Danny woke up with a kiss. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a visor and a pair of suspenders. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the parlor was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-seven of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend eight hours playing fun games like tennis and seven-up. His dad was planning to make plenty of sushi and succotash for everyone. Danny would try to blow out all eight candles on the blue and teal cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Danny would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a pair of binoculars! He hoped it would be a crusty pair of binoculars. His friend Xenia had said she would give him a bird feeder, and his mommy always gave him cool stuff like the key she gave him last year. Danny could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a hot day was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his visor. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the jungle. He would have to wear a pair of knickers instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his pair of suspenders.
He swung downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like hamburgers. His dad was standing there with a ladle in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a snort.
"Hi Daddy!" Danny replied ignobly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the sushi," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra sweet pickles. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Danny replied dubiously. "Do we have the succotash ready?"
"I'm going to wait until nine o'clock to start that," his father replied unabashedly. "It only has to marinate for fifty-six minutes."
"Okay," Danny replied gruffly. "I'm gonna go to the parlor."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some lime sherbet in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the parlor 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," Danny responded, as he sat down to his lime sherbet. "Let's hang lots of blue balloons and cover the coat rack and the cupboard with blue crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father recklessly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, So-Yeng Prince. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has an electric mixer."
"Swell," Danny responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a finger gun. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."