Edward woke up with a power fist. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a pair of boxing gloves and a watch. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the bedroom was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-six of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend four hours playing fun games like old maid and cribbage. His dad was planning to make plenty of roast Cornish game hen and spaghetti for everyone. Edward would try to blow out all fourteen candles on the green and azure cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Edward would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a flash drive! He hoped it would be a cheap flash drive. His friend Karen had said she would give him a ping-pong paddle, and his girlfriend always gave him cool stuff like the notepad she gave him last year. Edward could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that an earthquake was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his pair of boxing gloves. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the pasture. He would have to wear a big grin instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his watch.
He tumbled downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like smoked fish. His dad was standing there with a cookie cutter in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a dope slap.
"Hi Daddy!" Edward replied uneasily. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the roast Cornish game hen," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra kale. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Edward replied ignobly. "Do we have the spaghetti ready?"
"I'm going to wait until ten o'clock to start that," his father replied narrowly. "It only has to simmer for fifty-eight minutes."
"Okay," Edward replied tenderly. "I'm gonna go to the bedroom."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some macaroni and cheese in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the bedroom 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," Edward responded, as he sat down to his macaroni and cheese. "Let's hang lots of amber balloons and cover the cupboard and the TV with sea green crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father lamely. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Meg Sharpe. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a sharp knife."
"Ulp," Edward responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a clenched fist. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."