Marla woke up with a shrug. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in a cheerleader's uniform and a pair of cycling shorts. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the study was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited fifteen of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend four hours playing fun games like jump rope and jacks. Her dad was planning to make plenty of Hamburger Helper and fried eggs for everyone. Marla would try to blow out all nine candles on the khaki and purple cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Marla would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a vase! She hoped it would be an authentic vase. Her friend Lorena had said she would give her a suitcase, and her mommy always gave her cool stuff like the deck of cards she gave her last year. Marla could hardly wait!
She glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a blanket of mist was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. She looked in her closet for her cheerleader's uniform. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the glen. She would have to wear a pair of dentures instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her pair of cycling shorts.
She clambered downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like sage. Her dad was standing there with a dish cloth in his hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" he said with a titter.
"Hi Daddy!" Marla replied steadily. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the Hamburger Helper," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra lemon juice. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Marla replied wearily. "Do we have the fried eggs ready?"
"I'm going to wait until five o'clock to start that," her father replied nonchalantly. "It only has to mix humbly for fifty-five minutes."
"Okay," Marla replied sagely. "I'm gonna go to the study."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some hash in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the study 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," Marla responded, as she sat down to her hash. "Let's hang lots of blue balloons and cover the casket and the bookshelf with olive drab crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her father lamely. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Gilda Fodor. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has an egg cutter."
"Malarkey," Marla responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a laugh. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."