Scotty woke up with a twitch. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a Speedo and a romper. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the den was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited fifteen of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend seven hours playing fun games like old maid and hopscotch. His dad was planning to make plenty of chocolate-covered ants and cherries jubilee for everyone. Scotty would try to blow out all twenty-one candles on the amber and maroon cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Scotty would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a shoe! He hoped it would be a coarse shoe. His friend Polly had said she would give him a flute, and his sister always gave him cool stuff like the pipe she gave him last year. Scotty could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that an ice storm was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his Speedo. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the gulch. He would have to wear a balaclava instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his romper.
He slumped downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like a hospital. His dad was standing there with a corkscrew in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a dope slap.
"Hi Daddy!" Scotty replied joyously. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the chocolate-covered ants," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra anchovies. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Scotty replied diligently. "Do we have the cherries jubilee ready?"
"I'm going to wait until eight o'clock to start that," his father replied excitedly. "It only has to heat for six minutes."
"Okay," Scotty replied brightly. "I'm gonna go to the den."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some cotton candy in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the den 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," Scotty responded, as he sat down to his cotton candy. "Let's hang lots of green balloons and cover the workbench and the floor with olive drab crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father angrily. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Esther Holland. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a potato peeler."
"Idiot," Scotty responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a backward glance. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."