Maybie woke up with a smile. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in a tool belt and a bulletproof vest. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the master bedroom was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited six of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend six hours playing fun games like rummy and Mother May I. Her mom was planning to make plenty of Hamburger Helper and Cheerios for everyone. Maybie would try to blow out all twenty-two candles on the silver and striped cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Maybie would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a joint! She hoped it would be a sleek joint. Her friend Danny had said he would give her a fire hose, and her dad always gave her cool stuff like the can of sardines she gave her last year. Maybie could hardly wait!
She glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a flood was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. She looked in her closet for her tool belt. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the mountainside. She would have to wear a kimono instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her bulletproof vest.
She proceeded downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like pickles. Her mom was standing there with an ice pick in her hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" she said with a beam.
"Hi Mommy!" Maybie replied unabashedly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the Hamburger Helper," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra pimientos. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Maybie replied curiously. "Do we have the Cheerios ready?"
"I'm going to wait until eleven o'clock to start that," her mother replied coldly. "It only has to fry for sixteen minutes."
"Okay," Maybie replied roughly. "I'm gonna go to the master bedroom."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some hash in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the master bedroom 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," Maybie responded, as she sat down to her hash. "Let's hang lots of olive drab balloons and cover the beanbag chair and the hatstand with teal crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her mother breathlessly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Heidi Small. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a pair of chopsticks."
"Hang it," Maybie responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a chuckle. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."