Dax woke up with a shout. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a bowler hat and a beanie. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the master bathroom was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-six of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend two hours playing fun games like cribbage and cribbage. His mom was planning to make plenty of cabbage rolls and squash blossom soup for everyone. Dax would try to blow out all eight candles on the silver and brilliant orange cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Dax would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain an African violet! He hoped it would be a ridiculous African violet. His friend Michael had said he would give him a flashlight, and his wife always gave him cool stuff like the fishing pole she gave him last year. Dax could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a dense fog was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his bowler hat. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the park. He would have to wear a veil instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his beanie.
He dove downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like a barnyard. His mom was standing there with a basting brush in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a grin.
"Hi Mommy!" Dax replied glibly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the cabbage rolls," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra grated sharp cheddar cheese. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Dax replied sorrowfully. "Do we have the squash blossom soup ready?"
"I'm going to wait until eleven o'clock to start that," his mother replied gruffly. "It only has to smoke for forty-one minutes."
"Okay," Dax replied joyously. "I'm gonna go to the master bathroom."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some corn on the cob in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the master 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," Dax responded, as he sat down to his corn on the cob. "Let's hang lots of lavender balloons and cover the windowsill and the piano with pink crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother primly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Carey McGill. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a sharp knife."
"Dadgum," Dax responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a gurgle. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."