Hillary woke up with a grin. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in a pair of heels and a bib. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the porch was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-five of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend five hours playing fun games like ring around the rosie and trivia. Her mom was planning to make plenty of catfish stew and macaroni and cheese for everyone. Hillary would try to blow out all ten candles on the silver and scarlet cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Hillary would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a saw! She hoped it would be a fabulous saw. Her friend Solomon had said he would give her a crystal ball, and her aunt always gave her cool stuff like the picture she gave her last year. Hillary could hardly wait!
She glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a lightning storm was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. She looked in her closet for her pair of heels. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the hillside. She would have to wear a pair of socks instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her bib.
She skittered downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like carnations. Her mom was standing there with a pair of tongs in her hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" she said with a furrowed brow.
"Hi Mommy!" Hillary replied madly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the catfish stew," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra shortening. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Hillary replied urgently. "Do we have the macaroni and cheese ready?"
"I'm going to wait until four o'clock to start that," her mother replied excitedly. "It only has to roast for six minutes."
"Okay," Hillary replied angrily. "I'm gonna go to the porch."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some corn on the cob in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the porch 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," Hillary responded, as she sat down to her corn on the cob. "Let's hang lots of red balloons and cover the four-poster bed and the bookcase with chartreuse crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her mother busily. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Kylie Nixon. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a strainer."
"Like fun," Hillary responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a furrowed brow. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."