Brad woke up with a chortle. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a pair of handcuffs and a dirndl. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the pantry was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited nineteen of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend eight hours playing fun games like hide and seek and backgammon. His dad was planning to make plenty of roast turkey and squash blossom soup for everyone. Brad would try to blow out all twenty-five candles on the peach and teal cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Brad would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a vase! He hoped it would be a primitive vase. His friend Sylvia had said she would give him a can of beans, and his wife always gave him cool stuff like the umbrella she gave him last year. Brad could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a downpour was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his pair of handcuffs. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the pond. He would have to wear a cocktail dress instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his dirndl.
He sashayed downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like Yves Saint Laurent. His dad was standing there with a spoon in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a titter.
"Hi Daddy!" Brad replied flightily. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the roast turkey," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra chopped liver. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Brad replied gracefully. "Do we have the squash blossom soup ready?"
"I'm going to wait until four o'clock to start that," his father replied hopelessly. "It only has to smoke for thirty-seven minutes."
"Okay," Brad replied blindly. "I'm gonna go to the pantry."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some French fries in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the pantry 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," Brad responded, as he sat down to his French fries. "Let's hang lots of teal balloons and cover the carpet and the bar stool with rose crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father flightily. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Sierra Boyce. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a blender."
"Buzzards," Brad responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a woof. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."