Joyce woke up with a coo. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in a helmet and a tool belt. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the closet was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited seventeen of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend four hours playing fun games like marbles and seven-up. Her mom was planning to make plenty of ravioli and strawberry shortcake for everyone. Joyce would try to blow out all twenty-eight candles on the jet black and carrot-orange cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Joyce would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain an ice cream cone! She hoped it would be an automatic ice cream cone. Her friend Marvin had said he would give her a toolbox, and her mother always gave her cool stuff like the comic book she gave her last year. Joyce could hardly wait!
She glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a sandstorm was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. She looked in her closet for her helmet. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the landfill. She would have to wear a mortarboard instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her tool belt.
She loped downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like wine. Her mom was standing there with an ice pick in her hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" she said with a flinch.
"Hi Mommy!" Joyce replied strangely. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the ravioli," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra walrus meat. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Joyce replied bravely. "Do we have the strawberry shortcake ready?"
"I'm going to wait until eight o'clock to start that," her mother replied wildly. "It only has to toast for fifty-two minutes."
"Okay," Joyce replied zestily. "I'm gonna go to the closet."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some egg rolls in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the closet 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," Joyce responded, as she sat down to her egg rolls. "Let's hang lots of aqua balloons and cover the washstand and the settee with turquoise crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her mother frenetically. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Helen Papadopoulos. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a potato masher."
"Knock me over with a feather," Joyce responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a smack. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."