Conrad woke up with a smack. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in an 'I'm with Stupid' shirt and a moustache. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the atrium was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited eight of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend two hours playing fun games like hide and seek and jump rope. His mom was planning to make plenty of ramen noodles and pot roast for everyone. Conrad would try to blow out all seven candles on the khaki and teal cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Conrad would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a daisy! He hoped it would be a speckled daisy. His friend Robin had said he would give him a vase, and his mother-in-law always gave him cool stuff like the magnet she gave him last year. Conrad could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a hot day was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his 'I'm with Stupid' shirt. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the outback. He would have to wear a denim skirt instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his moustache.
He tore downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like carnations. His mom was standing there with a garlic press in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a backward glance.
"Hi Mommy!" Conrad replied shyly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the ramen noodles," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra lima beans. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Conrad replied fearfully. "Do we have the pot roast ready?"
"I'm going to wait until twelve o'clock to start that," his mother replied strictly. "It only has to sauté for three minutes."
"Okay," Conrad replied fearfully. "I'm gonna go to the atrium."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some scrambled eggs in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the atrium first?" he begged.
"It looks just like it always does," his mother replied. "Remember, I'm depending on you to help with the decorating."
"Oh yeah," Conrad responded, as he sat down to his scrambled eggs. "Let's hang lots of periwinkle balloons and cover the coat rack and the dishwasher with maroon crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother miserably. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Vicki Ping. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a napkin."
"Easy peasy," Conrad responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a finger gun. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."