Kay woke up with a smirk. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in a wristwatch and a midi skirt. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the hall was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited thirteen of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend two hours playing fun games like cribbage and tennis. Her dad was planning to make plenty of lobster and clam chowder for everyone. Kay would try to blow out all twenty-one candles on the terra cotta and navy blue cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Kay would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a hair dryer! She hoped it would be a fuzzy hair dryer. Her friend Keiko had said she would give her a business card, and her sister-in-law always gave her cool stuff like the handkerchief she gave her last year. Kay could hardly wait!
She glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a snowstorm was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. She looked in her closet for her wristwatch. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the island. She would have to wear a bulletproof vest instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her midi skirt.
She sauntered downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like Estée Lauder. Her dad was standing there with a dull knife in his hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" he said with a beam.
"Hi Daddy!" Kay replied bitterly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the lobster," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra Italian seasoning. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Kay replied uselessly. "Do we have the clam chowder ready?"
"I'm going to wait until six o'clock to start that," her father replied cautiously. "It only has to sear outside for seven minutes."
"Okay," Kay replied cruelly. "I'm gonna go to the hall."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some fried chicken in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the hall 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," Kay responded, as she sat down to her fried chicken. "Let's hang lots of ivory balloons and cover the settee and the bar stool with camouflage crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her father nimbly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Eppie German. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a sharp knife."
"OMG," Kay responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a honk. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."