Eileen woke up with a honk. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in a pair of UGGs and a tank top. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the nursery was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-five of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend six hours playing fun games like hearts and trivia. Her mom was planning to make plenty of succotash and tofu for everyone. Eileen would try to blow out all eight candles on the violet and tan cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Eileen would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a piece of candy! She hoped it would be a luxurious piece of candy. Her friend Tony had said he would give her a whistle, and her grandfather always gave her cool stuff like the fire hose she gave her last year. Eileen could hardly wait!
She glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a flood was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. She looked in her closet for her pair of UGGs. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the valley. She would have to wear a tunic instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her tank top.
She made a beeline downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like a chocolate factory. Her mom was standing there with a whisk in her hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" she said with a sniffle.
"Hi Mommy!" Eileen replied flightily. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the succotash," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra fresh basil. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Eileen replied hysterically. "Do we have the tofu ready?"
"I'm going to wait until three o'clock to start that," her mother replied sharply. "It only has to melt for eighty-six minutes."
"Okay," Eileen replied reluctantly. "I'm gonna go to the nursery."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some moo goo gai pan in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the nursery 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," Eileen responded, as she sat down to her moo goo gai pan. "Let's hang lots of khaki balloons and cover the rug and the desk with navy blue crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her mother primly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Camille Matthews. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a paring knife."
"Grrrrr," Eileen responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a finger gun. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."