Manfred woke up with a wince. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a pair of bloomers and a blazer. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the dining room was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited seventeen of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend seven hours playing fun games like golf and red light green light. His mom was planning to make plenty of catfish stew and pie a la mode for everyone. Manfred would try to blow out all twenty-three candles on the jet black and brown cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Manfred would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a cowbell! He hoped it would be a rough cowbell. His friend Joseph had said he would give him a duffel bag, and his sister-in-law always gave him cool stuff like the coping saw she gave him last year. Manfred could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a hot, sunny day was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his pair of bloomers. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the mountainside. He would have to wear a nightgown instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his blazer.
He dashed downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like freshly cut grass. His mom was standing there with a sharp knife in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a belly laugh.
"Hi Mommy!" Manfred replied stupidly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the catfish stew," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra Brussels sprouts. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Manfred replied blankly. "Do we have the pie a la mode ready?"
"I'm going to wait until six o'clock to start that," his mother replied swiftly. "It only has to spread into container for thirty-six minutes."
"Okay," Manfred replied joyously. "I'm gonna go to the dining room."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some macaroni and cheese in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the dining room 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," Manfred responded, as he sat down to his macaroni and cheese. "Let's hang lots of chocolate brown balloons and cover the sofa and the buffet with teal crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother automatically. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Alice Badwell. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a paring knife."
"Shhh," Manfred responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a snigger. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."