Archie 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 a bomber jacket and a pair of Crocs. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the basement 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 Russian roulette and Mother May I. His mom was planning to make plenty of cabbage and lasagna for everyone. Archie would try to blow out all twenty-eight candles on the jet black and ivory cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Archie would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a saw! He hoped it would be a woven saw. His friend Dorian had said he would give him a pizza, and his sister-in-law always gave him cool stuff like the rope she gave him last year. Archie could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a pelting rainstorm was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his bomber jacket. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the cliff. He would have to wear a bedsheet instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his pair of Crocs.
He sallied forth downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like wet paint. His mom was standing there with an egg cutter in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a glare.
"Hi Mommy!" Archie replied tensely. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the cabbage," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra vinegar. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Archie replied strangely. "Do we have the lasagna ready?"
"I'm going to wait until one o'clock to start that," his mother replied crankily. "It only has to sauté for forty-eight minutes."
"Okay," Archie replied unabashedly. "I'm gonna go to the basement."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some Swiss cheese in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the basement 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," Archie responded, as he sat down to his Swiss cheese. "Let's hang lots of violet balloons and cover the hope chest and the coat rack with carrot-orange crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother noisily. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Mama Wales. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a garlic press."
"So sure," Archie responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a grimace. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."