Matt woke up with a blush. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a necktie and a bulletproof vest. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the billiard room was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited seven of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend five hours playing fun games like Clue and seven-up. His dad was planning to make plenty of fondue and egg salad sandwich for everyone. Matt would try to blow out all twenty-six candles on the tan and terra cotta cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Matt would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a barbell! He hoped it would be an archaic barbell. His friend Lauren had said she would give him a coat hanger, and his dad always gave him cool stuff like the pink flamingo she gave him last year. Matt 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 necktie. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the glen. He would have to wear a parka instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his bulletproof vest.
He traipsed downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like Calvin Klein. His dad was standing there with a pastry blender in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a raised eyebrow.
"Hi Daddy!" Matt replied sagely. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the fondue," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra marshmallows. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Matt replied innocently. "Do we have the egg salad sandwich ready?"
"I'm going to wait until two o'clock to start that," his father replied gingerly. "It only has to marinate for sixty-three minutes."
"Okay," Matt replied resignedly. "I'm gonna go to the billiard room."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some duck a l'orange in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the billiard 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," Matt responded, as he sat down to his duck a l'orange. "Let's hang lots of rose balloons and cover the crib and the washstand with hot pink crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father sagely. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Lorie Gilson. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a bare foot."
"Eeek," Matt responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a clenched fist. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."