Wesley 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 pair of jeans and a pair of shoes. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the ballroom was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited thirteen of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend five hours playing fun games like roulette and red rover. His mom was planning to make plenty of succotash and fried okra for everyone. Wesley would try to blow out all seven candles on the maroon and grey cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Wesley would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a magnifying glass! He hoped it would be a peculiar magnifying glass. His friend Barnabas had said he would give him a beach ball, and his aunt always gave him cool stuff like the basket she gave him last year. Wesley could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a flood was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his pair of jeans. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the seacoast. He would have to wear a kimono instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his pair of shoes.
He strode downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like peanut butter. His mom was standing there with a bare foot in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a belch.
"Hi Mommy!" Wesley replied proudly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the succotash," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra water. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Wesley replied reluctantly. "Do we have the fried okra ready?"
"I'm going to wait until one o'clock to start that," his mother replied bravely. "It only has to melt for four minutes."
"Okay," Wesley replied urgently. "I'm gonna go to the ballroom."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some pie a la mode in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the ballroom 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," Wesley responded, as he sat down to his pie a la mode. "Let's hang lots of scarlet balloons and cover the hatstand and the wine rack with red crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother positively. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Merna Price. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a foot."
"Ay chihuahua," Wesley responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a wink. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."