Jeri woke up with a snarl. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in a tuxedo and a pair of socks. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the family room was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited eight of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend two hours playing fun games like blackjack and charades. Her dad was planning to make plenty of tuna casserole and pot roast for everyone. Jeri would try to blow out all four candles on the silver and periwinkle cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Jeri would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a water bottle! She hoped it would be an archaic water bottle. Her friend Scarlett had said she would give her a Kindle, and her grandmother always gave her cool stuff like the compass she gave her last year. Jeri could hardly wait!
She glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a sandstorm was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. She looked in her closet for her tuxedo. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the bog. She would have to wear an earring instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her pair of socks.
She lumbered downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like fresh-baked bread. Her dad was standing there with a whisk in his hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" he said with a smile.
"Hi Daddy!" Jeri replied pitifully. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the tuna casserole," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra mint leaves. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Jeri replied ingeniously. "Do we have the pot roast ready?"
"I'm going to wait until three o'clock to start that," her father replied daringly. "It only has to age for six minutes."
"Okay," Jeri replied sourly. "I'm gonna go to the family room."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some French fries in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the family 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," Jeri responded, as she sat down to her French fries. "Let's hang lots of crimson balloons and cover the chair and the hammock with blue crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her father frantically. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Ida Rice. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a mixing spoon."
"Pow," Jeri responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a blush. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."