Lynn woke up with a raspberry. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in a Hawaiian shirt and a jogging suit. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the servant's quarters was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-seven of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend seven hours playing fun games like blackjack and Simon Says. Her dad was planning to make plenty of oatmeal and tofu for everyone. Lynn would try to blow out all six candles on the brilliant orange and golden cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Lynn would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a magnet! She hoped it would be an ordinary magnet. Her friend Jan had said she would give her a pair of scissors, and her aunt always gave her cool stuff like the model airplane she gave her last year. Lynn could hardly wait!
She glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a pelting rainstorm was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. She looked in her closet for her Hawaiian shirt. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the valley. She would have to wear a kimono instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her jogging suit.
She flounced downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like cedar. Her dad was standing there with a meat tenderizer in his hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" he said with a coo.
"Hi Daddy!" Lynn replied craftily. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the oatmeal," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra dark beer. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Lynn replied valiantly. "Do we have the tofu ready?"
"I'm going to wait until one o'clock to start that," her father replied stupidly. "It only has to heat for thirty-seven minutes."
"Okay," Lynn replied breathlessly. "I'm gonna go to the servant's quarters."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some pumpkin pie in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the servant's quarters 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," Lynn responded, as she sat down to her pumpkin pie. "Let's hang lots of maroon balloons and cover the mattress and the end table with turquoise crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her father queerly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Brook Bennett. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a slotted spoon."
"Son of a gun," Lynn responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a pucker. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."