June woke up with a grin. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in a pair of combat boots and a tutu. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the study was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited one of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend two hours playing fun games like tag and jump rope. Her mom was planning to make plenty of Hamburger Helper and biscuits and gravy for everyone. June would try to blow out all twenty-six candles on the jet black and yellow cake. While the guests were eating their cake, June would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a dollar bill! She hoped it would be a fluffy dollar bill. Her friend Fuzz had said he would give her a piece of paper, and her dad always gave her cool stuff like the statue she gave her last year. June could hardly wait!
She glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a hailstorm was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. She looked in her closet for her pair of combat boots. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the dump. She would have to wear a tinfoil hat instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her tutu.
She hobbled downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like a feed lot. Her mom was standing there with a chopstick in her hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" she said with a sniffle.
"Hi Mommy!" June replied briskly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the Hamburger Helper," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra prime rib. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," June replied suddenly. "Do we have the biscuits and gravy ready?"
"I'm going to wait until five o'clock to start that," her mother replied hastily. "It only has to grill for thirty-nine minutes."
"Okay," June replied grandly. "I'm gonna go to the study."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some egg drop soup 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 mother replied. "Remember, I'm depending on you to help with the decorating."
"Oh yeah," June responded, as she sat down to her egg drop soup. "Let's hang lots of burgundy balloons and cover the dishwasher and the stool with aqua crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her mother timidly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, June Gross. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a grater."
"Not so fast," June responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a tear. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."