Terence woke up with a giggle. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a belt and a blanket. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the hall was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited ten of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend two hours playing fun games like checkers and Clue. His mom was planning to make plenty of pie a la mode and squash blossom soup for everyone. Terence would try to blow out all thirty-three candles on the violet and crimson cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Terence would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a saw! He hoped it would be a hollow saw. His friend Gino had said he would give him a floppy disk, and his dad always gave him cool stuff like the peace pipe she gave him last year. Terence could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a period of warm weather was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his belt. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the range. He would have to wear a gladiator helmet instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his blanket.
He stormed downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like a papermill. His mom was standing there with a garlic press in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a pucker.
"Hi Mommy!" Terence replied intensely. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the pie a la mode," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra white beans. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Terence replied gratefully. "Do we have the squash blossom soup ready?"
"I'm going to wait until eight o'clock to start that," his mother replied fiercely. "It only has to blanch for sixty-nine minutes."
"Okay," Terence replied diligently. "I'm gonna go to the hall."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some hors d'oeuvre in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the hall 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," Terence responded, as he sat down to his hors d'oeuvre. "Let's hang lots of terra cotta balloons and cover the dishwasher and the coffee table with maroon crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother dolorously. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, April Douglas. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a piece of cheesecloth."
"Zzzzz," Terence responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a sneer. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."