Darin woke up with a yawn. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a tailcoat and a rain coat. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the conservatory was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-two of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend three hours playing fun games like shuffleboard and Candy Land. His mom was planning to make plenty of apple pie and cherries jubilee for everyone. Darin would try to blow out all eighteen candles on the mauve and emerald green cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Darin would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a basketball! He hoped it would be an ornate basketball. His friend Raymond had said he would give him a balloon, and his fiancée always gave him cool stuff like the tube of glue she gave him last year. Darin could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a hurricane was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his tailcoat. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the savanna. He would have to wear a birthday suit instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his rain coat.
He waded downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like gardenias. His mom was standing there with a knife in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a fist bump.
"Hi Mommy!" Darin replied grudgingly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the apple pie," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra tequila. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Darin replied merrily. "Do we have the cherries jubilee ready?"
"I'm going to wait until eleven o'clock to start that," his mother replied sympathetically. "It only has to blanch for forty-six minutes."
"Okay," Darin replied madly. "I'm gonna go to the conservatory."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some omelet 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," Darin responded, as he sat down to his omelet. "Let's hang lots of orange balloons and cover the bookcase and the ironing board with magenta crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother ferociously. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Anita Everett. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a spatula."
"It's my party and I'll cry if I want to," Darin responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a beam. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."