Three year old Mattie Grissom loved to hide. He would find the best places to disappear to and wait. He was very patient for a three year old. His patience came from the knowledge that eventually someone would come looking for him. The longer it took for them to find him, the funnier he thought his little game was. One afternoon, he hid under his parent's bed. He could hear Daddy snoring above him. He thought Mommy would never look in here for him.
After awhile, he heard her enter the room. Insead of looking under the bed for her son, though, Catherine Grissom sat next to her sleeping husband. Quietly she spoke, "Gil...Gil, honey..." Then things were quiet. Well, except for a funny slurping nosie. Mattie felt the bed wiggle above his head. Then he heard the hushed voices of his parents. "Oh...Gil...Ahhhhh...Ooooo, yes...there..." and "Ooooo, Cath...god, you feel sooo good...augh...no...that tickles..." Then there was more slurping. The bed wiggled some more. Then suddenly, Mommy yelled Daddy's name. Mattie covered his ears...it sounded kinda scary. The bed was squeaking now...Mommy and Daddy must be jumping on the bed. Mattie thought about coming out and jumping on the bed too but he wanted them to find him, so he stayed in his hiding place.
Then Daddy's voice sounded like he was hurt or something..."Oh, Cath...Augh...you...ah...feel ..so...good." Mattie stayed very still. Daddy must not be hurting anymore because he was very quiet. Then he heard Daddy tell Mommy that she can wake him up for that anytime. Mommy said she really needed it. Daddy said he needed Mommy. Then there was more slurping. Then Daddy moaned. Mommy walked across to the bathroom. Mattie tried very hard to be still because he didn't want to give away his hiding place. He saw Daddy's feet as he walked to the dresser. After Mommy finished in the bathroom, Daddy went in and Mommy left. Mattie snuck out and ran to his room. Nobody was going to find him if he stayed under the bed. It was too good a hiding place.
At the dinner table Mattie was watching his parents. Mommy kept looking at Daddy and smiling. Daddy just looked at Mommy...he had a funny look on his face; all mushy. Lindsey looked back and forth at her parents too. Mattie saw her roll her eyes. "You guys are so gross," she said.
Mattie didn't like Lindsey calling them gross. "They are not gross," he blurted. "But they were bad today."
Lindsey's mouth fell open. Mommy's fork was hanging in her hand and her eyes looked funny. Daddy was all red. Mattie looked at the three faces that surrounded him and wondered what he had done now.
"Mattie," spoke his mother, "why do you say that?" Catherine Grissom was afraid of the answer.
Mattie looked up at her shyly. "You and Daddy were jumping on the bed. You told me that's against the rules."
"Double gross," groaned Lindsey not looking at anything in particular on the table.
Gil Grissom was beginning to recover some of his wits. "Mattie, how did you know that Mommy and Daddy were jumping on the bed?"
"I was under it," he exclaimed proudly.
"Oh...well, no more hiding under the bed."
"Okay...but why do you get to jump on the bed and I can't?"
Gil pondered his son's question for a moment and then responded. "I paid for the bed...I can jump on it if I want to. When you buy your own bed, you can jump on it all you want, okay?"
Mattie beamed at the thought of jumping on his bed. Then his face turned to a frown. "Daddy?"
"Yes, Mattie..."
"My piggy bank only has $2.48 in it. Lindsey helped me count it yesterday. How much do beds cost?"
"Well son, I'd say at that rate of saving, you'll be able to jump on your own bed when you are...about 50. That's okay though; that's how old I was before I could jump on a bed." He looked across at his wife and smiled. "But if you get to do it with the right person, it's worth the wait."
"Oh my gosh...that's disgusting," whined Lindsey.
Later that evening, Catherine walked into the bedroom. Gil was propped in the bed, reading a journal. She closed the door behind her and seductivly walked across to the bed. Reaching over, she closed the journal and removed her husband's glasses. Looking up, he grinned at her. She ran her fingers through his hair as she bent to kiss him; her actions hinting at things to come. Suddenly Gil broke away and looked into her blue eyes. "Oh, I do like the way you think," he said. "But let's check under the bed and then lock the door before we go jumping...please?"
Once the room was secure, the lights went out and the slurping began. Soon the mattress creaked as Mr. & Mrs. Grissom went jumping on the bed.
