Julian woke up with a jeer. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a vest and a surgical mask. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the pantry was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-three of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend six hours playing fun games like checkers and backgammon. His dad was planning to make plenty of pizza and roast beef for everyone. Julian would try to blow out all five candles on the tan and olive drab cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Julian would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a billiard ball! He hoped it would be a luxurious billiard ball. His friend Renee had said she would give him a Van Gogh, and his aunt always gave him cool stuff like the cigarette lighter she gave him last year. Julian could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a drought was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his vest. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the garden. He would have to wear a pair of shoes instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his surgical mask.
He waltzed downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like cigars. His dad was standing there with a paring knife in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a wag of the finger.
"Hi Daddy!" Julian replied sheepishly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the pizza," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra roast beef. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Julian replied excitedly. "Do we have the roast beef ready?"
"I'm going to wait until four o'clock to start that," his father replied fearlessly. "It only has to blend for seventy-seven minutes."
"Okay," Julian replied despondently. "I'm gonna go to the pantry."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some brownies in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the pantry 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," Julian responded, as he sat down to his brownies. "Let's hang lots of purple balloons and cover the counter and the chair with turquoise crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father curiously. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Betsy Skye. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has an oven mitt."
"Petunia," Julian responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a laugh. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."