Clem woke up with a giggle. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a bridal gown and a set of camo fatigues. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the outhouse was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-five of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend two hours playing fun games like croquet and hearts. His dad was planning to make plenty of roast Cornish game hen and fondue for everyone. Clem would try to blow out all thirty-four candles on the magenta and silver cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Clem would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a dart! He hoped it would be a crude dart. His friend Kyra had said she would give him a fishhook, and his mom always gave him cool stuff like the stapler she gave him last year. Clem 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 bridal gown. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the seacoast. He would have to wear a bulletproof vest instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his set of camo fatigues.
He breezed downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like baking cookies. His dad was standing there with a pair of chopsticks in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a pout.
"Hi Daddy!" Clem replied nonchalantly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the roast Cornish game hen," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra white rice. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Clem replied deliberately. "Do we have the fondue ready?"
"I'm going to wait until ten o'clock to start that," his father replied primly. "It only has to roast for fifty-seven minutes."
"Okay," Clem replied elatedly. "I'm gonna go to the outhouse."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some oatmeal in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the outhouse 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," Clem responded, as he sat down to his oatmeal. "Let's hang lots of grey balloons and cover the hope chest and the counter with azure crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father deftly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Emmeline Lizard. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a spatula."
"Hold that thought," Clem responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a smile. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."