Stephen woke up with a jeer. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a pair of sweatpants and a pair of combat boots. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the bathroom was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited five of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend three hours playing fun games like doctor and Rummy. His dad was planning to make plenty of roast Cornish game hen and strawberry shortcake for everyone. Stephen would try to blow out all twenty candles on the striped and pea green cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Stephen would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a comic book! He hoped it would be a bizarre comic book. His friend Sheryl had said she would give him a football, and his sister always gave him cool stuff like the rubber stamp she gave him last year. Stephen could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a drizzle was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his pair of sweatpants. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the ridge. He would have to wear a flour sack instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his pair of combat boots.
He barrelled downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like fish. His dad was standing there with a mixing spoon in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a stiff upper lip.
"Hi Daddy!" Stephen replied swiftly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the roast Cornish game hen," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra olive oil. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Stephen replied vigorously. "Do we have the strawberry shortcake ready?"
"I'm going to wait until ten o'clock to start that," his father replied positively. "It only has to heat in microwave for forty-four minutes."
"Okay," Stephen replied lightly. "I'm gonna go to the bathroom."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some pancakes in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the bathroom 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," Stephen responded, as he sat down to his pancakes. "Let's hang lots of aqua balloons and cover the display case and the bar stool with chartreuse crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father charmingly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Evette Carter. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a pair of chopsticks."
"By all the saints at the backside door of purgatory," Stephen responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with an air kiss. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."