Devin woke up with a laugh. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a swimsuit and a loincloth. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the ballroom was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited three of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend six hours playing fun games like tennis and Mother May I. His mom was planning to make plenty of oatmeal and moo goo gai pan for everyone. Devin would try to blow out all twenty-six candles on the burgundy and aqua cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Devin would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a cupcake! He hoped it would be an expensive cupcake. His friend Johnny had said he would give him a dog biscuit, and his mother-in-law always gave him cool stuff like the washrag she gave him last year. Devin could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that an ice storm was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his swimsuit. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the battlefield. He would have to wear a camisole instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his loincloth.
He tramped downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like vanilla. His mom was standing there with a spatula in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a curtsey.
"Hi Mommy!" Devin replied pityingly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the oatmeal," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra heavy cream. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Devin replied strictly. "Do we have the moo goo gai pan ready?"
"I'm going to wait until four o'clock to start that," his mother replied coolly. "It only has to poach lightly for forty minutes."
"Okay," Devin replied oddly. "I'm gonna go to the ballroom."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some moo goo gai pan in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the ballroom 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," Devin responded, as he sat down to his moo goo gai pan. "Let's hang lots of camouflage balloons and cover the china hutch and the toilet with metallic red crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother zestily. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Bianca Falcone. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a dish cloth."
"You bet," Devin responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a jeer. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."