Buck woke up with a guffaw. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a sari and a romper. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the front porch was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-two of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend eight hours playing fun games like Clue and red rover. His mom was planning to make plenty of moo goo gai pan and fried okra for everyone. Buck would try to blow out all seven candles on the maroon and aqua cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Buck would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a protest sign! He hoped it would be a luxurious protest sign. His friend Sean had said he would give him a ruler, and his mentor always gave him cool stuff like the peanut she gave him last year. Buck could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a flood was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his sari. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the crime scene. He would have to wear a letter jacket instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his romper.
He tore downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like a swimming pool. His mom was standing there with a paring knife in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a hug.
"Hi Mommy!" Buck replied nimbly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the moo goo gai pan," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra kiwis, peeled and sliced. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Buck replied shakily. "Do we have the fried okra ready?"
"I'm going to wait until eight o'clock to start that," his mother replied sharply. "It only has to sear outside for four minutes."
"Okay," Buck replied lamely. "I'm gonna go to the front porch."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some smoked salmon in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the front porch 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," Buck responded, as he sat down to his smoked salmon. "Let's hang lots of grey balloons and cover the four-poster bed and the windowsill with salmon crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother madly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Lauren Hayward. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a pair of chopsticks."
"Wild," Buck responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a shout. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."