Chad woke up with a flush. 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 kimono. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the porch was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-two of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend eight hours playing fun games like Snakes and Ladders and treasure hunt. His dad was planning to make plenty of chicken chow mein and chicken soup for everyone. Chad would try to blow out all two candles on the jade and aqua cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Chad would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a sack of potatoes! He hoped it would be a waxy sack of potatoes. His friend Cherise had said she would give him a contract, and his sister-in-law always gave him cool stuff like the Kindle she gave him last year. Chad could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a snowstorm 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 lakeside. He would have to wear a pair of handcuffs instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his kimono.
He galloped downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like Estée Lauder. His dad was standing there with a cheesecloth in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a flush.
"Hi Daddy!" Chad replied rapidly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the chicken chow mein," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra wasabi powder. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Chad replied delicately. "Do we have the chicken soup ready?"
"I'm going to wait until eight o'clock to start that," his father replied delicately. "It only has to toast for sixteen minutes."
"Okay," Chad replied humbly. "I'm gonna go to the porch."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some cinnamon toast in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the porch 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," Chad responded, as he sat down to his cinnamon toast. "Let's hang lots of navy blue balloons and cover the stool and the bar stool with striped crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father slyly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Kylie Locke. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a napkin."
"Good gravy," Chad responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a fist bump. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."