Cedric woke up with a blush. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a pair of Groucho glasses and a pair of khakis. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the doghouse was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited ten of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend three hours playing fun games like bridge and Parcheesi. His dad was planning to make plenty of pie a la mode and shrimp for everyone. Cedric would try to blow out all thirty-four candles on the rose and aqua cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Cedric would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a hammer! He hoped it would be a fabulous hammer. His friend Sandi had said she would give him a ticket, and his friend always gave him cool stuff like the cream puff she gave him last year. Cedric 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 pair of Groucho glasses. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the mountainside. He would have to wear a tattoo instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his pair of khakis.
He rolled downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like tacos. His dad was standing there with a dish cloth in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a snarl.
"Hi Daddy!" Cedric replied blissfully. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the pie a la mode," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra shallots. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Cedric replied frantically. "Do we have the shrimp ready?"
"I'm going to wait until twelve o'clock to start that," his father replied tenderly. "It only has to shake for sixty-nine minutes."
"Okay," Cedric replied crankily. "I'm gonna go to the doghouse."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some bread and butter 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 father replied. "Remember, I'm depending on you to help with the decorating."
"Oh yeah," Cedric responded, as he sat down to his bread and butter. "Let's hang lots of indigo balloons and cover the pillow and the umbrella stand with silver crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father breathlessly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Joan Sugarbaker. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a whisk."
"Help," Cedric responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a growl. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."