Danny woke up with a sneeze. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a pair of flip-flops and a blazer. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the living room was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-one of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend six hours playing fun games like marbles and Rummy. His dad was planning to make plenty of mushroom quiche and dry toast for everyone. Danny would try to blow out all twenty-five candles on the magenta and striped cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Danny would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a duffel bag! He hoped it would be a multicolored duffel bag. His friend Elizabeth had said she would give him a coloring book, and his friend always gave him cool stuff like the bugle she gave him last year. Danny could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a blizzard was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his pair of flip-flops. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the crime scene. He would have to wear a belly button jewel instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his blazer.
He crawled downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like smelling salts. His dad was standing there with a meat thermometer in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a snarl.
"Hi Daddy!" Danny replied again. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the mushroom quiche," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra tomatoes. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Danny replied blissfully. "Do we have the dry toast ready?"
"I'm going to wait until eleven o'clock to start that," his father replied fervently. "It only has to roast for fifty-seven minutes."
"Okay," Danny replied oddly. "I'm gonna go to the living room."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some biscuits and gravy in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the living room 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," Danny responded, as he sat down to his biscuits and gravy. "Let's hang lots of salmon balloons and cover the pedestal and the stairway with sea green crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father sternly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Kristi Noon. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a dull knife."
"Yahoo," Danny responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a jeer. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."