David woke up with a hiccup. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a pair of khakis and a blanket. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the corridor was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited eleven of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend six hours playing fun games like pool and cribbage. His mom was planning to make plenty of biscuits and gravy and enchiladas for everyone. David would try to blow out all twelve candles on the chocolate brown and ivory cake. While the guests were eating their cake, David would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a billfold! He hoped it would be an imitation billfold. His friend Alf had said he would give him a ping-pong paddle, and his girlfriend always gave him cool stuff like the clothespin she gave him last year. David 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 pair of khakis. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the treetop. He would have to wear a visor instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his blanket.
He pranced downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like popcorn. His mom was standing there with a cookie cutter in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a smile.
"Hi Mommy!" David replied anxiously. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the biscuits and gravy," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra pâté de foie gras. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," David replied valiantly. "Do we have the enchiladas ready?"
"I'm going to wait until twelve o'clock to start that," his mother replied jokingly. "It only has to grill for eighteen minutes."
"Okay," David replied hungrily. "I'm gonna go to the corridor."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some mashed potatoes in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the corridor 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," David responded, as he sat down to his mashed potatoes. "Let's hang lots of navy blue balloons and cover the cash register and the bookcase with red crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother dubiously. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Maureen Burner. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a Sham-Wow!."
"W00t," David 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."