Belle woke up with a wrinkled nose. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in a pair of bloomers and a pair of earmuffs. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the bedroom was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited seven of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend two hours playing fun games like dominos and crazy eights. Her dad was planning to make plenty of blueberry pie and macaroni and cheese for everyone. Belle would try to blow out all five candles on the golden and periwinkle cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Belle would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a key! She hoped it would be a decrepit key. Her friend Oksana had said she would give her a trash can, and her mom always gave her cool stuff like the ball she gave her last year. Belle could hardly wait!
She glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a hot, sunny day was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. She looked in her closet for her pair of bloomers. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the neighborhood. She would have to wear a flak jacket instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her pair of earmuffs.
She careened downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like burning trash. Her dad was standing there with a candy thermometer in his hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" he said with a glare.
"Hi Daddy!" Belle replied intensely. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the blueberry pie," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra whipping cream. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Belle replied cheerfully. "Do we have the macaroni and cheese ready?"
"I'm going to wait until three o'clock to start that," her father replied stupidly. "It only has to roast for thirty-six minutes."
"Okay," Belle replied craftily. "I'm gonna go to the bedroom."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some duck a l'orange in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the bedroom 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," Belle responded, as she sat down to her duck a l'orange. "Let's hang lots of crimson balloons and cover the coffee table and the ping-pong table with maroon crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her father fearlessly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Elena Dowd. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a pair of tongs."
"Absolutely," Belle responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a wag of the finger. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."