Conrad woke up with a stiff upper lip. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a headband and a sport coat. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the solarium was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited ten of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend six hours playing fun games like croquet and Snakes and Ladders. His mom was planning to make plenty of hors d'oeuvre and roast turkey for everyone. Conrad would try to blow out all two candles on the amber and violet cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Conrad would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a bucket! He hoped it would be a fluffy bucket. His friend Lucky had said he would give him a file folder, and his aunt always gave him cool stuff like the roll of toilet paper she gave him last year. Conrad could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a humid day was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his headband. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the country meadow. He would have to wear a pacifier instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his sport coat.
He slid downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like licorice. His mom was standing there with a pair of tongs in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a bound.
"Hi Mommy!" Conrad replied immediately. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the hors d'oeuvre," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra fresh mushrooms. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Conrad replied crankily. "Do we have the roast turkey ready?"
"I'm going to wait until eight o'clock to start that," his mother replied reluctantly. "It only has to whirl for fifty-seven minutes."
"Okay," Conrad replied lazily. "I'm gonna go to the solarium."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some Cheerios in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the solarium 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," Conrad responded, as he sat down to his Cheerios. "Let's hang lots of navy blue balloons and cover the computer and the hope chest with jade crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother valiantly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Bethany Saramago. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a slotted spoon."
"Alas," Conrad 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."