Rich woke up with a wince. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a pair of UGGs and a goose costume. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the patio was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twelve of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend one hour playing fun games like Rummy and marbles. His dad was planning to make plenty of popcorn and ham for everyone. Rich would try to blow out all eighteen candles on the yellow and khaki cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Rich would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a dollhouse! He hoped it would be a wooden dollhouse. His friend Christine had said she would give him a purse, and his cousin always gave him cool stuff like the fire hose she gave him last year. Rich could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a blizzard was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his pair of UGGs. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the swamp. He would have to wear a leotard instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his goose costume.
He hobbled downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like paint. His dad was standing there with a grater in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a tear.
"Hi Daddy!" Rich replied cheerfully. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the popcorn," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra Hershey Bar. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Rich replied arrogantly. "Do we have the ham ready?"
"I'm going to wait until seven o'clock to start that," his father replied temperamentally. "It only has to heat for twenty-two minutes."
"Okay," Rich replied surreptitiously. "I'm gonna go to the patio."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some cherries jubilee in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the patio 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," Rich responded, as he sat down to his cherries jubilee. "Let's hang lots of ivory balloons and cover the coffee table and the dresser with grey crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father miserably. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Fawn Brookshire. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a pair of chopsticks."
"Yowie," Rich responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a frown. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."