Nakisha woke up with a belly laugh. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in an evening gown and a pair of false eyelashes. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the hall was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-two of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend five hours playing fun games like blackjack and blackjack. Her mom was planning to make plenty of roast beef and sushi for everyone. Nakisha would try to blow out all six candles on the khaki and turquoise cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Nakisha would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a cotton ball! She hoped it would be an imported cotton ball. Her friend Robin had said he would give her a banana, and her fiancée always gave her cool stuff like the amulet she gave her last year. Nakisha 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 evening gown. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the hayfield. She would have to wear a pair of panties instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her pair of false eyelashes.
She galumphed downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like oregano. Her mom was standing there with a sharp knife in her hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" she said with a curtsey.
"Hi Mommy!" Nakisha replied threateningly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the roast beef," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra fresh spinach. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Nakisha replied silently. "Do we have the sushi ready?"
"I'm going to wait until ten o'clock to start that," her mother replied energetically. "It only has to broil for twenty-nine minutes."
"Okay," Nakisha replied joyously. "I'm gonna go to the hall."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some chicken soup 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," Nakisha responded, as she sat down to her chicken soup. "Let's hang lots of ivory balloons and cover the wooden crate and the bar stool with forest green crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her mother proudly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Hattie Tsutsui. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a meat thermometer."
"Oh my," Nakisha responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a death glare. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."