Stu woke up with a sigh. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a pair of earmuffs and a pacifier. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the dining room was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited fifteen of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend six hours playing fun games like hopscotch and follow the leader. His dad was planning to make plenty of fried okra and lobster bisque for everyone. Stu would try to blow out all six candles on the salmon and chocolate brown cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Stu would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a doily! He hoped it would be a prickly doily. His friend April had said she would give him a broom, and his grandpa always gave him cool stuff like the watering can she gave him last year. Stu could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a rainbow was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his pair of earmuffs. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the plateau. He would have to wear an evening gown instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his pacifier.
He set out downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like a bakery. His dad was standing there with an oven mitt in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a pout.
"Hi Daddy!" Stu replied obediently. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the fried okra," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra green chiles. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Stu replied kindly. "Do we have the lobster bisque ready?"
"I'm going to wait until five o'clock to start that," his father replied doubtfully. "It only has to fry for thirty-five minutes."
"Okay," Stu replied properly. "I'm gonna go to the dining room."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some cabbage rolls in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the dining room 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," Stu responded, as he sat down to his cabbage rolls. "Let's hang lots of black balloons and cover the display case and the card table with navy blue crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father daintily. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Karla Glidden. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a whisk."
"Just a minute," Stu responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a blush. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."