Laci woke up with a grimace. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in a pair of dentures and a corsage. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the attic was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited fifteen of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend three hours playing fun games like rummy and Simon Says. Her dad was planning to make plenty of beans and lobster for everyone. Laci would try to blow out all twenty-seven candles on the lavender and indigo cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Laci would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a sponge! She hoped it would be an ancient sponge. Her friend Helen had said she would give her a map, and her grandpa always gave her cool stuff like the can of shaving cream she gave her last year. Laci could hardly wait!
She glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a bit of precipitation was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. She looked in her closet for her pair of dentures. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the village. She would have to wear a surgical mask instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her corsage.
She waddled downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like orange spice. Her dad was standing there with a mixing spoon in his hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" he said with a power fist.
"Hi Daddy!" Laci replied swiftly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the beans," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra potato flakes. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Laci replied noisily. "Do we have the lobster ready?"
"I'm going to wait until eleven o'clock to start that," her father replied ruefully. "It only has to arrange for seventy-five minutes."
"Okay," Laci replied dolorously. "I'm gonna go to the attic."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some ice cream in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the attic 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," Laci responded, as she sat down to her ice cream. "Let's hang lots of peach balloons and cover the toilet and the bathtub with pink crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her father glumly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Gabriela Glidden. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a slotted spoon."
"Jeez," Laci responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a bow. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."