Fawn woke up with a honk. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in a corset and a pair of handcuffs. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the library was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited thirty of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend six hours playing fun games like seven-up and Snakes and Ladders. Her mom was planning to make plenty of refried beans and ceviche for everyone. Fawn would try to blow out all thirty-one candles on the polka dotted and brown cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Fawn would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a diagram! She hoped it would be a papery diagram. Her friend Saul had said he would give her a snowball, and her dad always gave her cool stuff like the key she gave her last year. Fawn could hardly wait!
She glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a drizzle was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. She looked in her closet for her corset. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the canyon. She would have to wear a pair of bloomers instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her pair of handcuffs.
She skittered downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like dill pickles. Her mom was standing there with an oven mitt in her hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" she said with a simper.
"Hi Mommy!" Fawn replied wearily. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the refried beans," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra chopped pecans. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Fawn replied arrogantly. "Do we have the ceviche ready?"
"I'm going to wait until twelve o'clock to start that," her mother replied ingeniously. "It only has to sear for sixty-nine minutes."
"Okay," Fawn replied intensely. "I'm gonna go to the library."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some oyster on the half-shell in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the library 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," Fawn responded, as she sat down to her oyster on the half-shell. "Let's hang lots of brilliant orange balloons and cover the counter and the couch with golden crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her mother tenderly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Linda Hensley. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has an ice pick."
"Doubtful," Fawn responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a grunt. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."