Brent woke up with a laugh. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a blazer and a coat. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the conservatory was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-one of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend three hours playing fun games like blackjack and Monopoly. His mom was planning to make plenty of brownies and falafel for everyone. Brent would try to blow out all thirty-five candles on the magenta and azure cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Brent would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a Helmholz resonator! He hoped it would be a soft Helmholz resonator. His friend Kurt had said he would give him a cracker, and his mom always gave him cool stuff like the flash drive she gave him last year. Brent could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a bit of precipitation was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his blazer. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the seashore. He would have to wear a straitjacket instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his coat.
He sashayed downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like Cartier. His mom was standing there with a turkey baster in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a wince.
"Hi Mommy!" Brent replied recklessly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the brownies," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra kielbasa. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Brent replied firmly. "Do we have the falafel ready?"
"I'm going to wait until four o'clock to start that," his mother replied intensely. "It only has to blend for forty-eight minutes."
"Okay," Brent replied roughly. "I'm gonna go to the conservatory."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some pie a la mode in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the conservatory 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," Brent responded, as he sat down to his pie a la mode. "Let's hang lots of carrot-orange balloons and cover the mattress and the umbrella stand with yellow crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother brightly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Lucia Oswald. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a grater."
"Shoot," Brent responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a snarl. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."