Geraldine woke up with a coo. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in a pair of nylons and a gladiator helmet. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the workshop was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-eight of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend one hour playing fun games like jump rope and treasure hunt. Her dad was planning to make plenty of oatmeal and egg drop soup for everyone. Geraldine would try to blow out all fourteen candles on the lavender and crimson cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Geraldine would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a cracker! She hoped it would be a wet cracker. Her friend Rosemary had said she would give her a battery, and her main squeeze always gave her cool stuff like the cookbook she gave her last year. Geraldine could hardly wait!
She glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a sleet storm was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. She looked in her closet for her pair of nylons. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the range. She would have to wear a pair of pantaloons instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her gladiator helmet.
She ambled downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like pesto. Her dad was standing there with a slotted spoon in his hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" he said with a sigh.
"Hi Daddy!" Geraldine replied hysterically. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the oatmeal," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra cod fillets. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Geraldine replied offhandedly. "Do we have the egg drop soup ready?"
"I'm going to wait until seven o'clock to start that," her father replied demurely. "It only has to spoon into container for sixty-three minutes."
"Okay," Geraldine replied fearlessly. "I'm gonna go to the workshop."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some dry toast in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the workshop 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," Geraldine responded, as she sat down to her dry toast. "Let's hang lots of scarlet balloons and cover the bookshelf and the recliner with red crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her father speedily. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Beatrice Stucky. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a wooden spoon."
"Awesome," Geraldine responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a flush. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."