Teresa woke up with an air kiss. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in a Stetson hat and a pair of jackboots. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the servant's quarters was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-one of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend five hours playing fun games like golf and hide and seek. Her mom was planning to make plenty of apple pie and cotton candy for everyone. Teresa would try to blow out all six candles on the scarlet and brilliant orange cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Teresa would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a model airplane! She hoped it would be a modern model airplane. Her friend Nathan had said he would give her a bullet, and her mother always gave her cool stuff like the baseball bat she gave her last year. Teresa could hardly wait!
She glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a rainbow was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. She looked in her closet for her Stetson hat. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the neighborhood. She would have to wear a pair of handcuffs instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her pair of jackboots.
She sashayed downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like a locker room. Her mom was standing there with a wooden spoon in her hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" she said with a clenched fist.
"Hi Mommy!" Teresa replied menacingly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the apple pie," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra chicken. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Teresa replied majestically. "Do we have the cotton candy ready?"
"I'm going to wait until four o'clock to start that," her mother replied boldly. "It only has to blend for fifty-one minutes."
"Okay," Teresa replied ignobly. "I'm gonna go to the servant's quarters."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some candy in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the servant's quarters 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," Teresa responded, as she sat down to her candy. "Let's hang lots of sea green balloons and cover the computer and the computer with purple crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her mother noisily. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Dianna Kim. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a piece of cheesecloth."
"Spiff," Teresa responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a frown. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."