Jughead woke up with a grimace. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a bolo tie and a coat. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the workshop was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited six of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend one hour playing fun games like trivia and baseball. His mom was planning to make plenty of roast turkey and squash blossom soup for everyone. Jughead would try to blow out all two candles on the grey and tan cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Jughead would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a bag of ice! He hoped it would be a ragged bag of ice. His friend Alan had said he would give him a bicycle, and his dad always gave him cool stuff like the pair of dice she gave him last year. Jughead 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 bolo tie. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the stream. He would have to wear a name tag instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his coat.
He sashayed downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like an old goat. His mom was standing there with a chopstick in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a power fist.
"Hi Mommy!" Jughead replied softly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the roast turkey," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra pistachios. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Jughead replied blankly. "Do we have the squash blossom soup ready?"
"I'm going to wait until eight o'clock to start that," his mother replied nervously. "It only has to roast for twenty-seven minutes."
"Okay," Jughead replied courteously. "I'm gonna go to the workshop."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some fish and chips in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the workshop 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," Jughead responded, as he sat down to his fish and chips. "Let's hang lots of maroon balloons and cover the mattress and the washstand with crimson crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother merrily. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Scarlett Romano. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a pastry blender."
"Very funny," Jughead responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a frown. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."