Take up your bed

And walk and walk and walk

When Brett H (the older brother in the Quito field) learned that my family was coming for a short while after the Special Meeting rounds ended, he offered us the use of a vacant apartment owned by some of the friends who no longer live in Ecuador.  Mom and I also spent a couple of nights there during the week that we were in Quito for the meetings.  The apartment has two usable bedrooms - one with a two-person bed and one with two twin beds.  Since there would be six of us staying there once everyone came, we needed to purchase another mattress as well as a bit more bedding and some pillows.  This we did on Tuesday morning with the help of Alberto B (the younger worker in the Quito field).  We found a little shop that sold such goods not too far from the apartment.  At least it didn't seem very far from the apartment when we walked to the store.  After making our purchases, I asked Alberto if we should get a taxi to take us back to the apartment, but he thought it would be fine to walk.  He would carry the double mattress.  Okay then.  We walked and we walked and we walked.  And I'm sure the mattress got heaver and heavier and heavier.  In spite of all of that, Alberto still managed to keep quite ahead of us.  Until we actually got to our building, that is.  The apartment in which we were staying was on the seventh floor.  The only way to get there is the stairs.  Nearly fifty of them, I believe.  That's what came the closest to doing him in, but he didn't make one grumble.  What a good brother!