Bert woke up with a dope slap. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a cheerleader's uniform and a feather boa. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the master bedroom was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited six of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend seven hours playing fun games like hearts and charades. His mom was planning to make plenty of steak and sushi for everyone. Bert would try to blow out all thirty candles on the emerald green and tan cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Bert would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a pair of knitting needles! He hoped it would be a primitive pair of knitting needles. His friend Antonio had said he would give him a fountain pen, and his aunt always gave him cool stuff like the blanket she gave him last year. Bert could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a rainbow was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his cheerleader's uniform. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the creek. He would have to wear a poodle skirt instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his feather boa.
He slid downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like peanut butter. His mom was standing there with a mixing spoon in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a shiver.
"Hi Mommy!" Bert replied carelessly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the steak," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra carrots. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Bert replied zestily. "Do we have the sushi ready?"
"I'm going to wait until nine o'clock to start that," his mother replied angrily. "It only has to grill for ten minutes."
"Okay," Bert replied deftly. "I'm gonna go to the master bedroom."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some roast Cornish game hen in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the master bedroom 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," Bert responded, as he sat down to his roast Cornish game hen. "Let's hang lots of carrot-orange balloons and cover the washstand and the hope chest with tan crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother fondly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Jen Caldwell. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a dull knife."
"Fie," Bert responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a shout. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."