Owen woke up with a hiccup. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a sombrero and a pair of Crocs. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the attic was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-four of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend six hours playing fun games like dodge ball and musical chairs. His dad was planning to make plenty of bread and butter and cookies for everyone. Owen would try to blow out all twenty-five candles on the aqua and burgundy cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Owen would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a cookbook! He hoped it would be a torn cookbook. His friend Pam had said she would give him a curling iron, and his sister-in-law always gave him cool stuff like the whistle she gave him last year. Owen 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 sombrero. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the buffalo wallow. He would have to wear a burqa instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his pair of Crocs.
He sauntered downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like baby lotion. His dad was standing there with a potato masher in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a death glare.
"Hi Daddy!" Owen replied again. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the bread and butter," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra apple cider. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Owen replied dolorously. "Do we have the cookies ready?"
"I'm going to wait until six o'clock to start that," his father replied blankly. "It only has to smoke for thirty-two minutes."
"Okay," Owen replied unexpectedly. "I'm gonna go to the attic."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some Hamburger Helper in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the attic 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," Owen responded, as he sat down to his Hamburger Helper. "Let's hang lots of camouflage balloons and cover the sofa and the futon with brilliant orange crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father properly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Alicia Woods. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a blender."
"Holy frijole," Owen responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a pout. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."