Del woke up with a smirk. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a dirndl and an 'I'm with Stupid' shirt. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the atrium was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited four of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend one hour playing fun games like ring around the rosie and seven-up. His dad was planning to make plenty of cotton candy and pie a la mode for everyone. Del would try to blow out all four candles on the jade and pink cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Del would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a wastebasket! He hoped it would be a soft wastebasket. His friend Rebecca had said she would give him a bullet, and his aunt always gave him cool stuff like the candle she gave him last year. Del 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 dirndl. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the tundra. He would have to wear a gown instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his 'I'm with Stupid' shirt.
He ambled downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like maple syrup. His dad was standing there with a slotted spoon in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a bow.
"Hi Daddy!" Del replied vacantly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the cotton candy," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra baker's chocolate. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Del replied nonchalantly. "Do we have the pie a la mode ready?"
"I'm going to wait until ten o'clock to start that," his father replied crazily. "It only has to shake for forty-five minutes."
"Okay," Del replied nimbly. "I'm gonna go to the atrium."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some chicken chow mein 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," Del responded, as he sat down to his chicken chow mein. "Let's hang lots of blue balloons and cover the chair and the computer with navy blue crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father lickety-split. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Christine Al-Ghareeb. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a slotted spoon."
"Holy moley," Del 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."