Tony woke up with a sigh. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a pair of knickerbockers and a G-string. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the garage was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-three of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend four hours playing fun games like Cootie and duck duck goose. His dad was planning to make plenty of fried chicken and tofu for everyone. Tony would try to blow out all twenty-six candles on the black and periwinkle cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Tony would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a dollhouse! He hoped it would be a fresh dollhouse. His friend Marya had said she would give him a spinning wheel, and his girlfriend always gave him cool stuff like the spinning wheel she gave him last year. Tony could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a pelting rainstorm was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his pair of knickerbockers. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the housing development. He would have to wear a T-shirt instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his G-string.
He galloped downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like Max Factor. His dad was standing there with an ice pick in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a smack.
"Hi Daddy!" Tony replied softly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the fried chicken," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra lemon zest. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Tony replied urgently. "Do we have the tofu ready?"
"I'm going to wait until six o'clock to start that," his father replied innocently. "It only has to poach lightly for forty-one minutes."
"Okay," Tony replied smoothly. "I'm gonna go to the garage."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some wienerschnitzel in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the garage 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," Tony responded, as he sat down to his wienerschnitzel. "Let's hang lots of scarlet balloons and cover the futon and the dining table with khaki crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father confidently. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Lindy Ford. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a turkey baster."
"Duh," Tony responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a dope slap. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."