Hoss 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 surgical mask and a negligee. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the workshop was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited nineteen of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend six hours playing fun games like red light green light and dominos. His dad was planning to make plenty of roast beef and hash for everyone. Hoss would try to blow out all twenty-four candles on the sea green and green cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Hoss would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a hot potato! He hoped it would be a burned hot potato. His friend Erin had said she would give him an African violet, and his cousin always gave him cool stuff like the rag she gave him last year. Hoss could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a typhoon was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his surgical mask. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the desert. He would have to wear a cat suit instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his negligee.
He sidled downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like burning rubber. His dad was standing there with a fork in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a grimace.
"Hi Daddy!" Hoss replied hopefully. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the roast beef," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra wasabi powder. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Hoss replied brightly. "Do we have the hash ready?"
"I'm going to wait until two o'clock to start that," his father replied grandly. "It only has to heat in microwave for thirty-eight minutes."
"Okay," Hoss replied needlessly. "I'm gonna go to the workshop."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some strawberry shortcake in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the workshop 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," Hoss responded, as he sat down to his strawberry shortcake. "Let's hang lots of blue balloons and cover the fainting couch and the casket with amber crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father proudly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Brianna Harmon. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a strainer."
"Cease and desist," Hoss responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a fist bump. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."