Edna woke up with a pout. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in a swimsuit and a pair of knickerbockers. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the parlor was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited three of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend eight hours playing fun games like volleyball and leapfrog. Her dad was planning to make plenty of cabbage rolls and lasagna for everyone. Edna would try to blow out all twenty-four candles on the pea green and purple cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Edna would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain an oriental vase! She hoped it would be a tiny oriental vase. Her friend Phyllis had said she would give her a biscuit, and her grandpa always gave her cool stuff like the candy bar she gave her last year. Edna 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 swimsuit. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the cesspool. She would have to wear a floppy hat instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her pair of knickerbockers.
She climbed downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like roasted peppers. Her dad was standing there with a pair of tongs in his hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" he said with a snort.
"Hi Daddy!" Edna replied brightly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the cabbage rolls," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra bananas. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Edna replied unabashedly. "Do we have the lasagna ready?"
"I'm going to wait until one o'clock to start that," her father replied hopelessly. "It only has to bake at 450 degrees F for fifty-four minutes."
"Okay," Edna replied kindly. "I'm gonna go to the parlor."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some Cheerios in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the parlor 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," Edna responded, as she sat down to her Cheerios. "Let's hang lots of black balloons and cover the pillow and the washing machine with jet black crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her father warmly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Stephanie André. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a potato peeler."
"Far out, man," Edna responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a snort. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."