Martin woke up with a sneeze. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a kimono and a sport coat. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the attic was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-six of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend five hours playing fun games like tennis and blackjack. His dad was planning to make plenty of crumb cake and apple pie for everyone. Martin would try to blow out all thirty-five candles on the pea green and khaki cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Martin would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a pack of gum! He hoped it would be a hand-painted pack of gum. His friend Libby had said she would give him a pair of scissors, and his mentor always gave him cool stuff like the purse she gave him last year. Martin could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a hailstorm was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his kimono. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the range. He would have to wear a pair of bell-bottoms instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his sport coat.
He traipsed downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like tacos. His dad was standing there with a garlic press in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a sneer.
"Hi Daddy!" Martin replied numbly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the crumb cake," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra potato chips. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Martin replied neatly. "Do we have the apple pie ready?"
"I'm going to wait until two o'clock to start that," his father replied firmly. "It only has to heat for thirty-eight minutes."
"Okay," Martin replied nervously. "I'm gonna go to the attic."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some chopped liver in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the attic 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," Martin responded, as he sat down to his chopped liver. "Let's hang lots of lime-green balloons and cover the windowsill and the overstuffed chair with fuchsia crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father softly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Jeanne Spanbauer. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a corkscrew."
"Zowie," Martin responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a yawn. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."