Bud woke up with a snigger. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a tuxedo and a loincloth. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the lounge was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited eight of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend eight hours playing fun games like marbles and dodge ball. His dad was planning to make plenty of egg drop soup and squash blossom soup for everyone. Bud would try to blow out all twenty-seven candles on the jet black and violet cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Bud would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a smart phone! He hoped it would be a bulky smart phone. His friend Kjersten had said she would give him a duffel bag, and his mother always gave him cool stuff like the wastebasket she gave him last year. Bud could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a hot, sunny day was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his tuxedo. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the marsh. He would have to wear a pair of combat boots instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his loincloth.
He blundered downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like Max Factor. His dad was standing there with a garlic press in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a laugh.
"Hi Daddy!" Bud replied perkily. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the egg drop soup," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra margarine. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Bud replied ferociously. "Do we have the squash blossom soup ready?"
"I'm going to wait until twelve o'clock to start that," his father replied craftily. "It only has to grill for forty-eight minutes."
"Okay," Bud replied victoriously. "I'm gonna go to the lounge."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some wienerschnitzel in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the lounge 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," Bud responded, as he sat down to his wienerschnitzel. "Let's hang lots of turquoise balloons and cover the ping-pong table and the sofa with peach crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father vacantly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Brandie Hayashida. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a blender."
"Bada bing bada boom," Bud responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a simper. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."