Siggy 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 thong and a pair of ear muffs. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the front porch was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-four of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend seven hours playing fun games like Parcheesi and red rover. His mom was planning to make plenty of beans and cherries jubilee for everyone. Siggy would try to blow out all eight candles on the silver and mauve cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Siggy would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a paper airplane! He hoped it would be a torn paper airplane. His friend Kim had said he would give him a purse, and his grandpa always gave him cool stuff like the bag of groceries she gave him last year. Siggy could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a period of warm weather was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his thong. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the bog. He would have to wear a few grubby rags instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his pair of ear muffs.
He trotted downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like moth balls. His mom was standing there with a candy thermometer in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a chuckle.
"Hi Mommy!" Siggy replied grandly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the beans," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra kale. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Siggy replied lovingly. "Do we have the cherries jubilee ready?"
"I'm going to wait until eight o'clock to start that," his mother replied craftily. "It only has to blend for forty-eight minutes."
"Okay," Siggy replied menacingly. "I'm gonna go to the front porch."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some cornbread in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the front porch 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," Siggy responded, as he sat down to his cornbread. "Let's hang lots of golden balloons and cover the crib and the crib with grey crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother nervously. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Hattie Armstrong. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a turkey baster."
"That's crazy talk," Siggy responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a snigger. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."