Andy woke up with a chuckle. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a dirndl and a hoodie. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the ballroom was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-one of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend eight hours playing fun games like baseball and rummy. His dad was planning to make plenty of cabbage rolls and potatoes and gravy for everyone. Andy would try to blow out all eight candles on the beige and tan cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Andy would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain an amulet! He hoped it would be a fresh amulet. His friend Agnes had said she would give him a dog biscuit, and his mother always gave him cool stuff like the muffin she gave him last year. Andy 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 dirndl. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the lakeside. He would have to wear a pair of trousers instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his hoodie.
He darted downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like an outhouse. His dad was standing there with a spatula in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a crow.
"Hi Daddy!" Andy replied silently. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the cabbage rolls," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra roquefort cheese. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Andy replied brightly. "Do we have the potatoes and gravy ready?"
"I'm going to wait until ten o'clock to start that," his father replied patiently. "It only has to toast for thirty-nine minutes."
"Okay," Andy replied sternly. "I'm gonna go to the ballroom."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some fried eggs in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the ballroom 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," Andy responded, as he sat down to his fried eggs. "Let's hang lots of jet black balloons and cover the bookcase and the carpet with olive green crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father valiantly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Dinah Hartford. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a slotted spoon."
"Whoa baby," Andy responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a sneeze. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."