Jack woke up with a power fist. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a bridal gown and a pair of heels. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the bathroom was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited two of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend one hour playing fun games like Rummy and treasure hunt. His dad was planning to make plenty of refried beans and beans for everyone. Jack would try to blow out all fourteen candles on the turquoise and peach cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Jack would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a paper clip! He hoped it would be a polished paper clip. His friend Jasmine had said she would give him a bell, and his mommy always gave him cool stuff like the Helmholz resonator she gave him last year. Jack could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a tornado was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his bridal gown. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the badlands area. He would have to wear a pair of khakis instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his pair of heels.
He slumped downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like fingernail polish remover. His dad was standing there with a grater in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a raspberry.
"Hi Daddy!" Jack replied gingerly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the refried beans," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra apple cider. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Jack replied sleepily. "Do we have the beans ready?"
"I'm going to wait until eight o'clock to start that," his father replied blankly. "It only has to shake for four minutes."
"Okay," Jack replied haughtily. "I'm gonna go to the bathroom."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some cabbage rolls in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the bathroom 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," Jack responded, as he sat down to his cabbage rolls. "Let's hang lots of brown balloons and cover the four-poster bed and the bookshelf with orange crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father quietly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Kylie Norris. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has an electric mixer."
"Meh," Jack responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a furrowed brow. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."