Doug woke up with a woof. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a hoodie and a pair of UGGs. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the master bathroom was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-two of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend seven hours playing fun games like Cootie and poker. His mom was planning to make plenty of refried beans and mashed potatoes for everyone. Doug would try to blow out all twenty candles on the striped and periwinkle cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Doug would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a crayon! He hoped it would be a miniature crayon. His friend Sven had said he would give him a ball, and his grandmother always gave him cool stuff like the pair of headphones she gave him last year. Doug could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a windstorm 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 savanna. He would have to wear a tattoo instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his pair of UGGs.
He marched downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like cigarette smoke. His mom was standing there with a food processor in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a wag of the finger.
"Hi Mommy!" Doug replied admiringly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the refried beans," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra oregano. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Doug replied zestily. "Do we have the mashed potatoes ready?"
"I'm going to wait until twelve o'clock to start that," his mother replied haughtily. "It only has to mix bravely for thirty-one minutes."
"Okay," Doug replied menacingly. "I'm gonna go to the master bathroom."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some cabbage in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the master bathroom 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," Doug responded, as he sat down to his cabbage. "Let's hang lots of crimson balloons and cover the billiard table and the wardrobe with polka dotted crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother suddenly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Brook Rossi. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a chopstick."
"Aha," Doug responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a cheer. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."