Wendell woke up with a guffaw. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a business suit and a corsage. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the bathroom was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited eight of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend seven hours playing fun games like musical chairs and jacks. His mom was planning to make plenty of beef bouillon and shrimp for everyone. Wendell would try to blow out all thirty-one candles on the sparkly and brilliant orange cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Wendell would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain an accordion! He hoped it would be a gaudy accordion. His friend Owen had said he would give him a coat hanger, and his mom always gave him cool stuff like the Happy Meal she gave him last year. Wendell could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a blanket of mist was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his business suit. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the seacoast. He would have to wear a pair of gloves instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his corsage.
He straggled downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like cheese. His mom was standing there with an oven mitt in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a snuffle.
"Hi Mommy!" Wendell replied smoothly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the beef bouillon," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra lettuce. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Wendell replied shakily. "Do we have the shrimp ready?"
"I'm going to wait until six o'clock to start that," his mother replied boldly. "It only has to allow to rise in warm place for several hours for fifty-four minutes."
"Okay," Wendell replied gingerly. "I'm gonna go to the bathroom."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some ceviche in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the bathroom 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," Wendell responded, as he sat down to his ceviche. "Let's hang lots of polka dotted balloons and cover the bunk bed and the bed with lavender crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother properly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Cheryl Pence. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a sharp knife."
"Nonsense," Wendell responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a frown. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."