Sheryl woke up with a pucker. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in a bowler hat and an earring. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the den was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited nineteen of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend two hours playing fun games like tag and chess. Her mom was planning to make plenty of egg drop soup and ravioli for everyone. Sheryl would try to blow out all twenty-six candles on the khaki and teal cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Sheryl would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a chamber pot! She hoped it would be a stiff chamber pot. Her friend Andy had said he would give her a curling iron, and her cousin always gave her cool stuff like the cork she gave her last year. Sheryl could hardly wait!
She glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a hurricane was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. She looked in her closet for her bowler hat. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the grassy knoll. She would have to wear a pair of trousers instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her earring.
She sped downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like a Chinese restaurant. Her mom was standing there with a corkscrew in her hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" she said with a sneeze.
"Hi Mommy!" Sheryl replied uneasily. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the egg drop soup," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra flank steak. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Sheryl replied peevishly. "Do we have the ravioli ready?"
"I'm going to wait until ten o'clock to start that," her mother replied sarcastically. "It only has to braise for eighty-four minutes."
"Okay," Sheryl replied grudgingly. "I'm gonna go to the den."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some wienerschnitzel in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the den 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," Sheryl responded, as she sat down to her wienerschnitzel. "Let's hang lots of crimson balloons and cover the toilet and the recliner with aquamarine crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her mother lazily. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Tammy Mouse. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a blender."
"Good golly," Sheryl responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a hug. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."