Draco woke up with a backward glance. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a bicycle helmet and a pair of Crocs. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the doghouse was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-five of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend three hours playing fun games like tag and old maid. His mom was planning to make plenty of spaghetti and hot dogs for everyone. Draco would try to blow out all twenty-seven candles on the polka dotted and navy blue cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Draco would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain an air compressor! He hoped it would be a bent air compressor. His friend Sven had said he would give him a jar of olives, and his mom always gave him cool stuff like the spittoon she gave him last year. Draco could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a dust storm was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his bicycle helmet. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the peninsula. He would have to wear a kilt instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his pair of Crocs.
He dove downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like a saloon. His mom was standing there with a spatula in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a grimace.
"Hi Mommy!" Draco replied obediently. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the spaghetti," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra pretzels. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Draco replied repeatedly. "Do we have the hot dogs ready?"
"I'm going to wait until twelve o'clock to start that," his mother replied threateningly. "It only has to mix angrily for thirty-two minutes."
"Okay," Draco replied lightly. "I'm gonna go to the doghouse."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some burritos 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," Draco responded, as he sat down to his burritos. "Let's hang lots of striped balloons and cover the dining table and the overstuffed chair with indigo crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother courageously. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Robin Ratha. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a basting brush."
"Fun," Draco responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a cackle. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."