Gladys woke up with a shiver. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in a denim skirt and a bedsheet. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the library was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-five of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend eight hours playing fun games like golf and dodge ball. Her mom was planning to make plenty of Swiss cheese and burritos for everyone. Gladys would try to blow out all fourteen candles on the beige and hot pink cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Gladys would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a bell! She hoped it would be a magnificent bell. Her friend Christopher had said he would give her a pair of fuzzy dice, and her mom always gave her cool stuff like the package she gave her last year. Gladys 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 denim skirt. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the mesa. She would have to wear a pair of dentures instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her bedsheet.
She scooted downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like peppermint. Her mom was standing there with a wooden spoon in her hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" she said with a giggle.
"Hi Mommy!" Gladys replied ferociously. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the Swiss cheese," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra okra. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Gladys replied slowly. "Do we have the burritos ready?"
"I'm going to wait until three o'clock to start that," her mother replied despondently. "It only has to braise for sixty-six minutes."
"Okay," Gladys replied flightily. "I'm gonna go to the library."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some chicken pot pie in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the library 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," Gladys responded, as she sat down to her chicken pot pie. "Let's hang lots of rose balloons and cover the china hutch and the dining table with sparkly crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her mother clumsily. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Candy Stevens. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a candy thermometer."
"My my," Gladys responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a honk. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."