Lindy woke up with a stiff upper lip. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in a pair of sweatpants and a cheerleader's uniform. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the boudoir was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited eight of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend two hours playing fun games like solitaire and Russian roulette. Her dad was planning to make plenty of lamb curry and lime sherbet for everyone. Lindy would try to blow out all thirty-five candles on the fuchsia and peach cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Lindy would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a bat! She hoped it would be a smooth bat. Her friend Stella had said she would give her a camera, and her dad always gave her cool stuff like the boomerang she gave her last year. Lindy could hardly wait!
She glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a hot, sunny day was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. She looked in her closet for her pair of sweatpants. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the garden. She would have to wear a feather boa instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her cheerleader's uniform.
She hopped downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like anise. Her dad was standing there with a garlic press in his hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" he said with a sneer.
"Hi Daddy!" Lindy replied resignedly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the lamb curry," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra white wine. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Lindy replied sweetly. "Do we have the lime sherbet ready?"
"I'm going to wait until eight o'clock to start that," her father replied brashly. "It only has to slow cook for fifty-six minutes."
"Okay," Lindy replied cruelly. "I'm gonna go to the boudoir."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some squash blossom soup in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the boudoir 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," Lindy responded, as she sat down to her squash blossom soup. "Let's hang lots of rose balloons and cover the stairway and the billiard table with chocolate brown crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her father unabashedly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Janet Olson. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has an ice pick."
"Rubbish," Lindy responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a frown. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."