Freddie woke up with a titter. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a pair of Oxfords and a headband. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the study was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited eleven of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend four hours playing fun games like Clue and rummy. His dad was planning to make plenty of egg rolls and moo goo gai pan for everyone. Freddie would try to blow out all seven candles on the metallic red and periwinkle cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Freddie would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a feather! He hoped it would be a dusty feather. His friend Pam had said she would give him a chain, and his mommy always gave him cool stuff like the teapot she gave him last year. Freddie could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a downpour was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his pair of Oxfords. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the meadow. He would have to wear a Superman costume instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his headband.
He slithered downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like cheese. His dad was standing there with an electric mixer in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a sniffle.
"Hi Daddy!" Freddie replied effortlessly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the egg rolls," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra fresh parsley. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Freddie replied merrily. "Do we have the moo goo gai pan ready?"
"I'm going to wait until one o'clock to start that," his father replied crankily. "It only has to heat in microwave for thirty-one minutes."
"Okay," Freddie replied excitedly. "I'm gonna go to the study."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some tofu in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the study 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," Freddie responded, as he sat down to his tofu. "Let's hang lots of scarlet balloons and cover the display case and the file cabinet with salmon crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father slyly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Minnie Wells. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has an electric paint mixer."
"I'm outta here," Freddie responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a tear. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."