Kent woke up with a cringe. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a pair of nylons and a gown. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the salon was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-nine of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend three hours playing fun games like rummy and baseball. His mom was planning to make plenty of ice cream and oatmeal for everyone. Kent would try to blow out all twenty candles on the purple and sparkly cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Kent would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a piggy bank! He hoped it would be a multicolored piggy bank. His friend Rodney had said he would give him a hacksaw, and his sister always gave him cool stuff like the pair of scissors she gave him last year. Kent could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a snowstorm was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his pair of nylons. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the pasture. He would have to wear a leotard instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his gown.
He sallied forth downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like asparagus. His mom was standing there with a pair of tongs in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a hiccup.
"Hi Mommy!" Kent replied tearfully. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the ice cream," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra Italian sausage. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Kent replied slyly. "Do we have the oatmeal ready?"
"I'm going to wait until seven o'clock to start that," his mother replied blindly. "It only has to sear outside for fifty-six minutes."
"Okay," Kent replied firmly. "I'm gonna go to the salon."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some brownies in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the salon 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," Kent responded, as he sat down to his brownies. "Let's hang lots of amber balloons and cover the counter and the TV with periwinkle crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother despondently. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Nelda Mittal. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a bare foot."
"Darn," Kent responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a snort. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."