Walter woke up with a snort. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a hood and a pair of knickers. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the kitchen was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited two of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend two hours playing fun games like tennis and dodge ball. His mom was planning to make plenty of pumpkin pie and refried beans for everyone. Walter would try to blow out all twenty candles on the peach and blue cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Walter would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a Band-aid! He hoped it would be a peculiar Band-aid. His friend Cliff had said he would give him an ashtray, and his mother always gave him cool stuff like the cracker she gave him last year. Walter could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a downpour was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his hood. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the butte. He would have to wear a pair of shorts instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his pair of knickers.
He pranced downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like spearmint. His mom was standing there with an ice pick in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a grimace.
"Hi Mommy!" Walter replied sternly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the pumpkin pie," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra Jello. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Walter replied gingerly. "Do we have the refried beans ready?"
"I'm going to wait until twelve o'clock to start that," his mother replied tensely. "It only has to sear for thirty minutes."
"Okay," Walter replied humbly. "I'm gonna go to the kitchen."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some country glazed ham 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," Walter responded, as he sat down to his country glazed ham. "Let's hang lots of sea green balloons and cover the bench and the futon with turquoise crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother suddenly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Teresa Lindgren. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a wooden spoon."
"Ow," Walter responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a smirk. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."