Kevin woke up with an air kiss. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a bodysuit and a turtleneck. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the porch was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited one of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend six hours playing fun games like battleship and crazy eights. His mom was planning to make plenty of Froot Loops and potatoes and gravy for everyone. Kevin would try to blow out all twenty-eight candles on the salmon and orange cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Kevin would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a hot potato! He hoped it would be a decrepit hot potato. His friend Hank had said he would give him a clothespin, and his grandpa always gave him cool stuff like the diary she gave him last year. Kevin could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a humid day was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his bodysuit. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the treetop. He would have to wear a tinfoil hat instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his turtleneck.
He zipped downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like cigar smoke. His mom was standing there with a ladle in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a smile.
"Hi Mommy!" Kevin replied deftly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the Froot Loops," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra egg whites. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Kevin replied boisterously. "Do we have the potatoes and gravy ready?"
"I'm going to wait until three o'clock to start that," his mother replied tearfully. "It only has to spoon into container for twenty-seven minutes."
"Okay," Kevin replied fearfully. "I'm gonna go to the porch."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some ice cream in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the porch 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," Kevin responded, as he sat down to his ice cream. "Let's hang lots of lime-green balloons and cover the TV and the cushion with lavender crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother crossly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Louise Javits. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a grater."
"Oh well," Kevin 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."