Macon woke up with a wag of the finger. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a wristwatch and a pair of toe shoes. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the workshop was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited thirteen of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend two hours playing fun games like billiards and roulette. His dad was planning to make plenty of refried beans and squash blossom soup for everyone. Macon would try to blow out all twenty-four candles on the amber and aqua cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Macon would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain an Egyptian mummy! He hoped it would be a multicolored Egyptian mummy. His friend Henrietta had said she would give him a bell, and his aunt always gave him cool stuff like the can of beans she gave him last year. Macon could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a driving rain was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his wristwatch. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the mountainside. He would have to wear an armband instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his pair of toe shoes.
He scampered downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like mountain air. His dad was standing there with a turkey baster in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a guffaw.
"Hi Daddy!" Macon replied peevishly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the refried beans," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra roquefort cheese. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Macon replied automatically. "Do we have the squash blossom soup ready?"
"I'm going to wait until four o'clock to start that," his father replied nicely. "It only has to broil for eighty-seven minutes."
"Okay," Macon replied hysterically. "I'm gonna go to the workshop."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some prime rib 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 father replied. "Remember, I'm depending on you to help with the decorating."
"Oh yeah," Macon responded, as he sat down to his prime rib. "Let's hang lots of sea green balloons and cover the nightstand and the bath mat with magenta crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father sternly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Rachel Holland. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a chopstick."
"Bah," Macon responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a cackle. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."