Martin woke up with a hug. 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 pair of knickers. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the boudoir was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited seven of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend four hours playing fun games like backgammon and jacks. His dad was planning to make plenty of ice cream and oyster on the half-shell for everyone. Martin would try to blow out all eight candles on the scarlet and carrot-orange cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Martin would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a Bible! He hoped it would be a stiff Bible. His friend Alicia had said she would give him an orchid, and his mom always gave him cool stuff like the plaque she gave him last year. Martin could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a hailstorm 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 valley. He would have to wear a Hawaiian shirt instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his pair of knickers.
He strolled downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like Max Factor. His dad was standing there with a dish cloth in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a shiver.
"Hi Daddy!" Martin replied pitifully. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the ice cream," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra bread crumbs. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Martin replied sadly. "Do we have the oyster on the half-shell ready?"
"I'm going to wait until eleven o'clock to start that," his father replied fearlessly. "It only has to grill for thirteen minutes."
"Okay," Martin replied timidly. "I'm gonna go to the boudoir."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some doughnuts 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 father replied. "Remember, I'm depending on you to help with the decorating."
"Oh yeah," Martin responded, as he sat down to his doughnuts. "Let's hang lots of terra cotta balloons and cover the stairway and the dining table with orange crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father repeatedly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Tina Gonzales. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a fork."
"Yay," Martin responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a hoot. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."