Jolene woke up with a caress. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in a pair of khakis and a raincoat. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the bathroom was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-seven of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend four hours playing fun games like charades and doctor. Her dad was planning to make plenty of enchiladas and shrimp for everyone. Jolene would try to blow out all thirty-two candles on the brilliant orange and violet cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Jolene would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a pair of safety glasses! She hoped it would be a worn pair of safety glasses. Her friend Louise had said she would give her a bird cage, and her mother-in-law always gave her cool stuff like the candy bar she gave her last year. Jolene 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 khakis. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the glen. She would have to wear a set of camo fatigues instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her raincoat.
She danced downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like fresh-baked bread. Her dad was standing there with a spoon in his hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" he said with a titter.
"Hi Daddy!" Jolene replied quickly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the enchiladas," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra fresh basil. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Jolene replied fervently. "Do we have the shrimp ready?"
"I'm going to wait until one o'clock to start that," her father replied intensely. "It only has to braise for fifty-five minutes."
"Okay," Jolene replied charmingly. "I'm gonna go to the bathroom."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some scrambled eggs in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the bathroom 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," Jolene responded, as she sat down to her scrambled eggs. "Let's hang lots of peach balloons and cover the wine rack and the beanbag chair with emerald green crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her father testily. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Heidi Stephens. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a cheesecloth."
"Lo and behold," Jolene responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a crow. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."