Lorenzo woke up with a pucker. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a pair of tights and a Hawaiian shirt. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the game room was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-six of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend three hours playing fun games like Clue and old maid. His dad was planning to make plenty of pumpkin pie and omelet for everyone. Lorenzo would try to blow out all twenty-three candles on the salmon and periwinkle cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Lorenzo would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a stapler! He hoped it would be a tiny stapler. His friend Toni had said she would give him a sponge, and his mommy always gave him cool stuff like the pair of scissors she gave him last year. Lorenzo could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a pall of doom was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his pair of tights. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the glen. He would have to wear a bathrobe instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his Hawaiian shirt.
He sailed downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like mildew. His dad was standing there with a sharp knife in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a sneer.
"Hi Daddy!" Lorenzo replied cleverly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the pumpkin pie," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra mayonnaise. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Lorenzo replied fearlessly. "Do we have the omelet ready?"
"I'm going to wait until nine o'clock to start that," his father replied sympathetically. "It only has to press for twenty minutes."
"Okay," Lorenzo replied queerly. "I'm gonna go to the game room."
"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 game room 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," Lorenzo responded, as he sat down to his burritos. "Let's hang lots of grey balloons and cover the crib and the ironing board with maroon crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father sarcastically. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Cheryl Porrello. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a whisk."
"Tailfeathers," Lorenzo responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a hoot. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."