Agnes woke up with a fist bump. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in a pair of boxer shorts and a robe. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the porch was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited seven of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend five hours playing fun games like Candy Land and hearts. Her mom was planning to make plenty of macaroni and cheese and pot roast for everyone. Agnes would try to blow out all twenty-three candles on the golden and navy blue cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Agnes would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a stick of gum! She hoped it would be a crusty stick of gum. Her friend Stanley had said he would give her a diamond, and her sister always gave her cool stuff like the rose she gave her last year. Agnes 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 pair of boxer shorts. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the cesspool. She would have to wear a vest instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her robe.
She waddled downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like trouble. Her mom was standing there with an electric mixer in her hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" she said with a backward glance.
"Hi Mommy!" Agnes replied trustingly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the macaroni and cheese," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra cayenne pepper. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Agnes replied shyly. "Do we have the pot roast ready?"
"I'm going to wait until six o'clock to start that," her mother replied daintily. "It only has to steam for twenty-six minutes."
"Okay," Agnes replied clumsily. "I'm gonna go to the porch."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some doughnuts in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the porch 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," Agnes responded, as she sat down to her doughnuts. "Let's hang lots of ivory balloons and cover the china hutch and the rug with amber crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her mother resignedly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Vera Nolan. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a whisk."
"Big whoop," Agnes responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a wink. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."