Hazel woke up with a squint. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in a stovepipe hat and a cowboy hat. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the tool shed 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 Rummy and pool. Her mom was planning to make plenty of tuna casserole and banana split for everyone. Hazel would try to blow out all five candles on the burgundy and jet black cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Hazel would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a bird cage! She hoped it would be a bulky bird cage. Her friend Victor had said he would give her a wire stripper, and her cousin always gave her cool stuff like the soccer ball she gave her last year. Hazel could hardly wait!
She glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a sandstorm was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. She looked in her closet for her stovepipe hat. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the outback. She would have to wear a burqa instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her cowboy hat.
She flew downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like hairspray. Her mom was standing there with an oven mitt in her hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" she said with a fist bump.
"Hi Mommy!" Hazel replied blissfully. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the tuna casserole," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra white beans. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Hazel replied merrily. "Do we have the banana split ready?"
"I'm going to wait until six o'clock to start that," her mother replied tenderly. "It only has to heat in microwave for forty-nine minutes."
"Okay," Hazel replied humbly. "I'm gonna go to the tool shed."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some tofu in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the tool shed 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," Hazel responded, as she sat down to her tofu. "Let's hang lots of golden balloons and cover the workbench and the nightstand with periwinkle crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her mother happily. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Fran Del Genio. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a pair of tongs."
"Alright," Hazel responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a gasp. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."