Robert woke up with a grunt. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a dog collar and a cloak. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the parlor was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited one of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend seven hours playing fun games like baseball and Mother May I. His mom was planning to make plenty of fried chicken and biscuits and gravy for everyone. Robert would try to blow out all fifteen candles on the mauve and brown cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Robert would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a dish! He hoped it would be a plain dish. His friend Brandon had said he would give him a coloring book, and his mentor always gave him cool stuff like the mushroom she gave him last year. Robert could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a flood was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his dog collar. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the circus tent. He would have to wear a bomber jacket instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his cloak.
He trotted downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like beer. His mom was standing there with a food processor in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a sneeze.
"Hi Mommy!" Robert replied delicately. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the fried chicken," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra apples. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Robert replied speedily. "Do we have the biscuits and gravy ready?"
"I'm going to wait until eleven o'clock to start that," his mother replied threateningly. "It only has to freeze for twenty-six minutes."
"Okay," Robert replied tearfully. "I'm gonna go to the parlor."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some enchiladas in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the parlor 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," Robert responded, as he sat down to his enchiladas. "Let's hang lots of emerald green balloons and cover the cash register and the buffet with magenta crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother numbly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Valentina Broghammer. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a fork."
"Grrrrr," Robert responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a hiccup. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."