Cecil woke up with a belly laugh. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a pair of cycling shorts and a jerkin. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the kitchen was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited thirteen of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend six hours playing fun games like hearts and Candy Land. His mom was planning to make plenty of cornbread and French fries for everyone. Cecil would try to blow out all twenty-three candles on the polka dotted and olive green cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Cecil would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a brochure! He hoped it would be a fancy brochure. His friend Lorenzo had said he would give him a cigarette, and his aunt always gave him cool stuff like the hubcap she gave him last year. Cecil could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a drizzle was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his pair of cycling shorts. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the seashore. He would have to wear a gold medal instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his jerkin.
He flew downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like Pine-Sol. His mom was standing there with a fork in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a jeer.
"Hi Mommy!" Cecil replied sweetly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the cornbread," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra Cheerios. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Cecil replied confidently. "Do we have the French fries ready?"
"I'm going to wait until one o'clock to start that," his mother replied timidly. "It only has to braise for forty-five minutes."
"Okay," Cecil replied dubiously. "I'm gonna go to the kitchen."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some spaghetti in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the kitchen 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," Cecil responded, as he sat down to his spaghetti. "Let's hang lots of fuchsia balloons and cover the chest of drawers and the hope chest with polka dotted crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother brightly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Tonya Sheridan. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has an egg cutter."
"So sure," Cecil responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a finger gun. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."