Tony woke up with a pound of the chest. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a bomber jacket and a coat of mail. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the library was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend five hours playing fun games like follow the leader and bridge. His dad was planning to make plenty of tofu and pot roast for everyone. Tony would try to blow out all four candles on the hot pink and khaki cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Tony would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a helmet! He hoped it would be a polished helmet. His friend Anastasia had said she would give him a cork, and his grandfather always gave him cool stuff like the rock she gave him last year. Tony could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a humid day was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his bomber jacket. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the island. He would have to wear a veil instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his coat of mail.
He crept downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like cotton candy. His dad was standing there with an electric mixer in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a cheer.
"Hi Daddy!" Tony replied hungrily. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the tofu," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra peeled carrots. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Tony replied mysteriously. "Do we have the pot roast ready?"
"I'm going to wait until two o'clock to start that," his father replied happily. "It only has to fry for six minutes."
"Okay," Tony replied primly. "I'm gonna go to the library."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some hash 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," Tony responded, as he sat down to his hash. "Let's hang lots of pink balloons and cover the credenza and the settee with amber crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father impatiently. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Sandra Dodd. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a food processor."
"Oops," Tony 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."