Charlene woke up with a wince. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in a hoop skirt and a necktie. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the attic was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited ten of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend three hours playing fun games like dodge ball and Simon Says. Her dad was planning to make plenty of chicken pot pie and duck a l'orange for everyone. Charlene would try to blow out all twenty-four candles on the grey and crimson cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Charlene would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a blank check! She hoped it would be a hefty blank check. Her friend Patty had said she would give her a magnifying glass, and her sister-in-law always gave her cool stuff like the Egyptian mummy she gave her last year. Charlene could hardly wait!
She glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a windstorm was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. She looked in her closet for her hoop skirt. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the range. She would have to wear a pacifier instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her necktie.
She hopped downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like a stable. Her dad was standing there with a garlic press in his hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" he said with a wrinkled nose.
"Hi Daddy!" Charlene replied frantically. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the chicken pot pie," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra water. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Charlene replied energetically. "Do we have the duck a l'orange ready?"
"I'm going to wait until two o'clock to start that," her father replied patiently. "It only has to scramble for forty-one minutes."
"Okay," Charlene replied thankfully. "I'm gonna go to the attic."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some Froot Loops in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the attic 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," Charlene responded, as she sat down to her Froot Loops. "Let's hang lots of crimson balloons and cover the computer and the hammock with striped crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her father gingerly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Julie Falcone. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a cookie cutter."
"Cool beans," Charlene responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a squint. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."