Demetrius woke up with a backward glance. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a turtleneck and a pair of khakis. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the master bedroom was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited six of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend one hour playing fun games like dominos and hopscotch. His dad was planning to make plenty of moo goo gai pan and pumpkin pie for everyone. Demetrius would try to blow out all six candles on the chartreuse and rose cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Demetrius would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain an avocado! He hoped it would be a spongy avocado. His friend Olga had said she would give him an avocado, and his wife always gave him cool stuff like the book she gave him last year. Demetrius could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a hot, sunny day was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his turtleneck. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the mountainside. He would have to wear a set of scrubs instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his pair of khakis.
He made a beeline downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like sour milk. His dad was standing there with a piece of cheesecloth in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a grunt.
"Hi Daddy!" Demetrius replied doubtfully. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the moo goo gai pan," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra garlic. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Demetrius replied blindly. "Do we have the pumpkin pie ready?"
"I'm going to wait until one o'clock to start that," his father replied impatiently. "It only has to broil for forty minutes."
"Okay," Demetrius replied uselessly. "I'm gonna go to the master bedroom."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some enchiladas in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the master bedroom 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," Demetrius responded, as he sat down to his enchiladas. "Let's hang lots of golden balloons and cover the wooden crate and the ottoman with carrot-orange crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father admiringly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Alissa Manning. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a spatula."
"Oh joy," Demetrius responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a kiss. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."