Gerald woke up with a smack. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a jerkin and a pair of cargo pants. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the parlor was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-three of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend eight hours playing fun games like jump rope and bridge. His dad was planning to make plenty of tofu and pizza for everyone. Gerald would try to blow out all twenty-one candles on the purple and camouflage cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Gerald would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a yo-yo! He hoped it would be a tiny yo-yo. His friend Lucille had said she would give him a trash can, and his fiancée always gave him cool stuff like the bedpan she gave him last year. Gerald could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a drizzle was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his jerkin. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the forest. He would have to wear a skirt instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his pair of cargo pants.
He went downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like burning trash. His dad was standing there with a slotted spoon in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a finger gun.
"Hi Daddy!" Gerald replied merrily. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the tofu," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra ground beef. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Gerald replied defiantly. "Do we have the pizza ready?"
"I'm going to wait until three o'clock to start that," his father replied effortlessly. "It only has to melt for fifty-five minutes."
"Okay," Gerald replied tenderly. "I'm gonna go to the parlor."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some lobster bisque in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the parlor 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," Gerald responded, as he sat down to his lobster bisque. "Let's hang lots of navy blue balloons and cover the washstand and the beanbag chair with polka dotted crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father stealthily. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Carey Jiménez. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a spatula."
"If only," Gerald responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a crow. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."