Dave 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 beret and a cloak. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the front porch was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited fifteen of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend six hours playing fun games like battleship and Candy Land. His dad was planning to make plenty of chocolate-covered ants and egg rolls for everyone. Dave would try to blow out all five candles on the emerald green and tan cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Dave would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a toy! He hoped it would be a fresh toy. His friend Jasmine had said she would give him a bird cage, and his mommy always gave him cool stuff like the paper bag she gave him last year. Dave 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 beret. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the backyard. He would have to wear a tie instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his cloak.
He cantered downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like hamburgers. His dad was standing there with a pastry blender in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a snuffle.
"Hi Daddy!" Dave replied boisterously. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the chocolate-covered ants," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra chili powder. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Dave replied vacantly. "Do we have the egg rolls ready?"
"I'm going to wait until twelve o'clock to start that," his father replied lightly. "It only has to mix repeatedly for thirty-seven minutes."
"Okay," Dave replied crazily. "I'm gonna go to the front porch."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some Cheerios in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the front porch 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," Dave responded, as he sat down to his Cheerios. "Let's hang lots of metallic red balloons and cover the pool table and the sofa with amber crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father ignobly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Henrietta Schlick. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a cheesecloth."
"Lo and behold," Dave responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a hug. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."