All I Need

Fate’s chest hurt at how excited she was. She felt her heart pump excitedly against her rib cage, threatening to burst. She smiled a smile a bit too wide, but she didn’t care. Her mother gripped her hands in hers and began to speak again.

“And you’re going to plant the first rose…”

“What?” She exclaimed, practically jumping into her mother’s arms. “Oh, thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” Hopefully, you see how much of an honor it is to plant the first rose? Fate had not been expecting it, but when she got it, she knew it would be a sign of a good life ahead of her. Roses mean love, and she knew that this was a sign. But of what? Sometimes, she thought she had air in her head, for getting such crazy ideas, but she had this gut feeling something would happen. Something life changing. Bad? Hopefully not. Good? She really hoped so.

Her mother hugged her back, “Dear, please calm down. I haven’t even gotten to the part about your birthday being on such a day.” Her mother laughed gravely, rubbing her fingers through Fate’s hair as her grip only became tighter. Yes, they loved each other very much. They couldn’t imagine being away from each other.

“Oh, I love you, mother.” Fate sighed, taking in her flower-scented perfume through her nostrils. Mother was perfect in every way. She never wore too much, where it drowned out her beautiful, natural scent. Dad had loved it, too, but he was nowhere. One day, he had just disappeared. We never saw him again.

“I know, dear. I feel the same.” Fate pulled away, gazing into her mother’s pale green eyes. Fate’s were more vibrant, alive then her mother’s. Mother’s were paler, more aged then hers, showing her many years of experience. They were absolutely beautiful.

“Now, go get ready, we don’t want to let breakfast get cold.”

“Yes mother.” Her excitement hadn’t died down a bit as she raced up the spiral stairs and down many hallways to her bedroom, where she changed out of her t-shirt and changed into a silk blouse, and into a pair of jean capris. Putting on a pair of shoes that weren’t so ratty, she hopped out of her bedroom, a brush in hand, and brushed her hair as she ran down the stairs. Mother didn’t like her being late. She hated even the word.

So of course, Fate learned to hate it too. You know what they say. Like mother, like daughter.

Fate stopped her jog as she entered the dining room, slowing into a formal walk. Mother didn’t like it when she rushed; she said it was un-lady like, and she hates to see it when she’s fast-paced.

Mother would seem to hate a lot of things, but Fate loved her none-the-less. She wasn’t mean or nasty when she criticized. She would kindly correct her and Fate was sure not to do it again. It was as if she had found the very secret to being a perfect mother that Fate could never explain.

Mother glanced at her as she walked in, closing her eyes and nodding once as a greeting. She wore a velvet, blood red blouse with a choker neck, and a pearl button at the base of it. Fate couldn’t see her pants, but guessed it was a tight skirt with small frills at the end; it was mother’s favorite skirt.

“Hello, Darling.” She greeted her kindly, her eyes crinkled slightly at the corners and Fate smiled warmly.

“Hello to you, Mother.” She sat down in her chair and watched as the maids began to place trays on the table, removing their lids and looking at the masterpiece the cooks had prepared. Her favorite maid set a tray in front of her and smiled. Fate returned it eagerly. She had been with the family for several years, but because she was kind-hearted and good-humored. She was the only one who called them by their first names. Of course, Fate had tried to get some of the other maids to call her by her first name, but they didn’t think it sounded proper, so she just let them do it. Ella had been with Fate when she was a child and always knew how to make her laugh. Ella’s throat carried a thick Russian accent that Fate enjoyed to hear.

“I made your favorite.” Ella whispered joyfully, and walked back to the kitchen.

“May we talk about your birthday? I would like to make sure I got everything right.” Her mother mused, smiling her aging smile and picking up her fork. She didn’t put anything on it, yet.

Fate nodded excitedly and watched her mother thank a maid for filling her drink. “Yes, so Renaissance, am I correct? Ah, such wonderful days…” Her mother joked dreamily. Fate laughed.

“Mother, I know you’re not that old.” Fate tilted her head as her mother laughed, too.

“Okay, Renaissance. We will have it where we usually do, right?”

“Yes. It will be perfect!” Fate clapped her hands once, a smile stretching across her face. She could barely contain her excitement.

“May we go to the market this evening? I want to get a head start on picking your dress.” Fate nodded. Her dress. That was one of the best parts!

As they finished eating, the maids picked up empty trays and scurried to the kitchen. Mother wiped her mouth gracefully and spoke, “I suggest you get some more comfortable clothes on. Something easy to slip off if you are to try on dresses.”

“Yes, I suppose. May I be excused?”

Her mother nodded, and Fate couldn’t help but jump from her seat and run to her bedroom. She raced in and changed into a decent graphic shirt, a little too big, but it didn’t matter. She put on a pair of easy-to-get-off shorts and raced back downstairs. “I’m ready!” She called, her mother was standing in the doorway of the Dining room, just getting out, she believed.

Fate grabbed her mother’s hand and began desperately pulling her out the door.

“Wait! Fate, stop!” Her mother pulled her hand away from her grip, a halfhearted aggravated grin on her plump, pale face. “Be patient!” She laughed, and patted her shoulder. “Let me get my coat, please! Dear child, your going to give me a heart attack one day…”

Fate watched as mother grabbed her coat from the rack and unlocked the door, stepping out into the already nippy air. Winter was coming, sadly. Fate loved summer.

Fate followed her mother to the car. Fate told the driver to go to town, and soon they were on their way.



As they entered town, Fate kept her face glued to the window, watching as the passerby pulled children from small toyshops, and little girl’s gazed at large princess dresses through a glass window. She remembered when she was little, when she used to do the same thing. But then she remembered an unsettling memory she rather not have seen.

It was when she was five, she believed, and she had been gazing into the same toyshop. There was a stuffed animal behind the glass. A cat, more precisely. Fate loved cats. The stuffed animal had orange fur, with darker shades of orange stripes. It had the most gracious paws, like a tiger, she thought. That was when a little boy had come up to her through the snow.

He was in all black, with a yellow and brown knit cap. He was tall, much taller than Fate. Maybe seven. He gazed shyly at her through daring black eyes. “Do you like that?” He asked, pointing to the cat through the window.

“Yes. Yes I do.” Fate admitted, her feet shifting nervously in the snow as she blushed at the beautiful boy.

The boy smiled warmly, a full smile. He replied in the same shy voice. “I could get it for you.”

Fate looked up at him, her big green eyes searching his black ones. “Oh, you mean it?”

The boy nodded, smiling.

“Oh…I would like that very much, please.” She was sure the boy couldn’t tell if it was the snow that made her cheeks rosy, or him.

The boy walked up to the window, putting his hands on the glass. He seemed to be concentrating hard to do something. Fate watched curiously.

She gasped as she saw his hands go through the glass, and grab the cat from the shelf. He pulled it out with much effort, handing it to her with smile.

“Oh, thank you!” Fate said, hugging the cat to her chest.

It was then that she reached up, and kissed the boy on the cheek. He blushed, looking away, but still smiling. Fate was smiling, too.

She felt a question begin rising in the back of her throat. It burned, begging her to put it out into the world for all to hear. She was unsure, though. She had never had a friend and wasn’t sure how to make one, though, she imagined it was to be kind. She always saw her mother leave the mansion, a purse hanging below her elbow, and yell, “I’m going to dinner with a few friends of mine!” and then leave without another word. She was a child, and she was supposed to have friends, yet her mother had beat her to it. She wanted to have friends like her mother.

That burn in the back of her throat became too much to bear. She opened her mouth, the words about to pass her lips with so much intensity she was afraid she would yell it.

But then, a man had come over and grabbed the young boy’s hand, “Come along now, son.” He ordered in a deep voice. He wore a long, soft-looking coat that inched below his knees. The coat was held across him with big black buttons. She hardly got to see his face before reached out to grab the boy’s hand. Fate never reached him. He was pulled away from her. The boy looked sad as they got farther and farther from each other…

Fate shook away the memory. It must’ve been a dream. It was so faint; she couldn’t define it as a memory or a dream.

The car stopped in front of a store with a dazzling window display of cranberry and gold dresses. Fate gazed at them, before her mother hustled her out of the car and into the store.

“Hello, Mary!” A skimpy girl in a store uniform waved at my mother and Mother smiled back. The girl’s chestnut hair was in two braids, and she had very skinny limbs. Her diamond shaped face held two bright brown eyes, and a thin pair of lips with a perked up nose. The girl then seemed to notice Fate, and waved at her, too.

“Oh!” The girl exclaimed, walking from behind the counter to properly introduce herself. “I’m Gisele.” She held out her hand. Fate loved meeting new people, and she smiled back.

“I’m Fate.” She replied, and shook Giselle’s outstretched hand.

“Oh, I know. Everybody knows you.”

Fate was flattered. She couldn’t help but realize there was just about no one in this small town that didn’t know her.“Well…thank you.”

“May I help you find a dress?” Giselle asked, going back behind the desk and searching through many drawers.

“Yes, please.” Fate replied as mother came to stand beside her.

Giselle finally found what she had been searching for. It was a large binder, filled to the brim with many pages. “Pick anything from this catalogue and I can go get it from the back!” She smiled, opening it to the first page for us.

Mother and Fate walked up to the counter and she turned the laminated pages, searching through all the wonderful dresses. Fate was giddy with excitement and couldn’t keep still.

That was when she came across the most beautiful golden dress she had ever seen. It was strapless, and glittered even in the picture. The top part was draped over the lower part, pulled back in patterns that only a true designer could get right.

“This one.” Fate said, pointing to the princess-like gown. She could barely tear her eyes from it.

Mother glanced at it and her eyes widened as she looked at the price. “Oh! And it’s on sale…”

“Would you like me to bring it out for you to try on?” Giselle asked, looking wondrously at the dress.

“Yes, please.” She replied.

Giselle was gone for a long minute, maybe five, and came out with a large box.

Her mother whispered in her ear, “A marvelous choice, Fate, I remember wearing something similar when I got to plant the first rose.” Fate smiled and took the box from Giselle.

“I think you’ll need help putting it on. Our dresses can get pretty shifty.” Giselle followed her into a large dressing room, and helped her pull on the dress. They came out together, Giselle fiddling with the corset’s strings, tightening it tight enough, but not enough to kill her.

“Oh, honey, you look wonderful!” Her mother exclaimed, hugging her over the dress. “Are you sure you don’t want to look through the others before we get it?”

“Yes, I’m sure. This is the one.”

Fate and Giselle went back into the dressing room and she took off the dress. Fate changed back into her clothes and walked out. Giselle carried the dress to the counter and put it back in the box very neatly.

Mother slapped a credit card on the desk and Giselle slide it through the machine. “Thank you.” Giselle said, smiling.

“Giselle?” Fate asked.

“Yes?” She looked up at Fate, her brown eyes seemingly hopeful.

“You are coming to the planting of the roses, right?” She asked, leaning over the counter.

“Oh, uh…I’m not so sure. I don’t have the money to buy a dress.”

Fate smiled. This was something she could help her out with. Fate dug through her pocket and pulled out her wallet. Pulling out a couple of hundreds, she slipped it into her hand. “I can’t wait to see you there!” She called as she began to leave.

“Oh, thank you!” Giselle yelled after her, hugging her fist of money to her chest.

Every girl deserves to feel like a princess, Fate thought as she left the store, the bell ringing above her, and escaped through the snow to the car.