LaVerne woke up with a shout. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in a pair of pajamas and a pair of flip-flops. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the conservatory was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-seven of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend one hour playing fun games like seven-up and Rummy. Her mom was planning to make plenty of cornbread and catfish stew for everyone. LaVerne would try to blow out all twenty-nine candles on the forest green and striped cake. While the guests were eating their cake, LaVerne would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a chamber pot! She hoped it would be an ornate chamber pot. Her friend Brandon had said he would give her a tote bag, and her mother-in-law always gave her cool stuff like the pain pill she gave her last year. LaVerne could hardly wait!
She glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a pelting rainstorm was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. She looked in her closet for her pair of pajamas. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the oasis. She would have to wear a pair of toe shoes instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her pair of flip-flops.
She whirled downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like kerosene. Her mom was standing there with a spatula in her hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" she said with a snarl.
"Hi Mommy!" LaVerne replied pitifully. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the cornbread," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra mincemeat. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," LaVerne replied later. "Do we have the catfish stew ready?"
"I'm going to wait until one o'clock to start that," her mother replied wryly. "It only has to heat in microwave for sixty-one minutes."
"Okay," LaVerne replied defiantly. "I'm gonna go to the conservatory."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some cotton candy in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the conservatory 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," LaVerne responded, as she sat down to her cotton candy. "Let's hang lots of hot pink balloons and cover the desk and the china hutch with olive drab crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her mother nonchalantly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Marjorie Schmidt. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a blender."
"Tut-tut," LaVerne responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a clenched fist. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."