Russ woke up with a grin. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a blouse and a locket. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the bathroom was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited two of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend six hours playing fun games like old maid and musical chairs. His dad was planning to make plenty of roast Cornish game hen and egg rolls for everyone. Russ would try to blow out all thirty-three candles on the brilliant orange and olive green cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Russ would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a sea shell! He hoped it would be a crisp sea shell. His friend Lucille had said she would give him a pair of knitting needles, and his dad always gave him cool stuff like the pair of pliers she gave him last year. Russ could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a hailstorm was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his blouse. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the gulch. He would have to wear a locket instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his locket.
He ran downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like a campfire. His dad was standing there with a candy thermometer in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a flush.
"Hi Daddy!" Russ replied dolefully. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the roast Cornish game hen," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra cream cheese. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Russ replied temperamentally. "Do we have the egg rolls ready?"
"I'm going to wait until three o'clock to start that," his father replied valiantly. "It only has to age for seventy-four minutes."
"Okay," Russ replied jokingly. "I'm gonna go to the bathroom."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some lobster in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the bathroom 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," Russ responded, as he sat down to his lobster. "Let's hang lots of blue balloons and cover the washing machine and the umbrella stand with indigo crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father majestically. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Sylvia Talley. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a dish cloth."
"Thpft," Russ responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a flush. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."