Barry woke up with a wink. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a skirt and a pair of cycling shorts. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the linen closet was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-six of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend one hour playing fun games like treasure hunt and badminton. His dad was planning to make plenty of chicken soup and macaroni and cheese for everyone. Barry would try to blow out all fifteen candles on the turquoise and orange cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Barry would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a pack of gum! He hoped it would be an autographed pack of gum. His friend Judy had said she would give him a campaign sign, and his mother always gave him cool stuff like the book she gave him last year. Barry could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a sandstorm was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his skirt. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the oasis. He would have to wear a bathrobe instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his pair of cycling shorts.
He went downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like oregano. His dad was standing there with a pair of chopsticks in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a guffaw.
"Hi Daddy!" Barry replied steadily. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the chicken soup," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra grated Romano cheese. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Barry replied crossly. "Do we have the macaroni and cheese ready?"
"I'm going to wait until ten o'clock to start that," his father replied woefully. "It only has to mix humbly for forty-three minutes."
"Okay," Barry replied viciously. "I'm gonna go to the linen closet."
"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 linen closet 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," Barry responded, as he sat down to his cornbread. "Let's hang lots of salmon balloons and cover the chair and the pillow with hot pink crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father uneasily. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Norma Jean Sims. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a napkin."
"W00t," Barry responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a flutter. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."