Devon woke up with a caress. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a pair of gloves and a girdle. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the billiard room was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited seventeen of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend four hours playing fun games like golf and hide and seek. His mom was planning to make plenty of tuna casserole and Hamburger Helper for everyone. Devon would try to blow out all six candles on the forest green and fuchsia cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Devon would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a comb! He hoped it would be a flexible comb. His friend Alexei had said he would give him an orange, and his mother always gave him cool stuff like the biscuit she gave him last year. Devon could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a snowstorm was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his pair of gloves. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the pond. He would have to wear a pair of shin guards instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his girdle.
He slithered downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like mildew. His mom was standing there with a whisk in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a hug.
"Hi Mommy!" Devon replied languidly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the tuna casserole," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra carrots. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Devon replied lightly. "Do we have the Hamburger Helper ready?"
"I'm going to wait until three o'clock to start that," his mother replied calmly. "It only has to smoke for five minutes."
"Okay," Devon replied ruefully. "I'm gonna go to the billiard room."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some mashed potatoes in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the billiard room 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," Devon responded, as he sat down to his mashed potatoes. "Let's hang lots of jade balloons and cover the computer and the end table with striped crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother repeatedly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Triffid McIntire. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a blender."
"Can you dig it?," Devon responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a shiver. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."