Noah woke up with a jeer. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a bikini and a bikini. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the bedroom was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited six of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend six hours playing fun games like blackjack and shuffleboard. His dad was planning to make plenty of macaroni and dirty rice for everyone. Noah would try to blow out all twelve candles on the brown and beige cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Noah would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a comic book! He hoped it would be a worn comic book. His friend Penelope had said she would give him a cracker, and his sister always gave him cool stuff like the bilge pump she gave him last year. Noah could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a sleet storm was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his bikini. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the beach. He would have to wear a thong instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his bikini.
He hopped downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like mildew. His dad was standing there with a strainer in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a snicker.
"Hi Daddy!" Noah replied hastily. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the macaroni," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra pine nuts. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Noah replied patiently. "Do we have the dirty rice ready?"
"I'm going to wait until eleven o'clock to start that," his father replied blankly. "It only has to blanch for thirty-three minutes."
"Okay," Noah replied energetically. "I'm gonna go to the bedroom."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some hamburgers in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the bedroom 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," Noah responded, as he sat down to his hamburgers. "Let's hang lots of aquamarine balloons and cover the credenza and the hammock with silver crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father excitedly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Charlotte Emery. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a sharp knife."
"Dum de dum dum," Noah responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a simper. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."