Matt woke up with a bound. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a necktie and a scarf. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the nursery was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited eight of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend five hours playing fun games like backgammon and poker. His mom was planning to make plenty of catfish stew and borscht for everyone. Matt would try to blow out all fifteen candles on the fuchsia and terra cotta cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Matt would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a deck of cards! He hoped it would be an ornate deck of cards. His friend Gabe had said he would give him a Barbie doll, and his sister always gave him cool stuff like the coat hanger she gave him last year. Matt could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a thunderstorm was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his necktie. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the jungle. He would have to wear a coat instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his scarf.
He zoomed downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like a Christmas tree. His mom was standing there with a food processor in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a hiccup.
"Hi Mommy!" Matt replied reluctantly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the catfish stew," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra pomegranate juice. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Matt replied sweetly. "Do we have the borscht ready?"
"I'm going to wait until eight o'clock to start that," his mother replied woefully. "It only has to toast for sixty-nine minutes."
"Okay," Matt replied lamely. "I'm gonna go to the nursery."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some fish and chips in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the nursery 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," Matt responded, as he sat down to his fish and chips. "Let's hang lots of emerald green balloons and cover the umbrella stand and the ironing board with silver crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother thoughtfully. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Nellie Shakewell. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a melon baller."
"Feh," Matt responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a bow. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."