It's weird--I'm nervous because I don't have a plot, exactly, and haven't even decided whether this is a science fiction story. But I'm having to stop myself from jotting down bits of actual dialogue ahead of time. Save them for other purposes, maybe.
With that in mind: "Marcie always knew what she wanted for her birthday. And she kept hoping that, some year, her mother would get it right. Her mother was well-intentioned, and always managed to get Marcie something that was almost--but not quite, crucially not quite--what she wanted."
With that in mind: "Marcie always knew what she wanted for her birthday. And she kept hoping that, some year, her mother would get it right. Her mother was well-intentioned, and always managed to get Marcie something that was almost--but not quite, crucially not quite--what she wanted."