Oliver woke up with a beam. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a Hawaiian shirt and a camisole. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the doghouse was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-three of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend two hours playing fun games like trivia and crazy eights. His dad was planning to make plenty of sushi and shrimp for everyone. Oliver would try to blow out all thirty-one candles on the rose and navy blue cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Oliver would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a baton! He hoped it would be a hollow baton. His friend Madalyn had said she would give him a rock, and his friend always gave him cool stuff like the coin she gave him last year. Oliver could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a hailstorm was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his Hawaiian shirt. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the tundra. He would have to wear a poncho instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his camisole.
He reeled downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like autumn leaves. His dad was standing there with a meat thermometer in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a furrowed brow.
"Hi Daddy!" Oliver replied happily. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the sushi," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra carrots. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Oliver replied intensely. "Do we have the shrimp ready?"
"I'm going to wait until twelve o'clock to start that," his father replied gingerly. "It only has to sauté for eighty-two minutes."
"Okay," Oliver replied hysterically. "I'm gonna go to the doghouse."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some brownies 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 father replied. "Remember, I'm depending on you to help with the decorating."
"Oh yeah," Oliver responded, as he sat down to his brownies. "Let's hang lots of rose balloons and cover the hamper and the umbrella stand with lime-green crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father lightly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Madeline Holt. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a candy thermometer."
"Son of a gun," Oliver responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a gasp. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."