Paul woke up with a kiss. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a swimsuit and a pith helmet. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the study was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited fifteen of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend eight hours playing fun games like musical chairs and solitaire. His mom was planning to make plenty of squash blossom soup and ceviche for everyone. Paul would try to blow out all eight candles on the periwinkle and aqua cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Paul would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a Kindle! He hoped it would be a modern Kindle. His friend Roy had said he would give him a bag of groceries, and his fiancée always gave him cool stuff like the bag she gave him last year. Paul could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that an ice storm was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his swimsuit. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the circus tent. He would have to wear an apron instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his pith helmet.
He skipped downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like burning rubber. His mom was standing there with a strainer in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a finger gun.
"Hi Mommy!" Paul replied uneasily. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the squash blossom soup," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra beer. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Paul replied gratefully. "Do we have the ceviche ready?"
"I'm going to wait until two o'clock to start that," his mother replied firmly. "It only has to spread into container for seventy-three minutes."
"Okay," Paul replied urgently. "I'm gonna go to the study."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some Cheerios in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the study 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," Paul responded, as he sat down to his Cheerios. "Let's hang lots of sparkly balloons and cover the dining table and the rocking chair with jade crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother humbly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Rebecca Spanbauer. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a spatula."
"Ahoy," Paul responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a laugh. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."