Broderick woke up with a face palm. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a Hawaiian shirt and a ring. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the nursery was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited fifteen of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend four hours playing fun games like ring around the rosie and blackjack. His dad was planning to make plenty of candy and wienerschnitzel for everyone. Broderick would try to blow out all twenty-eight candles on the mauve and scarlet cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Broderick would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain an ice cream cone! He hoped it would be an immense ice cream cone. His friend Fanny had said she would give him a tennis racket, and his sister-in-law always gave him cool stuff like the paper airplane she gave him last year. Broderick 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 Hawaiian shirt. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the valley. He would have to wear a smartwatch instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his ring.
He sailed downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like bubble gum. His dad was standing there with a fork in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a simper.
"Hi Daddy!" Broderick replied uselessly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the candy," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra yeast. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Broderick replied silently. "Do we have the wienerschnitzel ready?"
"I'm going to wait until five o'clock to start that," his father replied cleverly. "It only has to poach lightly for fifteen minutes."
"Okay," Broderick replied proudly. "I'm gonna go to the nursery."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some mushroom quiche in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the nursery 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," Broderick responded, as he sat down to his mushroom quiche. "Let's hang lots of hot pink balloons and cover the carpet and the washing machine with amber crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father suavely. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Jolene Peralta. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a fork."
"Eeek," Broderick responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a grimace. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."