Craig woke up with a shout. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a jacket and a big smile. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the kitchen was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited eighteen of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend eight hours playing fun games like red rover and hopscotch. His mom was planning to make plenty of enchiladas and corn on the cob for everyone. Craig would try to blow out all thirty-four candles on the navy blue and tan cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Craig would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a hammer! He hoped it would be a gross hammer. His friend Ian had said he would give him a stick of gum, and his main squeeze always gave him cool stuff like the can of beer she gave him last year. Craig could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that an earthquake was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his jacket. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the field. He would have to wear a pair of pajamas instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his big smile.
He waddled downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like cedar. His mom was standing there with a paring knife in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a dope slap.
"Hi Mommy!" Craig replied courageously. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the enchiladas," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra lima beans. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Craig replied hysterically. "Do we have the corn on the cob ready?"
"I'm going to wait until six o'clock to start that," his mother replied ruefully. "It only has to poach lightly for ten minutes."
"Okay," Craig replied innocently. "I'm gonna go to the kitchen."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some lobster bisque in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the kitchen 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," Craig responded, as he sat down to his lobster bisque. "Let's hang lots of lavender balloons and cover the carpet and the bookshelf with aqua crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother wildly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Dianna Jordan. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a spoon."
"Gee," Craig responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a honk. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."