Andy woke up with a snicker. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a polo shirt and a bedsheet. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the auditorium was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-six of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend eight hours playing fun games like follow the leader and leapfrog. His mom was planning to make plenty of macaroni and cheese and cookies for everyone. Andy would try to blow out all twenty-one candles on the white and teal cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Andy would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain an urn! He hoped it would be a queer urn. His friend Jake had said he would give him an alto recorder, and his sister always gave him cool stuff like the compass she gave him last year. Andy could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a sandstorm was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his polo shirt. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the garden. He would have to wear an earring instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his bedsheet.
He padded downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like eucalyptus. His mom was standing there with an electric mixer in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a hoot.
"Hi Mommy!" Andy replied carelessly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the macaroni and cheese," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra mayonnaise. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Andy replied woefully. "Do we have the cookies ready?"
"I'm going to wait until six o'clock to start that," his mother replied dreamily. "It only has to slow cook for sixty-one minutes."
"Okay," Andy replied daringly. "I'm gonna go to the auditorium."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some omelet in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the auditorium 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," Andy responded, as he sat down to his omelet. "Let's hang lots of salmon balloons and cover the fainting couch and the toilet with carrot-orange crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother speedily. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Jean Edwards. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a sharp knife."
"Yummy," Andy responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a caress. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."