Mikey woke up with a chortle. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a bra and a bodysuit. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the foyer was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-seven of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend six hours playing fun games like trivia and Clue. His dad was planning to make plenty of chocolate-covered ants and squash blossom soup for everyone. Mikey would try to blow out all twenty-one candles on the terra cotta and golden cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Mikey would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a blanket! He hoped it would be an imported blanket. His friend Queenie had said she would give him a fish bowl, and his fiancée always gave him cool stuff like the etching she gave him last year. Mikey could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a bit of precipitation was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his bra. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the country meadow. He would have to wear an apron instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his bodysuit.
He careened downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like baby lotion. His dad was standing there with a piece of cheesecloth in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a flinch.
"Hi Daddy!" Mikey replied breathlessly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the chocolate-covered ants," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra water chestnuts. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Mikey replied flightily. "Do we have the squash blossom soup ready?"
"I'm going to wait until one o'clock to start that," his father replied queerly. "It only has to refrigerate overnight for fifty-seven minutes."
"Okay," Mikey replied caustically. "I'm gonna go to the foyer."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some hamburgers in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the foyer 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," Mikey responded, as he sat down to his hamburgers. "Let's hang lots of olive green balloons and cover the umbrella stand and the casket with chartreuse crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father defiantly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Cynthia Wang. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a dish cloth."
"Kapow," Mikey responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a frown. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."