Steve woke up with a growl. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a headscarf and a hat. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the dining room was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-one of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend six hours playing fun games like Russian roulette and dodge ball. His dad was planning to make plenty of country glazed ham and Froot Loops for everyone. Steve would try to blow out all nineteen candles on the polka dotted and white cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Steve would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a saw! He hoped it would be a big saw. His friend Melissa had said she would give him a Lego set, and his mentor always gave him cool stuff like the calculator she gave him last year. Steve could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a tornado was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his headscarf. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the lakeside. He would have to wear a jerkin instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his hat.
He traipsed downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like orange spice. His dad was standing there with a strainer in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a chortle.
"Hi Daddy!" Steve replied sheepishly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the country glazed ham," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra pinto beans. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Steve replied fearfully. "Do we have the Froot Loops ready?"
"I'm going to wait until twelve o'clock to start that," his father replied diligently. "It only has to simmer for thirty-four minutes."
"Okay," Steve replied majestically. "I'm gonna go to the dining room."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some egg rolls in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the dining 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," Steve responded, as he sat down to his egg rolls. "Let's hang lots of indigo balloons and cover the table and the counter with maroon crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father gruffly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Julia Hart. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a bare foot."
"Fudge," Steve responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with an air kiss. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."