent the mattress to a degree that with some pushing and shoving we squeezed it through the basement doorway. We squeezed it on down the hallway and into the little basement bedroom. Luckily the box springs were two twin-size. And luckily the mattress sustained no damage, and the Far Grandma and Grandpa were very happy and slept comfortably in our home. And unluckily, the boys thought it was their new trampoline.
Then, a few days before their arrival, someone happened to give us a nice king-size mattress. Problem solved! Brandon picked it up and brought it home and he and I began the task of moving it into the basement bedroom. However, we had forgotten to consider one important thing. The opening into our basement is not large enough to fit a king-size mattress. When we slid the mattress down the stairs it was about two feet above the opening into the basement. We then recalled that a queen-size mattress had barely fit and had required some stuffing to get through that opening. I felt quite disappointed. Things had seemed to be working out so perfectly and we were so close to having the needed bed.
I said, "Well, I guess now we'll have to give it away."
Brandon said, "No, we are going to get this in there."
"What?! And how do you propose to do that?"
"I don't know. Let me think." Then he said, "Can a mattress be folded in half?"
I said, "No! I mean, I don't think so. I don't see how it could. Wouldn't it be damaged? We are not going to fold this mattress in half!"
Brandon said, "I didn't take all this time and spend all this effort to go get this mattress for nothing. It's a good mattress and we need it."
He pulled the mattress up the stairs and rested one end on the edge of the dining table and the other end on the floor and he told me to stand in the middle.
I said, "No way! I'm not doing that. It will damage the mattress."
"So what? It was free."
"But it's a good mattress. I don't want it damaged."
He said, "Becky, just do it."
"No! It will damage the house. It will spring back open and kill us or bash a hole in the wall."
Brandon said, "Just trust me."
So, with me standing in the middle of the mattress and Brandon pushing one side up and using a tie down wrapped around the middle and cinching it as tightly as we could, we bent the mattress to a degree that with some pushing and shoving we squeezed it through the basement doorway. We squeezed it on down the hallway and into the little basement bedroom. Luckily the box springs were two twin-size. And luckily the mattress sustained no damage, and the Far Grandma and Grandpa were very happy and slept comfortably in our home. And unluckily, the boys thought it was their new trampoline.
The end.
PS. This experience vaguely reminded me of childbirth. But that's all I'm going to say about that.
PPS. This experience also vaguely reminded me of a previous experience involving a Christmas tree. That story coming up next!
