Juan woke up with a wince. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a ribbon and a hoop skirt. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the kitchen was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited two of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend two hours playing fun games like Parcheesi and doctor. His mom was planning to make plenty of pretzels and enchiladas for everyone. Juan would try to blow out all eleven candles on the aqua and navy blue cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Juan would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a cardboard box! He hoped it would be a charming cardboard box. His friend Jacques had said he would give him a corncob, and his grandpa always gave him cool stuff like the avocado she gave him last year. Juan could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a rainstorm was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his ribbon. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the butte. He would have to wear a tank top instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his hoop skirt.
He slid downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like something died. His mom was standing there with a basting brush in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a giggle.
"Hi Mommy!" Juan replied nonchalantly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the pretzels," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra pitted cherries. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Juan replied unexpectedly. "Do we have the enchiladas ready?"
"I'm going to wait until five o'clock to start that," his mother replied defiantly. "It only has to toast for twenty-one minutes."
"Okay," Juan replied oddly. "I'm gonna go to the kitchen."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some tortillas in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the kitchen 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," Juan responded, as he sat down to his tortillas. "Let's hang lots of teal balloons and cover the pool table and the credenza with silver crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother crazily. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Drew Workman. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a mixing spoon."
"Heck," Juan responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a clenched fist. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."