Elena woke up with a snuffle. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in a pair of overalls and a pair of nylons. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the ballroom was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-three of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend six hours playing fun games like Monopoly and pool. Her dad was planning to make plenty of ravioli and lobster for everyone. Elena would try to blow out all twenty-one candles on the maroon and salmon cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Elena would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a billiard ball! She hoped it would be a ruined billiard ball. Her friend Nettie had said she would give her a pain pill, and her grandfather always gave her cool stuff like the teapot she gave her last year. Elena could hardly wait!
She glanced out the window and was surprised to see that an ice storm was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. She looked in her closet for her pair of overalls. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the gulch. She would have to wear a big red rose instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her pair of nylons.
She dove downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like fried chicken. Her dad was standing there with a strainer in his hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" he said with a backward glance.
"Hi Daddy!" Elena replied later. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the ravioli," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra egg noodles. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Elena replied menacingly. "Do we have the lobster ready?"
"I'm going to wait until one o'clock to start that," her father replied strictly. "It only has to toast for fifty-two minutes."
"Okay," Elena replied frantically. "I'm gonna go to the ballroom."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some jambalaya in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the ballroom 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," Elena responded, as she sat down to her jambalaya. "Let's hang lots of orange balloons and cover the coffee table and the bunk bed with burgundy crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her father trustingly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Kjersten Fisher. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a grater."
"Too much," Elena responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a cackle. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."