Merna woke up with a flush. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in an Eton jacket and a pair of Oxfords. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the bathroom was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-four of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend five hours playing fun games like Cootie and hide and seek. Her dad was planning to make plenty of burritos and ravioli for everyone. Merna would try to blow out all twenty-one candles on the orange and maroon cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Merna would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a screwdriver! She hoped it would be a frilly screwdriver. Her friend Priscilla had said she would give her a coconut, and her dad always gave her cool stuff like the spoon she gave her last year. Merna could hardly wait!
She glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a bit of precipitation was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. She looked in her closet for her Eton jacket. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the village. She would have to wear a Panama hat instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her pair of Oxfords.
She hobbled downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like incense. Her dad was standing there with a potato peeler in his hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" he said with a death glare.
"Hi Daddy!" Merna replied arrogantly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the burritos," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra soy sauce. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Merna replied quietly. "Do we have the ravioli ready?"
"I'm going to wait until twelve o'clock to start that," her father replied elatedly. "It only has to bake at 450 degrees F for sixty-seven minutes."
"Okay," Merna replied quietly. "I'm gonna go to the bathroom."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some beans in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the bathroom 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," Merna responded, as she sat down to her beans. "Let's hang lots of hot pink balloons and cover the hope chest and the hammock with scarlet crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her father proudly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Evelyn Clooney. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a foot."
"Shoo," Merna responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a dope slap. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."