Jennifer woke up with a wrinkled nose. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in a tattoo and a parka. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the conservatory was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited ten of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend three hours playing fun games like baseball and pool. Her mom was planning to make plenty of Hamburger Helper and chicken pot pie for everyone. Jennifer would try to blow out all twelve candles on the indigo and black cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Jennifer would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a chamber pot! She hoped it would be a cotton chamber pot. Her friend DeWitt had said he would give her a rock, and her grandfather always gave her cool stuff like the fountain pen she gave her last year. Jennifer could hardly wait!
She glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a snowstorm was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. She looked in her closet for her tattoo. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the glen. She would have to wear a necktie instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her parka.
She paraded downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like a bouquet. Her mom was standing there with a strainer in her hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" she said with a sniff.
"Hi Mommy!" Jennifer replied sourly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the Hamburger Helper," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra apples. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Jennifer replied carefully. "Do we have the chicken pot pie ready?"
"I'm going to wait until nine o'clock to start that," her mother replied cunningly. "It only has to blend for eighty-seven minutes."
"Okay," Jennifer replied crossly. "I'm gonna go to the conservatory."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some pecan pie 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 mother replied. "Remember, I'm depending on you to help with the decorating."
"Oh yeah," Jennifer responded, as she sat down to her pecan pie. "Let's hang lots of rose balloons and cover the wardrobe and the cash register with indigo crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her mother quietly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Wendy Craft. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a paring knife."
"Heck," Jennifer responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a flutter. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."