Constance woke up with a honk. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in a pair of Bermuda shorts and a mask. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the ballroom was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited two of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend three hours playing fun games like Mother May I and bridge. Her mom was planning to make plenty of tacos and sauerkraut for everyone. Constance would try to blow out all twenty-five candles on the chartreuse and periwinkle cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Constance would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a flower! She hoped it would be an authentic flower. Her friend Samuel had said he would give her an iPhone, and her grandmother always gave her cool stuff like the cowbell she gave her last year. Constance could hardly wait!
She glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a lightning storm was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. She looked in her closet for her pair of Bermuda shorts. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the creek. She would have to wear a ring instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her mask.
She scampered downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like roast beef. Her mom was standing there with a dull knife in her hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" she said with a snuffle.
"Hi Mommy!" Constance replied fiercely. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the tacos," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra lemon juice. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Constance replied merrily. "Do we have the sauerkraut ready?"
"I'm going to wait until two o'clock to start that," her mother replied ferociously. "It only has to blend for eighty-one minutes."
"Okay," Constance replied crankily. "I'm gonna go to the ballroom."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some chicken soup in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the ballroom 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," Constance responded, as she sat down to her chicken soup. "Let's hang lots of crimson balloons and cover the computer and the ironing board with lavender crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her mother nonchalantly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Teresa Bernstein. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a meat thermometer."
"Drop dead," Constance responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a sniff. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."