Candi woke up with a furrowed brow. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in a pair of earrings and a watch. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the ballroom was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited nine of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend four hours playing fun games like musical chairs and volleyball. Her dad was planning to make plenty of pie a la mode and roast beef for everyone. Candi would try to blow out all twenty-four candles on the olive drab and khaki cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Candi would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a notepad! She hoped it would be a queer notepad. Her friend Polly had said she would give her a pair of pliers, and her grandma always gave her cool stuff like the toilet seat she gave her last year. Candi 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 earrings. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the cesspool. She would have to wear a pair of cycling shorts instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her watch.
She darted downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like cookies. Her dad was standing there with a food processor in his hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" he said with a wince.
"Hi Daddy!" Candi replied crazily. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the pie a la mode," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra Brussels sprouts. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Candi replied violently. "Do we have the roast beef ready?"
"I'm going to wait until five o'clock to start that," her father replied peevishly. "It only has to bake at 450 degrees F for seventy-six minutes."
"Okay," Candi replied softly. "I'm gonna go to the ballroom."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some prune pudding in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the ballroom 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 prune pudding. "Let's hang lots of peach balloons and cover the overstuffed chair and the computer with terra cotta crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her father solemnly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Terri Swoopes. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a cookie cutter."
"Yuck," Candi responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a finger gun. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."