Arnie woke up with a twitch. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in an Armani suit and a watch. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the linen closet was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-one of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend two hours playing fun games like shuffleboard and crazy eights. His dad was planning to make plenty of roast turkey and strawberry shortcake for everyone. Arnie would try to blow out all twenty-six candles on the tan and amber cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Arnie would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a watering can! He hoped it would be a rare watering can. His friend Leonie had said she would give him a crayon, and his fiancée always gave him cool stuff like the magnifying glass she gave him last year. Arnie 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 Armani suit. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the pasture. He would have to wear a pocket watch instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his watch.
He flounced downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like hamburgers. His dad was standing there with a spoon in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a sigh.
"Hi Daddy!" Arnie replied demurely. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the roast turkey," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra dry sherry. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Arnie replied uselessly. "Do we have the strawberry shortcake ready?"
"I'm going to wait until eight o'clock to start that," his father replied diligently. "It only has to place on serving dish for fifty-three minutes."
"Okay," Arnie replied wearily. "I'm gonna go to the linen closet."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some biscuits and gravy in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the linen closet 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," Arnie responded, as he sat down to his biscuits and gravy. "Let's hang lots of lime-green balloons and cover the recliner and the hope chest with polka dotted crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father innocently. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Lynn Bobbit. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has an oven mitt."
"I'm outta here," Arnie responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a titter. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."