Arturo woke up with a sigh. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a nightgown and a bow tie. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the pantry was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-one of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend seven hours playing fun games like pool and rummy. His mom was planning to make plenty of pizza and mashed potatoes for everyone. Arturo would try to blow out all thirty candles on the terra cotta and brilliant orange cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Arturo would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a Lego set! He hoped it would be a rusty Lego set. His friend Thomas had said he would give him a mirror, and his grandma always gave him cool stuff like the stone she gave him last year. Arturo 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 nightgown. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the pasture. He would have to wear a bra instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his bow tie.
He tiptoed downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like lilacs. His mom was standing there with a bare foot in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a simper.
"Hi Mommy!" Arturo replied timidly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the pizza," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra chopped celery. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Arturo replied stealthily. "Do we have the mashed potatoes ready?"
"I'm going to wait until six o'clock to start that," his mother replied reluctantly. "It only has to sear for forty minutes."
"Okay," Arturo replied perkily. "I'm gonna go to the pantry."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some roast Cornish game hen in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the pantry 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," Arturo responded, as he sat down to his roast Cornish game hen. "Let's hang lots of sparkly balloons and cover the bar stool and the buffet with ivory crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother fondly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Ava Normal. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a potato masher."
"Beats me," Arturo responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a curtsey. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."