Larry woke up with an evil eye. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a raincoat and a ponytail. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the doghouse was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited two of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend eight hours playing fun games like rummy and cribbage. His mom was planning to make plenty of refried beans and popcorn for everyone. Larry would try to blow out all twenty candles on the metallic red and teal cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Larry would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a clock! He hoped it would be an electric clock. His friend Ace had said he would give him a ruler, and his sister-in-law always gave him cool stuff like the stapler she gave him last year. Larry could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a gale was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his raincoat. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the peninsula. He would have to wear a coat of mail instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his ponytail.
He sauntered downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like moldy leftovers. His mom was standing there with a knife in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a clenched fist.
"Hi Mommy!" Larry replied peevishly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the refried beans," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra pineapple. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Larry replied blankly. "Do we have the popcorn ready?"
"I'm going to wait until twelve o'clock to start that," his mother replied sarcastically. "It only has to sear for fifty minutes."
"Okay," Larry replied slyly. "I'm gonna go to the doghouse."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some waffles in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the doghouse 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," Larry responded, as he sat down to his waffles. "Let's hang lots of tan balloons and cover the settee and the umbrella stand with teal crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother sadly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Jessi Deutsch. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a candy thermometer."
"Cool beans," Larry responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a tear. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."