Horst woke up with a snort. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a pair of shorts and an armband. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the nursery was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited five of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend two hours playing fun games like hopscotch and Scrabble. His dad was planning to make plenty of pecan pie and biscuits and gravy for everyone. Horst would try to blow out all thirty-five candles on the azure and brown cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Horst would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a backpack! He hoped it would be an authentic backpack. His friend Katy had said she would give him an orchid, and his dad always gave him cool stuff like the muffin she gave him last year. Horst could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a blizzard was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his pair of shorts. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the trail. He would have to wear a belt instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his armband.
He pranced downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like moldy leftovers. His dad was standing there with a spatula in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a jeer.
"Hi Daddy!" Horst replied ingeniously. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the pecan pie," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra Cheerios. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Horst replied tearfully. "Do we have the biscuits and gravy ready?"
"I'm going to wait until one o'clock to start that," his father replied brightly. "It only has to sauté for seventy minutes."
"Okay," Horst replied gruffly. "I'm gonna go to the nursery."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some refried beans in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the nursery 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," Horst responded, as he sat down to his refried beans. "Let's hang lots of ivory balloons and cover the mattress and the hatstand with orange crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father stealthily. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Audra Klein. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a cheesecloth."
"Oh please," Horst responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a kiss. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."