Casey 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 hoodie and a bowler hat. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the doghouse was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twelve of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend six hours playing fun games like musical chairs and marbles. His mom was planning to make plenty of beef bouillon and mushroom quiche for everyone. Casey would try to blow out all thirty-one candles on the green and teal cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Casey would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a bag! He hoped it would be a funny bag. His friend Barnabas had said he would give him a hair dryer, and his grandfather always gave him cool stuff like the elephant tusk she gave him last year. Casey 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 hoodie. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the battlefield. He would have to wear a bulletproof vest instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his bowler hat.
He slunk downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like kerosene. His mom was standing there with a garlic press in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a wince.
"Hi Mommy!" Casey replied testily. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the beef bouillon," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra potato flakes. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Casey replied fondly. "Do we have the mushroom quiche ready?"
"I'm going to wait until eleven o'clock to start that," his mother replied fondly. "It only has to melt for thirty-five minutes."
"Okay," Casey replied automatically. "I'm gonna go to the doghouse."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some egg drop soup in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the doghouse 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," Casey responded, as he sat down to his egg drop soup. "Let's hang lots of sea green balloons and cover the buffet and the armoire with beige crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother admiringly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Kelley Lamb. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a basting brush."
"Whoop-dee-doo," Casey responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a belch. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."