Rose ran into the utility room and demanded breathlessly,

“Theodore, what’s going on here?

I didn’t tell you you could run my washer!

What are you doing?”

She pushed him brusquely out of the way to see what he had been loading in her washer and said,

“Theodore!

You can’t wash the comforter like this!

Look at this!

The load is unbalanced!

Do you know what will happen if you try to run the washer like this?

You’ll break my new washer!

I don’t want you washing clothes in my washer until you’ve learned how to load it.

Here, I’ll show you.”

Rose sat Baby John John on the floor beside her feet and pulled the comforter from the washer.

She was tucking it in around the agitator when she noticed a large wet spot on the fabric.

“What…?”, she said, bending over to smell the spot.

She sniffed the damp fabric and frowned in recognition.

“Theodore,” she said in puzzlement, “did you have an ‘accident’ in the bed?”

Theodore stood shamefaced in front of her and shuffled his feet in embarrassment.

“Yes, mam,” he stuttered in a low voice.

Rose opened the dryer door and peered at the clean, warm pajamas and underwear lying inside.

“I see,” she said.

“Well, if this happens again, I want you to tell me.

Is that clear?

I don’t want you to use the washer or dryer without my permission.

Do you understand?”

Theodore nodded his agreement and Ruth finished loading the washer.

She turned to the dryer and removed the pjs and briefs then handed them to Theodore saying,

“Here dear, why don’t you take these up to your room and put them in your dresser.

I’ll be up there to look at your mattress as soon as I finish this and get Baby John John in his crib.

It’s time for his nap now.”

Rose met Theodore in his bedroom with a bowl of cold water, a sponge and a box of baking soda.

When she saw the extent of the stain, she sighed and shook her head.

She had expected a small puddle, nothing like this!

Theodore had managed to soak a quarter of the mattress.

She doused the stain with water and sponged it clean.

Then she repeated the process.

Theodore stood by with an embarrassed look on his face as she went over the fabric, mopping the stain until it was a faded yellow in color.

She handed the bowl to Theodore and said,

“Here Theodore, dump this in the toilet and fill it again with cold water from the bathroom sink.”

Theodore took the bowl as she sprinkled baking soda on the mattress.

Rose continued shaking the box over the mattress until the surface of the stain was covered with a thin layer of white powder.

Theodore returned with the bowl of water and she began to scrub the baking soda into the fabric of the mattress with a wet sponge.

When she finished, she took the bowl into the bathroom and rinsed it out, leaving it in the sink to put away later.

She returned to Theodore’s bedroom and wiped her forehead, saying,

“We’re going to have to put this in the sun to dry.

Otherwise, you’ll be sleeping on a wet mattress tonight.

The sunshine will help bleach the stain out too.

Theodore, help me get the mattress off the bed and carry it outside.

I don’t think I can manage this mattress down the stairs alone.”