Morris woke up with a tear. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a tank top and a babushka. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the linen closet was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend eight hours playing fun games like jump rope and shuffleboard. His dad was planning to make plenty of lobster and pot roast for everyone. Morris would try to blow out all four candles on the olive green and brown cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Morris would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a spoon! He hoped it would be a nice spoon. His friend Heather had said she would give him a Barbie doll, and his grandma always gave him cool stuff like the ashtray she gave him last year. Morris could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a tornado was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his tank top. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the valley. He would have to wear a sport coat instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his babushka.
He went downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like licorice. His dad was standing there with a basting brush in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a gurgle.
"Hi Daddy!" Morris replied coolly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the lobster," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra oat bran. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Morris replied nervously. "Do we have the pot roast ready?"
"I'm going to wait until six o'clock to start that," his father replied lamely. "It only has to simmer for ten minutes."
"Okay," Morris replied nonchalantly. "I'm gonna go to the linen closet."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some doughnuts in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the linen closet 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," Morris responded, as he sat down to his doughnuts. "Let's hang lots of rose balloons and cover the dining table and the cupboard with olive green crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father ferociously. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Godiva Clapper. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a cookie cutter."
"If only," Morris responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a sneer. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."