Quinn woke up with a sniffle. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a cardigan and an Eton jacket. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the salon was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited fifteen of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend three hours playing fun games like Simon Says and ring around the rosie. His mom was planning to make plenty of apple pie and egg drop soup for everyone. Quinn would try to blow out all twenty-one candles on the green and pea green cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Quinn would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a pillow! He hoped it would be a bronze pillow. His friend Thaddeus had said he would give him a chart, and his sister always gave him cool stuff like the hammer she gave him last year. Quinn could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that an earthquake was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his cardigan. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the moonscape. He would have to wear a pair of trousers instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his Eton jacket.
He made a beeline downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like elderberries. His mom was standing there with a fork in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a titter.
"Hi Mommy!" Quinn replied victoriously. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the apple pie," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra pepper. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Quinn replied needlessly. "Do we have the egg drop soup ready?"
"I'm going to wait until six o'clock to start that," his mother replied valiantly. "It only has to heat for thirty-five minutes."
"Okay," Quinn replied caustically. "I'm gonna go to the salon."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some fish and chips in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the salon 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," Quinn responded, as he sat down to his fish and chips. "Let's hang lots of brown balloons and cover the recliner and the stool with magenta crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother lickety-split. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Marissa Eastwood. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a dish cloth."
"Eureka," Quinn responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a pout. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."