Jamie woke up with a guffaw. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a pair of contact lenses and a pair of ear muffs. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the nursery was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited eleven of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend one hour playing fun games like charades and treasure hunt. His dad was planning to make plenty of pie a la mode and ramen noodles for everyone. Jamie would try to blow out all twenty-six candles on the jade and golden cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Jamie would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain an abacus! He hoped it would be a polka-dotted abacus. His friend Xaviera had said she would give him a calculator, and his mother always gave him cool stuff like the candle she gave him last year. Jamie could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a hot, sunny day was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his pair of contact lenses. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the rainforest. He would have to wear a turtleneck instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his pair of ear muffs.
He scampered downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like a stable. His dad was standing there with a spoon in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a raised eyebrow.
"Hi Daddy!" Jamie replied busily. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the pie a la mode," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra pecan pieces. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Jamie replied gingerly. "Do we have the ramen noodles ready?"
"I'm going to wait until eight o'clock to start that," his father replied accidentally. "It only has to poach lightly for twelve minutes."
"Okay," Jamie replied lazily. "I'm gonna go to the nursery."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some candy in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the nursery 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," Jamie responded, as he sat down to his candy. "Let's hang lots of green balloons and cover the cash register and the workbench with jade crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father bravely. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Elizabeth Queens. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a fork."
"Sieg Heil," Jamie responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with an air kiss. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."