Milton woke up with a clenched fist. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a maxi skirt and a gunny sack. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the master bathroom was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited three of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend six hours playing fun games like pool and backgammon. His mom was planning to make plenty of moo goo gai pan and sauerkraut for everyone. Milton would try to blow out all five candles on the brilliant orange and olive drab cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Milton would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a towel! He hoped it would be a coarse towel. His friend Thad had said he would give him a houseplant, and his mother-in-law always gave him cool stuff like the blanket she gave him last year. Milton could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a lightning storm was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his maxi skirt. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the gulch. He would have to wear a pair of dungarees instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his gunny sack.
He jumped downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like incense. His mom was standing there with a foot in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a furrowed brow.
"Hi Mommy!" Milton replied slowly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the moo goo gai pan," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra walrus meat. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Milton replied immediately. "Do we have the sauerkraut ready?"
"I'm going to wait until one o'clock to start that," his mother replied solemnly. "It only has to blanch for nineteen minutes."
"Okay," Milton replied hungrily. "I'm gonna go to the master bathroom."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some cabbage in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the master bathroom 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," Milton responded, as he sat down to his cabbage. "Let's hang lots of carrot-orange balloons and cover the umbrella stand and the armoire with grey crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother accidentally. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Alyssa McGrath. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a ladle."
"Oof," Milton responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a blush. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."