Cosmo woke up with a laugh. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a Superman costume and a bustier. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the boiler room was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-five of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend six hours playing fun games like solitaire and pool. His dad was planning to make plenty of Hamburger Helper and roast turkey for everyone. Cosmo would try to blow out all fourteen candles on the navy and metallic red cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Cosmo would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a stamp! He hoped it would be an amazing stamp. His friend Julie had said she would give him a hair dryer, and his sister-in-law always gave him cool stuff like the billiard ball she gave him last year. Cosmo could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that lightning was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his Superman costume. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the path. He would have to wear a ski mask instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his bustier.
He bolted downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like beer. His dad was standing there with a pastry blender in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a simper.
"Hi Daddy!" Cosmo replied effortlessly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the Hamburger Helper," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra clams. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Cosmo replied ferociously. "Is the roast turkey ready?"
"I'm going to wait until six o'clock to start that," his father replied ingeniously. "It only has to age for ten minutes."
"Okay," Cosmo replied cunningly. "I'm gonna go to the boiler room."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some cabbage in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the boiler room 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," Cosmo responded, as he sat down to his cabbage. "Let's hang lots of tan balloons and cover the floor and the chair with emerald green crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father zestily. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv Star, Nancy Nolan. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a spatula."
"Beats Me," Cosmo responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a flutter. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."