Nookie woke up with a snicker. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in a pair of toe shoes and a poncho. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the hall was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited eight of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend four hours playing fun games like old maid and musical chairs. Her mom was planning to make plenty of jambalaya and tuna casserole for everyone. Nookie would try to blow out all twenty-five candles on the pink and sea green cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Nookie would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain an Egyptian mummy! She hoped it would be a flaky Egyptian mummy. Her friend Bradley had said he would give her a battery, and her mentor always gave her cool stuff like the piece of chalk she gave her last year. Nookie could hardly wait!
She glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a dense fog was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. She looked in her closet for her pair of toe shoes. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the marsh. She would have to wear a birthday suit instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her poncho.
She hobbled downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like Chanel No. 5. Her mom was standing there with a spatula in her hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" she said with a smack.
"Hi Mommy!" Nookie replied woefully. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the jambalaya," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra cod fillets. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Nookie replied shakily. "Do we have the tuna casserole ready?"
"I'm going to wait until nine o'clock to start that," her mother replied thoughtfully. "It only has to sear outside for three minutes."
"Okay," Nookie replied irritably. "I'm gonna go to the hall."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some pecan pie 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 mother replied. "Remember, I'm depending on you to help with the decorating."
"Oh yeah," Nookie responded, as she sat down to her pecan pie. "Let's hang lots of fuchsia balloons and cover the hatstand and the wooden crate with crimson crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her mother anxiously. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Isabel Darnell. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a spatula."
"Well," Nookie responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with an evil eye. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."