Alberto woke up with a snicker. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a pair of jackboots and a letter jacket. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the game room 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 golf and Monopoly. His mom was planning to make plenty of chicken chow mein and enchiladas for everyone. Alberto would try to blow out all thirty candles on the olive green and pea green cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Alberto would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a stone! He hoped it would be an original stone. His friend Charlie had said he would give him an advertisement, and his mentor always gave him cool stuff like the piano she gave him last year. Alberto could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a hurricane was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his pair of jackboots. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the island. He would have to wear a pair of socks instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his letter jacket.
He stalked downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like a skunk. His mom was standing there with a fork in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a bound.
"Hi Mommy!" Alberto replied roughly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the chicken chow mein," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra white beans. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Alberto replied fearlessly. "Do we have the enchiladas ready?"
"I'm going to wait until nine o'clock to start that," his mother replied courageously. "It only has to bake at 450 degrees F for eighty minutes."
"Okay," Alberto replied joyously. "I'm gonna go to the game room."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some macaroni and cheese in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the game room 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," Alberto responded, as he sat down to his macaroni and cheese. "Let's hang lots of aqua balloons and cover the bath mat and the bathtub with periwinkle crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother narrowly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Kendra Nguyen. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a turkey baster."
"Knock me over with a feather," Alberto responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a jeer. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."