Renee woke up with a wrinkled nose. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in a hair net and a pair of heels. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the doghouse was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-eight of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend eight hours playing fun games like blackjack and old maid. Her mom was planning to make plenty of enchiladas and refried beans for everyone. Renee would try to blow out all twenty-seven candles on the silver and pink cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Renee would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a toilet plunger! She hoped it would be a spongy toilet plunger. Her friend Melvin had said he would give her a clock, and her grandmother always gave her cool stuff like the box of candy she gave her last year. Renee could hardly wait!
She glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a thunderstorm was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. She looked in her closet for her hair net. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the beach. She would have to wear a fur coat instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her pair of heels.
She proceeded downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like vinegar. Her mom was standing there with a basting brush in her hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" she said with an evil eye.
"Hi Mommy!" Renee replied tensely. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the enchiladas," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra sugar. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Renee replied sharply. "Do we have the refried beans ready?"
"I'm going to wait until three o'clock to start that," her mother replied dolorously. "It only has to refrigerate overnight for twelve minutes."
"Okay," Renee replied courageously. "I'm gonna go to the doghouse."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some chicken chow mein in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the doghouse 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," Renee responded, as she sat down to her chicken chow mein. "Let's hang lots of striped balloons and cover the hamper and the cupboard with periwinkle crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her mother flightily. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Drew Wyse. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a strainer."
"Silence," Renee responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a giggle. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."