Britt woke up with a wince. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a pair of Bermuda shorts and an apron. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the patio was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited nine of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend two hours playing fun games like Parcheesi and marbles. His dad was planning to make plenty of fondue and duck a l'orange for everyone. Britt would try to blow out all six candles on the turquoise and peach cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Britt would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a feather duster! He hoped it would be a hard feather duster. His friend Latrina had said she would give him a crayon, and his mommy always gave him cool stuff like the corncob she gave him last year. Britt could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a sleet storm was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his pair of Bermuda shorts. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the country meadow. He would have to wear a pair of shorts instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his apron.
He galloped downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like roast beef. His dad was standing there with an ice pick in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a twitch.
"Hi Daddy!" Britt replied carefully. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the fondue," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra turmeric. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Britt replied primly. "Do we have the duck a l'orange ready?"
"I'm going to wait until eleven o'clock to start that," his father replied dreamily. "It only has to freeze for twenty-nine minutes."
"Okay," Britt replied dubiously. "I'm gonna go to the patio."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some moo goo gai pan in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the patio first?" he begged.
"It looks just like it always does," his father replied. "Remember, I'm depending on you to help with the decorating."
"Oh yeah," Britt responded, as he sat down to his moo goo gai pan. "Let's hang lots of sparkly balloons and cover the wine rack and the computer with chartreuse crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father lovingly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Hillary Woods. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a blender."
"Very funny," Britt responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a crow. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."