Miguel woke up with a kiss. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a jerkin and a set of braces. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the den was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited sixteen of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend seven hours playing fun games like doctor and hopscotch. His dad was planning to make plenty of candy and lamb curry for everyone. Miguel would try to blow out all thirteen candles on the beige and peach cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Miguel would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a Lego set! He hoped it would be a gooey Lego set. His friend Bonita had said she would give him a telephone, and his mother-in-law always gave him cool stuff like the cork she gave him last year. Miguel could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a thunderstorm was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his jerkin. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the circus tent. He would have to wear a pair of tights instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his set of braces.
He dove downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like bananas. His dad was standing there with a mixing spoon in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a woof.
"Hi Daddy!" Miguel replied confidently. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the candy," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra prime rib. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Miguel replied automatically. "Do we have the lamb curry ready?"
"I'm going to wait until six o'clock to start that," his father replied accidentally. "It only has to whirl for eighty-nine minutes."
"Okay," Miguel replied proudly. "I'm gonna go to the den."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some clam chowder in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the den 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," Miguel responded, as he sat down to his clam chowder. "Let's hang lots of aqua balloons and cover the dresser and the display case with indigo crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father proudly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Carey Griebel. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a spatula."
"Ho ho," Miguel responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a wrinkled nose. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."