Quinn woke up with a chuckle. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a sundress and a hood. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the foyer was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-two of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend six hours playing fun games like cribbage and Monopoly. His mom was planning to make plenty of candy and Froot Loops for everyone. Quinn would try to blow out all twenty-six candles on the carrot-orange and black cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Quinn would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a carrot! He hoped it would be a miniature carrot. His friend Michaelangelo had said he would give him a bag, and his grandmother always gave him cool stuff like the stuffed bunny she gave him last year. Quinn could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a hailstorm was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his sundress. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the cave. He would have to wear an 'I'm with Stupid' shirt instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his hood.
He waltzed downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like cinnamon rolls. His mom was standing there with a mixing spoon in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a smirk.
"Hi Mommy!" Quinn replied demurely. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the candy," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra rosemary. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Quinn replied sternly. "Do we have the Froot Loops ready?"
"I'm going to wait until five o'clock to start that," his mother replied primly. "It only has to boil for forty-four minutes."
"Okay," Quinn replied mysteriously. "I'm gonna go to the foyer."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some duck a l'orange in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the foyer 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," Quinn responded, as he sat down to his duck a l'orange. "Let's hang lots of scarlet balloons and cover the dishwasher and the ironing board with chartreuse crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother awkwardly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Ursula Davis. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a dish cloth."
"Kazow," Quinn responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a clenched fist. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."