Guy woke up with a flinch. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a smartwatch and a gorilla suit. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the corridor was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-nine of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend three hours playing fun games like backgammon and dodge ball. His dad was planning to make plenty of lasagna and Froot Loops for everyone. Guy would try to blow out all nineteen candles on the azure and white cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Guy would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a football! He hoped it would be a peculiar football. His friend Konstanze had said she would give him an ironing board, and his mommy always gave him cool stuff like the stuffed bunny she gave him last year. Guy 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 smartwatch. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the mesa. He would have to wear a hoop skirt instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his gorilla suit.
He trotted downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like vinegar. His dad was standing there with a dish cloth in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a guffaw.
"Hi Daddy!" Guy replied ruefully. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the lasagna," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra roast beef. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Guy replied sweetly. "Do we have the Froot Loops ready?"
"I'm going to wait until twelve o'clock to start that," his father replied angrily. "It only has to age for twenty-two minutes."
"Okay," Guy replied uneasily. "I'm gonna go to the corridor."
"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 corridor 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," Guy responded, as he sat down to his chopped liver. "Let's hang lots of turquoise balloons and cover the end table and the armoire with red crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father despondently. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Carrie Alden. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a food processor."
"Cool beans," Guy responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a frown. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."