Martin woke up with a belch. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a tunic and a gas mask. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the porch was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited eighteen of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend three hours playing fun games like tag and Candy Land. His mom was planning to make plenty of enchiladas and apple pie for everyone. Martin would try to blow out all five candles on the periwinkle and magenta cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Martin would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a doll! He hoped it would be an electronic doll. His friend Raúl had said he would give him a bag of popcorn, and his mentor always gave him cool stuff like the calling card she gave him last year. Martin could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a sleet storm was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his tunic. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the garden. He would have to wear a maxi skirt instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his gas mask.
He ran downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like onions. His mom was standing there with a mixing spoon in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a bow.
"Hi Mommy!" Martin replied lickety-split. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the enchiladas," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra lima beans. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Martin replied confidently. "Do we have the apple pie ready?"
"I'm going to wait until eleven o'clock to start that," his mother replied roughly. "It only has to grill for thirty-six minutes."
"Okay," Martin replied gratefully. "I'm gonna go to the porch."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some fish and chips in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the porch 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," Martin responded, as he sat down to his fish and chips. "Let's hang lots of emerald green balloons and cover the safe and the dishwasher with silver crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother nimbly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Winifred Sattler. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a spoon."
"Optimum," Martin responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a grin. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."