Kim woke up with a flinch. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in a necktie and a mortarboard. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the billiard room was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-two of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend one hour playing fun games like bridge and billiards. Her dad was planning to make plenty of lime sherbet and roast Cornish game hen for everyone. Kim would try to blow out all seventeen candles on the burgundy and periwinkle cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Kim would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a clock! She hoped it would be a crisp clock. Her friend Anna had said she would give her a button, and her dad always gave her cool stuff like the playing card she gave her last year. Kim could hardly wait!
She glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a humid day was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. She looked in her closet for her necktie. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the rainforest. She would have to wear a nightgown instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her mortarboard.
She galumphed downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like Old Spice. Her dad was standing there with a fork in his hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" he said with a titter.
"Hi Daddy!" Kim replied stealthily. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the lime sherbet," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra peanuts. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Kim replied sweetly. "Do we have the roast Cornish game hen ready?"
"I'm going to wait until three o'clock to start that," her father replied fiercely. "It only has to boil for forty-eight minutes."
"Okay," Kim replied positively. "I'm gonna go to the billiard room."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some refried beans in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the billiard room first?" she begged.
"It looks just like it always does," her father replied. "Remember, I'm depending on you to help with the decorating."
"Oh yeah," Kim responded, as she sat down to her refried beans. "Let's hang lots of salmon balloons and cover the hatstand and the stool with amber crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her father mysteriously. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Pearl Hanson. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a turkey baster."
"Nope," Kim responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a woof. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."