Lucky woke up with a pout. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a pair of sweatpants and a bracelet. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the kitchen was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited seven of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend two hours playing fun games like dodge ball and croquet. His mom was planning to make plenty of bonbons and cherries jubilee for everyone. Lucky would try to blow out all sixteen candles on the khaki and turquoise cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Lucky would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a doily! He hoped it would be a woven doily. His friend Bum had said he would give him a towel, and his grandma always gave him cool stuff like the chain she gave him last year. Lucky could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a humid day was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his pair of sweatpants. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the hillside. He would have to wear a T-shirt instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his bracelet.
He careened downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like smoke. His mom was standing there with a dish cloth in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a honk.
"Hi Mommy!" Lucky replied haughtily. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the bonbons," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra salsa. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Lucky replied glibly. "Do we have the cherries jubilee ready?"
"I'm going to wait until one o'clock to start that," his mother replied nimbly. "It only has to age for thirty-nine minutes."
"Okay," Lucky replied tearfully. "I'm gonna go to the kitchen."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some hors d'oeuvre 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," Lucky responded, as he sat down to his hors d'oeuvre. "Let's hang lots of crimson balloons and cover the wooden crate and the water bed with sparkly crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother energetically. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Anita Chen. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a food processor."
"Holy mackerel," Lucky responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a frown. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."