Carina woke up with a flush. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in a pair of sweatpants and a party hat. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the cage was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-one of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend one hour playing fun games like hopscotch and Mother May I. Her mom was planning to make plenty of fried okra and corn on the cob for everyone. Carina would try to blow out all thirteen candles on the terra cotta and magenta cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Carina would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a clipboard! She hoped it would be a dirty clipboard. Her friend Benjamin had said he would give her a remote control, and her mommy always gave her cool stuff like the cigar she gave her last year. Carina could hardly wait!
She glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a flood was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. She looked in her closet for her pair of sweatpants. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the steppe. She would have to wear a set of scrubs instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her party hat.
She ambled downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like hairspray. Her mom was standing there with a candy thermometer in her hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" she said with a sniff.
"Hi Mommy!" Carina replied despondently. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the fried okra," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra Cheerios. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Carina replied bitterly. "Do we have the corn on the cob ready?"
"I'm going to wait until eleven o'clock to start that," her mother replied suddenly. "It only has to allow to rise in warm place for several hours for eighty-six minutes."
"Okay," Carina replied vacantly. "I'm gonna go to the cage."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some lamb curry in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the cage 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," Carina responded, as she sat down to her lamb curry. "Let's hang lots of terra cotta balloons and cover the carpet and the washing machine with magenta crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her mother unexpectedly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Rosemary Goldwater. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a paring knife."
"Pow," Carina responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a hoot. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."