Julieann woke up with a smile. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in a sari and a pair of moccasins. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the laundry room was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited sixteen of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend three hours playing fun games like chess and marbles. Her mom was planning to make plenty of macaroni and mushroom quiche for everyone. Julieann would try to blow out all ten candles on the lavender and camouflage cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Julieann would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a flower! She hoped it would be a big flower. Her friend Kenneth had said he would give her a stick, and her grandmother always gave her cool stuff like the watering can she gave her last year. Julieann could hardly wait!
She glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a humid day was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. She looked in her closet for her sari. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the hayfield. She would have to wear a gas mask instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her pair of moccasins.
She sped downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like a swamp. Her mom was standing there with a paring knife in her hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" she said with a pout.
"Hi Mommy!" Julieann replied properly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the macaroni," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra Italian seasoning. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Julieann replied stealthily. "Do we have the mushroom quiche ready?"
"I'm going to wait until eleven o'clock to start that," her mother replied cruelly. "It only has to smoke for sixty-five minutes."
"Okay," Julieann replied threateningly. "I'm gonna go to the laundry room."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some crab rangoon in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the laundry room 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," Julieann responded, as she sat down to her crab rangoon. "Let's hang lots of yellow balloons and cover the table and the stool with chartreuse crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her mother urgently. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Margaret Chang. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a strainer."
"Hmm," Julieann responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a shiver. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."