Alton woke up with a smile. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a pacifier and a pair of glasses. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the outhouse was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-seven of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend two hours playing fun games like golf and chess. His mom was planning to make plenty of fondue and roast Cornish game hen for everyone. Alton would try to blow out all twenty-six candles on the golden and green cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Alton would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a saddle! He hoped it would be a large saddle. His friend Kelly had said he would give him a crystal ball, and his mentor always gave him cool stuff like the napkin she gave him last year. Alton could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a bit of precipitation was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his pacifier. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the prairie. He would have to wear a bridal gown instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his pair of glasses.
He lurched downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like a rose garden. His mom was standing there with a food processor in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a grimace.
"Hi Mommy!" Alton replied fervently. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the fondue," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra barbecue sauce. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Alton replied reluctantly. "Do we have the roast Cornish game hen ready?"
"I'm going to wait until eight o'clock to start that," his mother replied violently. "It only has to grill for fifty-four minutes."
"Okay," Alton replied unabashedly. "I'm gonna go to the outhouse."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some chopped liver in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the outhouse 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," Alton responded, as he sat down to his chopped liver. "Let's hang lots of indigo balloons and cover the wine rack and the table with amber crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother courteously. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Sadie Okara. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a pair of tongs."
"At last," Alton responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a wince. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."