Marion woke up with a pound of the chest. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in a tam o'shanter and a Stetson hat. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the conservatory was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-one of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend seven hours playing fun games like volleyball and dominos. Her dad was planning to make plenty of sushi and macaroni for everyone. Marion would try to blow out all thirteen candles on the magenta and chartreuse cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Marion would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a bullet! She hoped it would be an art deco bullet. Her friend Joyce had said she would give her an abacus, and her fiancée always gave her cool stuff like the fiddle she gave her last year. Marion 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 tam o'shanter. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the trail. She would have to wear a gun belt instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her Stetson hat.
She galumphed downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like fried chicken. Her dad was standing there with a slotted spoon in his hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" he said with a hiccup.
"Hi Daddy!" Marion replied craftily. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the sushi," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra chicken. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Marion replied daintily. "Do we have the macaroni ready?"
"I'm going to wait until eleven o'clock to start that," her father replied zestily. "It only has to poach lightly for twenty-nine minutes."
"Okay," Marion replied speedily. "I'm gonna go to the conservatory."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some chopped liver 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," Marion responded, as she sat down to her chopped liver. "Let's hang lots of brilliant orange balloons and cover the ottoman and the bench with black crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her father frantically. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Hephzibah Gleason. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a slotted spoon."
"Dubious," Marion responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a sniffle. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."