Brandon woke up with a shiver. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a motorcycle helmet and a big smile. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the doghouse was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-six of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend seven hours playing fun games like blackjack and treasure hunt. His mom was planning to make plenty of fondue and fondue for everyone. Brandon would try to blow out all thirty-four candles on the jet black and mauve cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Brandon would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a dollhouse! He hoped it would be a prickly dollhouse. His friend Caleb had said he would give him a biscuit, and his grandfather always gave him cool stuff like the Big Gulp she gave him last year. Brandon 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 motorcycle helmet. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the range. He would have to wear a birthday suit instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his big smile.
He stormed downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like a sardine cannery. His mom was standing there with a cookie cutter in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a snicker.
"Hi Mommy!" Brandon replied delicately. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the fondue," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra fresh spinach. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Brandon replied sorrowfully. "Do we have the fondue ready?"
"I'm going to wait until three o'clock to start that," his mother replied proudly. "It only has to blend for eighty-three minutes."
"Okay," Brandon replied offhandedly. "I'm gonna go to the doghouse."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some chicken gumbo in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the doghouse first?" he begged.
"It looks just like it always does," his mother replied. "Remember, I'm depending on you to help with the decorating."
"Oh yeah," Brandon responded, as he sat down to his chicken gumbo. "Let's hang lots of camouflage balloons and cover the floor and the bookshelf with striped crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother suspiciously. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Camella Fisher. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a wooden spoon."
"Thpft," Brandon responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a raised eyebrow. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."