Dierdre woke up with a sigh. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in a hat and a ribbon. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the conservatory was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-four of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend five hours playing fun games like cribbage and Clue. Her mom was planning to make plenty of refried beans and strawberry shortcake for everyone. Dierdre would try to blow out all thirty-three candles on the beige and brilliant orange cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Dierdre would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a weed whacker! She hoped it would be a shiny weed whacker. Her friend Zack had said he would give her a towel, and her mentor always gave her cool stuff like the sponge she gave her last year. Dierdre 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 hat. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the gulch. She would have to wear a pair of glasses instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her ribbon.
She climbed downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like cigars. Her mom was standing there with a pair of chopsticks in her hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" she said with a grunt.
"Hi Mommy!" Dierdre replied accidentally. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the refried beans," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra cheddar cheese. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Dierdre replied lovingly. "Do we have the strawberry shortcake ready?"
"I'm going to wait until seven o'clock to start that," her mother replied nimbly. "It only has to freeze for sixty-four minutes."
"Okay," Dierdre replied cautiously. "I'm gonna go to the conservatory."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some Swiss cheese in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the conservatory 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," Dierdre responded, as she sat down to her Swiss cheese. "Let's hang lots of fuchsia balloons and cover the stairway and the washstand with orange crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her mother happily. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Beulah Galloza. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a dish cloth."
"Very interesting," Dierdre responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a twitch. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."