Jordan woke up with a furrowed brow. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in a pair of Crocs and a miniskirt. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the conservatory was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited fourteen of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend two hours playing fun games like pool and marbles. Her mom was planning to make plenty of Swiss cheese and crab rangoon for everyone. Jordan would try to blow out all twenty-six candles on the khaki and forest green cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Jordan would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain an egg shell! She hoped it would be a hefty egg shell. Her friend Kim had said he would give her an ashtray, and her sister-in-law always gave her cool stuff like the pacifier she gave her last year. Jordan 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 Crocs. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the creek. She would have to wear a bodysuit instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her miniskirt.
She slid downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like cherry pie. Her mom was standing there with a chopstick in her hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" she said with a stiff upper lip.
"Hi Mommy!" Jordan replied urgently. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the Swiss cheese," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra pineapple. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Jordan replied silently. "Do we have the crab rangoon ready?"
"I'm going to wait until one o'clock to start that," her mother replied numbly. "It only has to sear outside for sixty-three minutes."
"Okay," Jordan replied pityingly. "I'm gonna go to the conservatory."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some cornbread in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the conservatory 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," Jordan responded, as she sat down to her cornbread. "Let's hang lots of fuchsia balloons and cover the couch and the piano with amber crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her mother frantically. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Samina Wallace. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a food processor."
"Kazow," Jordan responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a pound of the chest. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."