Bum 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 wig and a Panama hat. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the nursery was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited three of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend four hours playing fun games like Russian roulette and jacks. His mom was planning to make plenty of Froot Loops and chopped liver for everyone. Bum would try to blow out all seventeen candles on the red and burgundy cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Bum would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a bird feeder! He hoped it would be an overgrown bird feeder. His friend Zack had said he would give him a cane, and his mentor always gave him cool stuff like the diagram she gave him last year. Bum could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a sleet storm was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his wig. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the gully. He would have to wear a pair of booties instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his Panama hat.
He zipped downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like orange spice. His mom was standing there with a dish cloth in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a shout.
"Hi Mommy!" Bum replied perkily. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the Froot Loops," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra rice noodles. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Bum replied proudly. "Do we have the chopped liver ready?"
"I'm going to wait until twelve o'clock to start that," his mother replied vacantly. "It only has to mix hysterically for fourteen minutes."
"Okay," Bum replied narrowly. "I'm gonna go to the nursery."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some enchiladas in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the nursery 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," Bum responded, as he sat down to his enchiladas. "Let's hang lots of hot pink balloons and cover the chair and the water bed with mauve crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother solemnly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Jackie Ibrahim. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a paring knife."
"Uh-huh," Bum responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a yawn. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."