Rock woke up with a tear. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a pair of khakis and a pair of heels. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the library was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited five of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend seven hours playing fun games like hopscotch and poker. His dad was planning to make plenty of chopped liver and potatoes and gravy for everyone. Rock would try to blow out all twenty-five candles on the metallic red and carrot-orange cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Rock would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a smart phone! He hoped it would be a chic smart phone. His friend Vivian had said she would give him a Bunsen burner, and his aunt always gave him cool stuff like the joint she gave him last year. Rock could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a drizzle was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his pair of khakis. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the field. He would have to wear a Stetson hat instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his pair of heels.
He made a beeline downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like barbeque. His dad was standing there with a corkscrew in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a snarl.
"Hi Daddy!" Rock replied properly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the chopped liver," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra rum. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Rock replied recklessly. "Do we have the potatoes and gravy ready?"
"I'm going to wait until two o'clock to start that," his father replied sadly. "It only has to shake for fifty minutes."
"Okay," Rock replied later. "I'm gonna go to the library."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some sushi in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the library 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," Rock responded, as he sat down to his sushi. "Let's hang lots of terra cotta balloons and cover the bathtub and the hammock with tan crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father courteously. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Jessi Al-Ghareeb. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a spoon."
"Never mind," Rock responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a grunt. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."