Billy Bob woke up with a smirk. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a sarong and a sombrero. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the corridor was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-three of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend five hours playing fun games like marbles and doctor. His mom was planning to make plenty of brownies and cotton candy for everyone. Billy Bob would try to blow out all twenty-eight candles on the black and hot pink cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Billy Bob would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a comb! He hoped it would be a handy comb. His friend Max had said he would give him a Barbie doll, and his cousin always gave him cool stuff like the coconut she gave him last year. Billy Bob could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a humid day was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his sarong. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the island. He would have to wear a flour sack instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his sombrero.
He hopped downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like enchiladas. His mom was standing there with a fork in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a wink.
"Hi Mommy!" Billy Bob replied carefully. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the brownies," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra ground lamb. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Billy Bob replied glibly. "Do we have the cotton candy ready?"
"I'm going to wait until two o'clock to start that," his mother replied furiously. "It only has to freeze for twenty-one minutes."
"Okay," Billy Bob replied kindly. "I'm gonna go to the corridor."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some cornbread in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the corridor 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," Billy Bob responded, as he sat down to his cornbread. "Let's hang lots of blue balloons and cover the workbench and the dining table with yellow crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother rapidly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Linda Cairns. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a food processor."
"Sweet," Billy Bob responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a woof. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."