Laci woke up with a giggle. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in a vest and a cap. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the attic was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited sixteen of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend two hours playing fun games like roulette and blackjack. Her mom was planning to make plenty of cabbage and spaghetti for everyone. Laci would try to blow out all twenty-five candles on the indigo and jet black cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Laci would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a flowerpot! She hoped it would be a polished flowerpot. Her friend Jimmie Lee had said he would give her a package, and her grandpa always gave her cool stuff like the clock she gave her last year. Laci could hardly wait!
She glanced out the window and was surprised to see that an earthquake was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. She looked in her closet for her vest. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the canyon. She would have to wear a stethoscope instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her cap.
She stalked downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like fingernail polish remover. Her mom was standing there with a chopstick in her hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" she said with a wag of the finger.
"Hi Mommy!" Laci replied quietly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the cabbage," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra fresh garlic. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Laci replied lazily. "Do we have the spaghetti ready?"
"I'm going to wait until eight o'clock to start that," her mother replied uneasily. "It only has to simmer for one minute."
"Okay," Laci replied needlessly. "I'm gonna go to the attic."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some fondue in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the attic 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," Laci responded, as she sat down to her fondue. "Let's hang lots of mauve balloons and cover the ping-pong table and the computer with polka dotted crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her mother glibly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Zoe Suzuki. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a foot."
"Scat," Laci responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a roar. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."