Austin woke up with a growl. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a pair of shin guards and a set of scrubs. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the laundry room was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited fifteen of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend four hours playing fun games like checkers and Parcheesi. His mom was planning to make plenty of corn on the cob and popcorn for everyone. Austin would try to blow out all thirty-one candles on the carrot-orange and indigo cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Austin would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a clock! He hoped it would be a gooey clock. His friend Gilbert had said he would give him a saw, and his friend always gave him cool stuff like the pair of bell-bottoms she gave him last year. Austin could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a driving rain was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his pair of shin guards. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the gulch. He would have to wear a toga instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his set of scrubs.
He walked downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like a chocolate factory. His mom was standing there with a knife in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a smack.
"Hi Mommy!" Austin replied thankfully. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the corn on the cob," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra pinto beans. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Austin replied valiantly. "Do we have the popcorn ready?"
"I'm going to wait until ten o'clock to start that," his mother replied vigorously. "It only has to melt for sixty-seven minutes."
"Okay," Austin replied roughly. "I'm gonna go to the laundry room."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some bonbons in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the laundry room first?" he begged.
"It looks just like it always does," his mother replied. "Remember, I'm depending on you to help with the decorating."
"Oh yeah," Austin responded, as he sat down to his bonbons. "Let's hang lots of peach balloons and cover the casket and the bathtub with camouflage crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother surreptitiously. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Millie Tannenbaum. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a fork."
"Whoopee," Austin responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a hug. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."