Dax 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 pair of shoes and a negligee. 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 seven hours playing fun games like shuffleboard and Monopoly. His mom was planning to make plenty of tortillas and steak for everyone. Dax would try to blow out all three candles on the white and ivory cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Dax would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a feather duster! He hoped it would be a hollow feather duster. His friend Dan had said he would give him a bag, and his sister-in-law always gave him cool stuff like the button she gave him last year. Dax could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that an ice storm was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his pair of shoes. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the forest. He would have to wear a poncho instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his negligee.
He capered downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like Chanel No. 5. His mom was standing there with an electric paint mixer in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a chortle.
"Hi Mommy!" Dax replied wryly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the tortillas," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra lime juice. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Dax replied joyously. "Do we have the steak ready?"
"I'm going to wait until five o'clock to start that," his mother replied sleepily. "It only has to whirl for nineteen minutes."
"Okay," Dax replied anxiously. "I'm gonna go to the pantry."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some macaroni and cheese 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 mother replied. "Remember, I'm depending on you to help with the decorating."
"Oh yeah," Dax responded, as he sat down to his macaroni and cheese. "Let's hang lots of sparkly balloons and cover the table and the workbench with beige crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother woodenly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Annalouise Irons. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a bare foot."
"There-there," Dax responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a smack. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."