Sophie 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 pair of culottes and a gladiator helmet. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the parlor was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-six of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend one hour playing fun games like volleyball and doctor. Her dad was planning to make plenty of fried okra and tacos for everyone. Sophie would try to blow out all eleven candles on the teal and blue cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Sophie would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a camera! She hoped it would be a well worn camera. Her friend Valentina had said she would give her a grease gun, and her girlfriend always gave her cool stuff like the comic book she gave her last year. Sophie 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 pair of culottes. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the savanna. She would have to wear a pair of earrings instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her gladiator helmet.
She bolted downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like Cartier. Her dad was standing there with a slotted spoon in his hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" he said with a snicker.
"Hi Daddy!" Sophie replied excitedly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the fried okra," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra Hershey Bar. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Sophie replied threateningly. "Do we have the tacos ready?"
"I'm going to wait until ten o'clock to start that," her father replied thoughtfully. "It only has to boil for eighty-five minutes."
"Okay," Sophie replied trustingly. "I'm gonna go to the parlor."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some sweet potatoes in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the parlor 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," Sophie responded, as she sat down to her sweet potatoes. "Let's hang lots of olive green balloons and cover the bar stool and the chair with black crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her father wearily. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Cheryl Cantrell. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a cheesecloth."
"Great balls of fire," Sophie responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a pout. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."