Jen woke up with a smile. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in a dog collar and a wedding dress. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the conservatory was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited seventeen of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend five hours playing fun games like Monopoly and shuffleboard. Her dad was planning to make plenty of lime sherbet and smoked salmon for everyone. Jen would try to blow out all twenty candles on the forest green and brilliant orange cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Jen would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a Bunsen burner! She hoped it would be a valuable Bunsen burner. Her friend Ursula had said she would give her a painting, and her mother-in-law always gave her cool stuff like the flute she gave her last year. Jen could hardly wait!
She glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a windstorm was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. She looked in her closet for her dog collar. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the desert. She would have to wear a pair of suspenders instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her wedding dress.
She slid downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like cigarette smoke. Her dad was standing there with a potato masher in his hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" he said with a tear.
"Hi Daddy!" Jen replied strictly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the lime sherbet," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra trout. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Jen replied crazily. "Do we have the smoked salmon ready?"
"I'm going to wait until three o'clock to start that," her father replied queerly. "It only has to toast for twenty-nine minutes."
"Okay," Jen replied solemnly. "I'm gonna go to the conservatory."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some oyster on the half-shell in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the conservatory 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," Jen responded, as she sat down to her oyster on the half-shell. "Let's hang lots of red balloons and cover the pool table and the toilet with jet black crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her father brashly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Shawna McGrath. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a candy thermometer."
"Amen," Jen 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."