Rick woke up with a shiver. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a Stetson hat and a hearing aid. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the atrium was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-nine of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend three hours playing fun games like Clue and shuffleboard. His dad was planning to make plenty of borscht and pecan pie for everyone. Rick would try to blow out all thirty-five candles on the green and red cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Rick would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a stuffed kitten! He hoped it would be a delicate stuffed kitten. His friend Calista had said she would give him a ping-pong paddle, and his grandma always gave him cool stuff like the salt shaker she gave him last year. Rick could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a tornado was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his Stetson hat. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the range. He would have to wear a ponytail instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his hearing aid.
He bounded downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like caramel corn. His dad was standing there with a corkscrew in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a death glare.
"Hi Daddy!" Rick replied fervently. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the borscht," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra black olives. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Rick replied sharply. "Do we have the pecan pie ready?"
"I'm going to wait until eight o'clock to start that," his father replied frenetically. "It only has to heat in microwave for fifty-five minutes."
"Okay," Rick replied anxiously. "I'm gonna go to the atrium."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some ravioli in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the atrium 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," Rick responded, as he sat down to his ravioli. "Let's hang lots of tan balloons and cover the washstand and the cushion with grey crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father innocently. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Marissa Brooks. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a melon baller."
"Big deal," Rick responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a power fist. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."