Bronk woke up with a hoot. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a tie and a jogging suit. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the family room was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited nineteen of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend one hour playing fun games like jacks and Rummy. His dad was planning to make plenty of sushi and crab rangoon for everyone. Bronk would try to blow out all thirty candles on the crimson and jade cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Bronk would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a stuffed bunny! He hoped it would be a brightly-colored stuffed bunny. His friend Julie had said she would give him a piece of candy, and his dad always gave him cool stuff like the pencil sharpener she gave him last year. Bronk could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a pelting rainstorm was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his tie. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the tundra. He would have to wear a pair of knickerbockers instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his jogging suit.
He lumbered downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like a beauty salon. His dad was standing there with a spoon in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a snuffle.
"Hi Daddy!" Bronk replied miserably. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the sushi," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra red lentils. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Bronk replied intensely. "Do we have the crab rangoon ready?"
"I'm going to wait until two o'clock to start that," his father replied recklessly. "It only has to fry for fifty minutes."
"Okay," Bronk replied cleverly. "I'm gonna go to the family room."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some beef bouillon in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the family room 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," Bronk responded, as he sat down to his beef bouillon. "Let's hang lots of mauve balloons and cover the dining table and the hamper with hot pink crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father offhandedly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Sophie Dinklefloss. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a melon baller."
"Buzzards," Bronk responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a caress. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."