Matt 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 Hawaiian shirt and a corset. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the family room was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited eight of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend one hour playing fun games like musical chairs and Parcheesi. His dad was planning to make plenty of pretzels and mashed potatoes for everyone. Matt would try to blow out all six candles on the beige and turquoise cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Matt would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a Kindle! He hoped it would be a peculiar Kindle. His friend Michaela had said she would give him a rock, and his cousin always gave him cool stuff like the protest sign she gave him last year. Matt could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a bit of precipitation was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his Hawaiian shirt. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the lakeside. 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 corset.
He swung downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like elderberries. His dad was standing there with a corkscrew in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a squint.
"Hi Daddy!" Matt replied crankily. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the pretzels," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra basil. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Matt replied sharply. "Do we have the mashed potatoes ready?"
"I'm going to wait until ten o'clock to start that," his father replied carelessly. "It only has to toast for six minutes."
"Okay," Matt replied crossly. "I'm gonna go to the family room."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some lobster bisque in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the family room 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," Matt responded, as he sat down to his lobster bisque. "Let's hang lots of violet balloons and cover the TV and the pool table with sparkly crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father zestily. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Kaitlyn Eklund. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a meat thermometer."
"Very well done," Matt responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a dope slap. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."