Les ran out of the hall and into the living room, wearing blue shorts and a white tank top with slippers on his feet, Esther chasing after him and Mayer watching from the table.
"Come on, PJ time!" Esther said.
"No, thank you."
Les ran around the couch.
"Come on, what's tonight's thing?"
"No more PJs."
"But they have Mr Googly on them!"
"I can't wear those anymore."
Les flopped onto the couch, Esther sitting down next to him with the blue stuffed toy from before laying on the couch next to him.
"Why not?"
"Because he won't like them."
"Hey, daddy and David are the only 'he's that get to see you in your pajamas."
Mayer stared at the two from where he was with his laptop at the table.
"You never know."
"Les?" Mayer said, the boy turning to look at him as the man got up. "Do us a favor and don't grow up so fast, okay?"
"I need to. I need to grow up and go to bed like daddy does."
Esther laughed nervously and glanced at her husband before looking back at her son. "How does- how does daddy go to bed?"
"Like this." Les stood up and extended his arms. "Ho, mama." he jumped backwards onto the couch.
Esther turned back at the man with a sly grin.
He laughed nervously.
"I don't do that."
"Yeah you do." Les said, sitting up right.
"Every night." Esther added.
Mayer licked his lips.
"Yeah, but I do it better than that."
"If you say so." Esther said with a smile.
"Les, can I at least have my goodnight kiss, okay?"
He leaned in slightly towards the boy and he stared up at him.
"We're not going to do that anymore."
Mayer stares at his wife as she got up.
"It's...tonight's thing."
"Kissing's for babies. Men shake hands."
He got up and extended his hand towards his dad, who shook his hand lamely. "Goodnight, father." he turned to his mother who did the same thing. "Goodnight, mother."
Les plopped back down on the couch.
"What's happening?"
Esther shook her head. "Don't take it personally, Mayer. He thinks he's being an adult."
"How can he be an adult, i'm not an adult!?"
Mayer grabbed the blue stuffed blob. "Les, please, take Mr Googly, okay?"
Les flipped the toy around, the black pieces in his eyes making a jangling noise.
"Goodbye."
He pushed the toy off his lap and into the floor, walking into the hall and towards his room, leaving the parent Jacobs staring at each other.
__________________________________
"I think of this as a personal challenge issued by Missy Stanford to grow up and to grow up fast."
