Jeff woke up with a death glare. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a Hawaiian shirt and a pair of Bermuda shorts. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the garage was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited five of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend one hour playing fun games like old maid and hopscotch. His mom was planning to make plenty of beans and lasagna for everyone. Jeff would try to blow out all twenty-six candles on the teal and terra cotta cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Jeff would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a piggy bank! He hoped it would be a musty piggy bank. His friend Calvin had said he would give him a brush, and his mother always gave him cool stuff like the blank check she gave him last year. Jeff could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a dense fog was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his Hawaiian shirt. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the mountaintop. He would have to wear a scarf instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his pair of Bermuda shorts.
He slipped downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like rain. His mom was standing there with a spatula in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a laugh.
"Hi Mommy!" Jeff replied happily. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the beans," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra habañero peppers. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Jeff replied humbly. "Do we have the lasagna ready?"
"I'm going to wait until nine o'clock to start that," his mother replied shakily. "It only has to heat for thirty-two minutes."
"Okay," Jeff replied tenderly. "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 mother replied. "Remember, I'm depending on you to help with the decorating."
"Oh yeah," Jeff responded, as he sat down to his wienerschnitzel. "Let's hang lots of azure balloons and cover the floor and the piano with aquamarine crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother ruefully. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Debbie Fields. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has an electric mixer."
"Bah," Jeff responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a tear. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."