Can You Feel My Heart (MFF)

1. Ugly Dresses and Silly Faces

They were running late.

They were always running late, but this day, they were running so far behind that Violet debated on not going to church at all. If her parents wouldn't throw a hissy fit over her absence, she would say screw it, and just cuddle with Destiny on her twin-size bed and watch Disney channel all morning. But her parents would notice and World War III would ensue, something that Violet tried to avoid on a daily basis.

Instead, she forced a pink frilly dress over Destiny's head, for the hundredth time, zipping it quickly before Destiny wormed her way out of it again. Her daughter scrunched up her nose in distaste, pulling the satin material away from her body, looking up at Violet as if to say, 'seriously, Mom? I have to wear this pink disaster?'

"Sorry baby girl, but your Mam-maw will have my head if you show up wearing normal clothes." Violet ran her fingers through her daughter's downy soft, light brown curls, tucking a stray curl behind her ear. "Isn't it pretty! Mam-maw was so nice getting you such a pretty dress!" she said in fake cheerfulness.

"Itches. Off mom," Destiny whined, pulling at the lace bordered collar. "Itches."

Aquamarine eyes pleaded with Violet, eyes that were so much like her own, begging to take the dress off of her.

"Itches," she reiterated, just in case Violet wasn't paying attention.

"It's only for a few hours, Destiny," Violet sighed, turning away, trying to hide the laughter from seeing her daughter's look of absolute disgust.

"No."

Violet laughed and started for her closet, searching for something that her parents would consider okay for church, a nearly possible task. Her mother, in a rare moment of generosity, had picked up clothes for both her and Destiny at a resale shop. Sadly, or maybe it was luckily, she had gotten Violet the wrong size and everything hung off of her.

Violet's fingers danced over hangers before she settled on her cleanest looking plaid shirt, she grabbed it, a pair of skinny jeans, and her favorite Mayday Parade t-shirt.

She dressed quickly, a habit she had picked up over the past year. Dressed and ready to take on the world, she turned, only to throw her hands up into the air and pray for patience.

Destiny had stripped herself of the dress and crawled on top of Violet's bed, her fingers working the strings of her little black Con's. Her pink tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth, determination in her eyes as she tried to untie her shoes. If Violet had a camera, she would have paused for a moment to snap a picture.

"Destiny," she said in exasperation. They really did need to hurry up and leave or she would never hear the end of it. "Baby girl, come on, get the dress back on."

"No." She didn't give up on her task or even give her mother a second's notice. "May-made, ike mama."

"Baby girl," she sighed as she reached for Destiny. "You have to wear the dress Mam-maw picked out for you. Do you know how much hell your mama will catch if we show up without it?"

Destiny stilled her fingers and looked up at Violet like she understood every word her mother had said. Considering her for a moment before breaking out into high pitched giggles.

"Nassy urd."

Of course she only picked up on the cuss word. Of course.

"Yes, I said a nasty word. Mommy's do that sometimes. But that's not important," she started as she took the shoes from Destiny's hands and placed them on the bed. "The important thing is to get you dressed in this..."