Francie woke up with a snarl. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in a bedsheet and a bulletproof vest. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the living room was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited three of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend six hours playing fun games like Snakes and Ladders and Russian roulette. Her dad was planning to make plenty of pancakes and shrimp for everyone. Francie would try to blow out all thirty-five candles on the black and periwinkle cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Francie would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a houseplant! She hoped it would be a crooked houseplant. Her friend Meg had said she would give her a Van Gogh, and her wife always gave her cool stuff like the Bunsen burner she gave her last year. Francie could hardly wait!
She glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a flood was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. She looked in her closet for her bedsheet. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the oasis. She would have to wear a baseball cap instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her bulletproof vest.
She sprinted downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like liver and onions. Her dad was standing there with a ladle in his hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" he said with a fist bump.
"Hi Daddy!" Francie replied angrily. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the pancakes," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra chili powder. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Francie replied sympathetically. "Do we have the shrimp ready?"
"I'm going to wait until eleven o'clock to start that," her father replied unexpectedly. "It only has to broil for thirty-six minutes."
"Okay," Francie replied sourly. "I'm gonna go to the living room."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some sauerkraut in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the living room 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," Francie responded, as she sat down to her sauerkraut. "Let's hang lots of olive green balloons and cover the crib and the overstuffed chair with beige crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her father accidentally. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Bonnie Hopkins. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has an ice pick."
"Anyhoo," Francie responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a growl. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."