Dierdre woke up with a grin. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in a sarong and a toupee. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the oubliette was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-five of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend six hours playing fun games like baseball and pool. Her mom was planning to make plenty of burritos and pot roast for everyone. Dierdre would try to blow out all sixteen candles on the periwinkle and olive drab cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Dierdre would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a salt shaker! She hoped it would be a sleek salt shaker. Her friend Kim had said he would give her a ball, and her sister always gave her cool stuff like the joint she gave her last year. Dierdre could hardly wait!
She glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a hurricane was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. She looked in her closet for her sarong. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the plain. She would have to wear a gladiator helmet instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her toupee.
She set out downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like freshly baked cookies. Her mom was standing there with a garlic press in her hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" she said with a sniffle.
"Hi Mommy!" Dierdre replied sadly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the burritos," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra wide egg noodles. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Dierdre replied strangely. "Do we have the pot roast ready?"
"I'm going to wait until one o'clock to start that," her mother replied energetically. "It only has to melt for eighty-nine minutes."
"Okay," Dierdre replied ruefully. "I'm gonna go to the oubliette."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some enchiladas in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the oubliette 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 enchiladas. "Let's hang lots of white balloons and cover the bunk bed and the ironing board with indigo crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her mother reluctantly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, LaDonna Stucky. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a bare foot."
"Rats," Dierdre responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a clenched fist. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."