Dustin woke up with a wince. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a pair of gloves and a fez. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the hall was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited fifteen of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend two hours playing fun games like treasure hunt and charades. His mom was planning to make plenty of applesauce and beans for everyone. Dustin would try to blow out all fifteen candles on the periwinkle and periwinkle cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Dustin would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a Bunsen burner! He hoped it would be a brightly-colored Bunsen burner. His friend Milo had said he would give him a paper bag, and his dad always gave him cool stuff like the rock she gave him last year. Dustin could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a period of warm weather was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his pair of gloves. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the hill. He would have to wear a gown instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his fez.
He ambled downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like a beauty salon. His mom was standing there with a turkey baster in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a squint.
"Hi Mommy!" Dustin replied slyly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the applesauce," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra Velveeta cheese. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Dustin replied dolefully. "Do we have the beans ready?"
"I'm going to wait until twelve o'clock to start that," his mother replied doubtfully. "It only has to whirl for seventy-four minutes."
"Okay," Dustin replied sheepishly. "I'm gonna go to the hall."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some French fries in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the hall 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," Dustin responded, as he sat down to his French fries. "Let's hang lots of grey balloons and cover the desk and the end table with yellow crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother suddenly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Edna Smirnov. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has an ice pick."
"Whee," Dustin responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a frown. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."