Cedric woke up with a flinch. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a tutu and a pair of earrings. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the patio was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twelve of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend four hours playing fun games like Scrabble and musical chairs. His mom was planning to make plenty of duck a l'orange and fondue for everyone. Cedric would try to blow out all thirteen candles on the fuchsia and maroon cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Cedric would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a campaign sign! He hoped it would be an odd campaign sign. His friend Gino had said he would give him a church key, and his mommy always gave him cool stuff like the amulet she gave him last year. Cedric could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a thunderstorm was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his tutu. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the savanna. He would have to wear a pair of nylons instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his pair of earrings.
He bounced downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like perfume. His mom was standing there with a fork in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a sneeze.
"Hi Mommy!" Cedric replied thoughtfully. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the duck a l'orange," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra codfish pieces. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Cedric replied automatically. "Do we have the fondue ready?"
"I'm going to wait until three o'clock to start that," his mother replied nervously. "It only has to heat for fifty-five minutes."
"Okay," Cedric replied urgently. "I'm gonna go to the patio."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some cinnamon toast in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the patio 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," Cedric responded, as he sat down to his cinnamon toast. "Let's hang lots of khaki balloons and cover the desk and the pillow with maroon crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother quickly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Karen Townley. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has an ice pick."
"Sacre bleu," Cedric responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a flush. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."