Mario woke up with a gasp. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a pair of bell-bottoms and a set of football pads. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the boudoir was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited three of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend seven hours playing fun games like solitaire and crazy eights. His mom was planning to make plenty of cornbread and beef bouillon for everyone. Mario would try to blow out all thirty-three candles on the forest green and crimson cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Mario would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a basketball! He hoped it would be a decrepit basketball. His friend Paul had said he would give him a cardboard box, and his grandmother always gave him cool stuff like the stopwatch she gave him last year. Mario could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a snowstorm was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his pair of bell-bottoms. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the village. He would have to wear a pair of knickerbockers instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his set of football pads.
He slithered downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like moth balls. His mom was standing there with a pair of tongs in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a raised eyebrow.
"Hi Mommy!" Mario replied trustingly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the cornbread," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra crabmeat. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Mario replied courteously. "Do we have the beef bouillon ready?"
"I'm going to wait until two o'clock to start that," his mother replied blankly. "It only has to poach lightly for eighty-one minutes."
"Okay," Mario replied breathlessly. "I'm gonna go to the boudoir."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some lasagna in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the boudoir 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," Mario responded, as he sat down to his lasagna. "Let's hang lots of camouflage balloons and cover the cupboard and the end table with olive drab crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother gracefully. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Megan Alexander. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a meat tenderizer."
"Beats me," Mario responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a gurgle. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."