Rufus woke up with a honk. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a bicycle helmet and a blanket. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the boudoir 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 poker and hopscotch. His dad was planning to make plenty of cabbage and chicken soup for everyone. Rufus would try to blow out all thirteen candles on the aquamarine and black cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Rufus would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a pop bottle! He hoped it would be a valuable pop bottle. His friend Kaylee had said she would give him a magnet, and his mommy always gave him cool stuff like the pot she gave him last year. Rufus could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a thunderstorm was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his bicycle helmet. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the moonscape. He would have to wear a uniform instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his blanket.
He skidded downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like soap. His dad was standing there with a potato masher in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a bow.
"Hi Daddy!" Rufus replied hopelessly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the cabbage," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra peanuts. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Rufus replied arrogantly. "Do we have the chicken soup ready?"
"I'm going to wait until three o'clock to start that," his father replied carelessly. "It only has to bake at 450 degrees F for sixty-five minutes."
"Okay," Rufus replied innocently. "I'm gonna go to the boudoir."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some ham in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the boudoir 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," Rufus responded, as he sat down to his ham. "Let's hang lots of yellow balloons and cover the four-poster bed and the water bed with pink crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father miserably. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Hazel Ford. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a sharp knife."
"Ppppbbbft," Rufus responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a hiccup. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."