Anne woke up with a snicker. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in a kimono and a visor. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the master bathroom was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-six of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend eight hours playing fun games like Rummy and cribbage. Her mom was planning to make plenty of fried eggs and fondue for everyone. Anne would try to blow out all twelve candles on the scarlet and scarlet cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Anne would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a pen! She hoped it would be a dirty pen. Her friend Morgan had said he would give her a clothespin, and her mother always gave her cool stuff like the football she gave her last year. Anne could hardly wait!
She glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a bit of precipitation was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. She looked in her closet for her kimono. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the butte. She would have to wear a balaclava instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her visor.
She dashed downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like a pig. Her mom was standing there with a melon baller in her hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" she said with a simper.
"Hi Mommy!" Anne replied slyly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the fried eggs," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra chicken broth. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Anne replied breathlessly. "Do we have the fondue ready?"
"I'm going to wait until three o'clock to start that," her mother replied suspiciously. "It only has to melt for sixty-four minutes."
"Okay," Anne replied hastily. "I'm gonna go to the master bathroom."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some mashed potatoes in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the master bathroom 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," Anne responded, as she sat down to her mashed potatoes. "Let's hang lots of amber balloons and cover the ottoman and the hammock with aquamarine crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her mother deftly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Annabelle Conrad. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a paring knife."
"Freaky," Anne responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a yawn. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."