Anthony woke up with a gurgle. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a pair of glasses and a helmet. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the boudoir was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-six of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend seven hours playing fun games like chess and red light green light. His dad was planning to make plenty of waffles and ham for everyone. Anthony would try to blow out all thirteen candles on the peach and beige cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Anthony would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a diary! He hoped it would be a flexible diary. His friend Constance had said she would give him a hair brush, and his grandmother always gave him cool stuff like the crystal ball she gave him last year. Anthony could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a flood was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his pair of glasses. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the veld. He would have to wear a tinfoil hat instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his helmet.
He proceeded downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like peanut butter. His dad was standing there with a chopstick in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a woof.
"Hi Daddy!" Anthony replied pitifully. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the waffles," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra peanuts. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Anthony replied sadly. "Do we have the ham ready?"
"I'm going to wait until ten o'clock to start that," his father replied brashly. "It only has to sauté for seventy-seven minutes."
"Okay," Anthony replied majestically. "I'm gonna go to the boudoir."
"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 boudoir first?" he begged.
"It looks just like it always does," his father replied. "Remember, I'm depending on you to help with the decorating."
"Oh yeah," Anthony responded, as he sat down to his mashed potatoes. "Let's hang lots of golden balloons and cover the bunk bed and the card table with white crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father happily. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Nicole Stringer. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a spatula."
"Ugh," Anthony responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a belch. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."