Guy woke up with a sneeze. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a class ring and an apron. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the workshop was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-six of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend six hours playing fun games like croquet and treasure hunt. His dad was planning to make plenty of burritos and French fries for everyone. Guy would try to blow out all twenty-six candles on the jet black and brilliant orange cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Guy would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a stuffed owl! He hoped it would be a hand-made stuffed owl. His friend Lucia had said she would give him a stone, and his main squeeze always gave him cool stuff like the mallet she gave him last year. Guy could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a blanket of mist was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his class ring. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the glen. He would have to wear a polo shirt instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his apron.
He waded downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like turpentine. His dad was standing there with a candy thermometer in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a raised eyebrow.
"Hi Daddy!" Guy replied tearfully. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the burritos," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra celery. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Guy replied awkwardly. "Do we have the French fries ready?"
"I'm going to wait until two o'clock to start that," his father replied ferociously. "It only has to spoon into container for eighty-nine minutes."
"Okay," Guy replied thankfully. "I'm gonna go to the workshop."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some hors d'oeuvre in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the workshop 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," Guy responded, as he sat down to his hors d'oeuvre. "Let's hang lots of rose balloons and cover the end table and the table with violet crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father hopelessly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Natalie Tooker. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a basting brush."
"For Pete's sake," Guy responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a hug. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."