Eloise woke up with a dope slap. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in a fig leaf and a body shirt. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the kitchen was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited one of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend seven hours playing fun games like Mother May I and Monopoly. Her dad was planning to make plenty of pot roast and lamb curry for everyone. Eloise would try to blow out all twelve candles on the crimson and green cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Eloise would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a bouquet! She hoped it would be a colossal bouquet. Her friend Julieann had said she would give her a pair of pliers, and her mommy always gave her cool stuff like the bell she gave her last year. Eloise could hardly wait!
She glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a typhoon was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. She looked in her closet for her fig leaf. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the cliff. She would have to wear an Eton jacket instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her body shirt.
She flew downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like a Chinese restaurant. Her dad was standing there with a basting brush in his hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" he said with a grin.
"Hi Daddy!" Eloise replied gently. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the pot roast," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra garlic powder. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Eloise replied shyly. "Do we have the lamb curry ready?"
"I'm going to wait until five o'clock to start that," her father replied wryly. "It only has to bake at 450 degrees F for forty-two minutes."
"Okay," Eloise replied steadily. "I'm gonna go to the kitchen."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some lasagna in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the kitchen 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," Eloise responded, as she sat down to her lasagna. "Let's hang lots of teal balloons and cover the mattress and the bookshelf with hot pink crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her father diligently. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Monica Thompson. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a garlic press."
"Retch," Eloise responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with an evil eye. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."