Papa woke up with a snigger. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a feather boa and a pair of Reeboks. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the nursery was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited fifteen of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend two hours playing fun games like tag and Parcheesi. His mom was planning to make plenty of prune pudding and wienerschnitzel for everyone. Papa would try to blow out all nine candles on the crimson and amber cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Papa would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a coat hanger! He hoped it would be a miniature coat hanger. His friend Edmond had said he would give him a coffee pot, and his mom always gave him cool stuff like the cookie she gave him last year. Papa could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a pelting rainstorm was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his feather boa. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the range. He would have to wear a pair of dungarees instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his pair of Reeboks.
He traipsed downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like asparagus. His mom was standing there with a strainer in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a death glare.
"Hi Mommy!" Papa replied kindly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the prune pudding," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra almond paste. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Papa replied majestically. "Do we have the wienerschnitzel ready?"
"I'm going to wait until nine o'clock to start that," his mother replied lovingly. "It only has to sear outside for eighty-four minutes."
"Okay," Papa replied fearfully. "I'm gonna go to the nursery."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some tortillas in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the nursery 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," Papa responded, as he sat down to his tortillas. "Let's hang lots of purple balloons and cover the china cabinet and the table with teal crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother cautiously. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Mildred Hill. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a wooden spoon."
"Ay caramba," Papa responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a blush. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."