Candi woke up with a wink. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in a toupee and an overcoat. 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 three hours playing fun games like golf and trivia. Her dad was planning to make plenty of French fries and Froot Loops for everyone. Candi would try to blow out all twenty-three candles on the forest green and rose cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Candi would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a garbage can! She hoped it would be a rancid garbage can. Her friend Krystal had said she would give her a barbell, and her mom always gave her cool stuff like the bicycle she gave her last year. Candi could hardly wait!
She glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a hurricane was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. She looked in her closet for her toupee. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the landfill. She would have to wear a few cotton rags instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her overcoat.
She inched downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like fried chicken. Her dad was standing there with a strainer in his hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" he said with a chuckle.
"Hi Daddy!" Candi replied solemnly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the French fries," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra turmeric. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Candi replied crossly. "Do we have the Froot Loops ready?"
"I'm going to wait until six o'clock to start that," her father replied zestily. "It only has to place on serving dish for sixty-five minutes."
"Okay," Candi replied tenderly. "I'm gonna go to the billiard room."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some pretzels 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," Candi responded, as she sat down to her pretzels. "Let's hang lots of tan balloons and cover the casket and the footstool with mauve crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her father demurely. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Lynn Rinfield. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a food processor."
"If only," Candi responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a smile. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."