Bunny woke up with a squint. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in a wig and a sweater. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the parlor was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-two of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend five hours playing fun games like checkers and Snakes and Ladders. Her mom was planning to make plenty of sushi and corn on the cob for everyone. Bunny would try to blow out all eleven candles on the emerald green and blue cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Bunny would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a teacup! She hoped it would be a damaged teacup. Her friend Luis had said he would give her a picture, and her sister-in-law always gave her cool stuff like the flash drive she gave her last year. Bunny could hardly wait!
She glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a windstorm was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. She looked in her closet for her wig. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the valley. She would have to wear a beret instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her sweater.
She slumped downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like bacon frying. Her mom was standing there with a blender in her hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" she said with a snigger.
"Hi Mommy!" Bunny replied sagely. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the sushi," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra roast beef. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Bunny replied obediently. "Do we have the corn on the cob ready?"
"I'm going to wait until three o'clock to start that," her mother replied sourly. "It only has to deep fry for fifty-two minutes."
"Okay," Bunny replied lazily. "I'm gonna go to the parlor."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some ceviche in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the parlor first?" she begged.
"It looks just like it always does," her mother replied. "Remember, I'm depending on you to help with the decorating."
"Oh yeah," Bunny responded, as she sat down to her ceviche. "Let's hang lots of periwinkle balloons and cover the ottoman and the nightstand with azure crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her mother repeatedly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Bev Suskind. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has an electric mixer."
"Adios," Bunny responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a kiss. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."