Nathaniel woke up with a death glare. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a pair of overalls and a letter jacket. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the solarium was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited nine of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend one hour playing fun games like rummy and tennis. His mom was planning to make plenty of Froot Loops and succotash for everyone. Nathaniel would try to blow out all nineteen candles on the violet and indigo cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Nathaniel would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a baby doll! He hoped it would be a heavy baby doll. His friend Zeke had said he would give him a handkerchief, and his grandfather always gave him cool stuff like the bottle of painkillers she gave him last year. Nathaniel could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a hurricane was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his pair of overalls. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the grassland. He would have to wear a watch instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his letter jacket.
He slunk downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like June roses. His mom was standing there with a grater in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a yawn.
"Hi Mommy!" Nathaniel replied rapidly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the Froot Loops," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra grated Romano cheese. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Nathaniel replied gratefully. "Do we have the succotash ready?"
"I'm going to wait until one o'clock to start that," his mother replied arrogantly. "It only has to poach lightly for forty-four minutes."
"Okay," Nathaniel replied dolefully. "I'm gonna go to the solarium."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some Cheerios in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the solarium 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," Nathaniel responded, as he sat down to his Cheerios. "Let's hang lots of sparkly balloons and cover the chair and the chest of drawers with rose crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother fiercely. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Lori Vandewater. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a candy thermometer."
"Neato," Nathaniel responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a stiff upper lip. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."