John woke up with a blush. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a pair of Crocs and a mortarboard. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the corridor was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited nine of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend six hours playing fun games like trivia and bridge. His mom was planning to make plenty of macaroni and cheese and potatoes and gravy for everyone. John would try to blow out all sixteen candles on the yellow and burgundy cake. While the guests were eating their cake, John would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a camera! He hoped it would be an unusual camera. His friend Sven had said he would give him a gun, and his mom always gave him cool stuff like the daisy she gave him last year. John could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that an earthquake was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his pair of Crocs. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the buffalo wallow. He would have to wear a beret instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his mortarboard.
He breezed downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like bubble gum. His mom was standing there with a piece of cheesecloth in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a yawn.
"Hi Mommy!" John replied breathlessly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the macaroni and cheese," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra pinto beans. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," John replied thankfully. "Do we have the potatoes and gravy ready?"
"I'm going to wait until two o'clock to start that," his mother replied immediately. "It only has to spoon into container for twenty-two minutes."
"Okay," John replied oddly. "I'm gonna go to the corridor."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some macaroni and cheese in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the corridor 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," John responded, as he sat down to his macaroni and cheese. "Let's hang lots of indigo balloons and cover the fainting couch and the ottoman with yellow crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother brightly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Marisa Nye. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has an egg cutter."
"Beats me," John responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a smack. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."