Johnny woke up with a shout. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a pair of Crocs and a pair of Groucho glasses. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the patio was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited eight of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend eight hours playing fun games like pool and treasure hunt. His dad was planning to make plenty of mashed potatoes and country glazed ham for everyone. Johnny would try to blow out all twenty-eight candles on the violet and jade cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Johnny would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a tablet computer! He hoped it would be a leather tablet computer. His friend Janice had said she would give him an amulet, and his mommy always gave him cool stuff like the Helmholz resonator she gave him last year. Johnny 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 Crocs. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the battlefield. He would have to wear a pair of earmuffs instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his pair of Groucho glasses.
He bounced downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like rotten eggs. His dad was standing there with an oven mitt in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a grunt.
"Hi Daddy!" Johnny replied sharply. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the mashed potatoes," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra sweet potatoes. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Johnny replied carelessly. "Do we have the country glazed ham ready?"
"I'm going to wait until twelve o'clock to start that," his father replied anxiously. "It only has to allow to rise in warm place for several hours for forty-two minutes."
"Okay," Johnny replied hastily. "I'm gonna go to the patio."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some falafel in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the patio 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," Johnny responded, as he sat down to his falafel. "Let's hang lots of tan balloons and cover the mattress and the coat rack with navy blue crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father steadily. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Coleen Dayton. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a candy thermometer."
"Say what," Johnny responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a finger gun. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."