Bridget woke up with a flinch. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in a watch and a scarf. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the solarium was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited eight of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend one hour playing fun games like Rummy and Scrabble. Her mom was planning to make plenty of pizza and steak for everyone. Bridget would try to blow out all five candles on the mauve and crimson cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Bridget would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a duffel bag! She hoped it would be a golden duffel bag. Her friend Rufus had said he would give her a fork, and her cousin always gave her cool stuff like the pair of brass knuckles she gave her last year. Bridget could hardly wait!
She glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a gale was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. She looked in her closet for her watch. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the island. She would have to wear a gun belt instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her scarf.
She tiptoed downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like paint. Her mom was standing there with a turkey baster in her hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" she said with a woof.
"Hi Mommy!" Bridget replied impatiently. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the pizza," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra ricotta cheese. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Bridget replied viciously. "Do we have the steak ready?"
"I'm going to wait until one o'clock to start that," her mother replied frenetically. "It only has to braise for fifty-four minutes."
"Okay," Bridget replied thoughtfully. "I'm gonna go to the solarium."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some beans in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the solarium 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," Bridget responded, as she sat down to her beans. "Let's hang lots of brilliant orange balloons and cover the credenza and the couch with aquamarine crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her mother crazily. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Abigail Small. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a whisk."
"Shoot," Bridget responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a fist bump. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."