Summer Butterflies

Don't worry, I'll be there

I stood in front of the nail salon, waiting for my mother and sister to arrive. It was the beginning of summer, the breeze was warm and the temperature was finally reaching over eighty. The city of Atlanta was bustling as usual. The different smells of the many restaurants filling the air as they prepared for the lunch rush.

"Ally!" I heard my sister's voice and shot my head up in her direction. Her long blonde hair moving with the wind. My mother not far behind, typing frantically on her phone.

"Hey Kate," I smiled, "what took you so long? I've been waiting for almost twenty minutes." She rolled her eyes and shot a look at our mother.

"She took forever at the mall. I had to practically drag her out." Kate opened the door to the nail salon and led us in. Our mother still not looking up from her conversation, not even to greet me. This was normal behavior for her. When she wasn't absolutely dictating our lives, she was ignoring us. She engrossed herself more into Kate, obviously valuing my twin over me.

Unless someone mentioned it, most people didn't even know we were twins. We weren't identical, in fact we almost didn't look related. She favored our mother, with her beautiful blonde hair and dazzling green eyes and I took after our father, with my copper colored  hair, freckled face, and blue eyes. She could achieve a beautiful tan while I burned almost immediately. She was naturally gifted in every sport she tried, while I could barely walk in a straight line without falling. I, however, excelled in academics while she barely graduated if it weren't for our family's money.

"Don't slouch Ally." My mother commented. We had been seated already, the salon worker setting up the water for our pedicures. This was a normal Friday for us. Appearance was very important to our mother. If we had even a hangnail, she would fret over it. She believed no man would want to marry an unkept girl. She had been searching for our husbands since we were fifteen years old.

Our father, Richard Clyde, was one of the most wealthiest men in all of Georgia, earning his wealth from his jewelry company. He never let his wealth go to his head, however, I could not say the same about our mother. She's never worked a day in her life, marrying our father when she was eighteen, and he was nineteen. They married for love. He hadn't come into the money yet. That didn't happen until he was almost thirty, but when it did my mother was hooked. We grew up learning to be perfect trophy wives. Neither one of us were allowed to go to college. And hair and nail appointments were a weekly must.

"Ugh, what does she want?" I glanced over to see my grandmother's name pop up on my mother's phone. She hesitated for a moment before finally picking it up.

"Hello...Oh I'm sorry to hear that Mom." She said casually, "No, I can't do that. I don't have time. I'm sure a nurse can come stay with you after the surgery-"

I snatched the phone from her hand, causing her to stare at me in shock. "Allison!"

"Hey Grandma! It's me, Ally. What did you need?" I asked, ignoring the tomato faced woman beside me.

"Ally! Hey dear, well I was just asking your mother if she could come stay with me for a few months after I have reconstructive surgery on my knee. I fell mucking out the stalls the other day." Her tired voice said.

"I'll do it Grandma. When is your surgery?" I'm pretty sure my mother wanted to explode, but I didn't care. Kate still focused on her phone, probably not even registering the conversation.

"It's Tuesday. I just left my doctor. He insists I'll need help around the house for a little while. The farm hand will handle the animals and garden. So, it would just be the house you'd need to care for, well and me." I could hear the anxiety in her voice. I cut my eyes over to my mother. How could she not want to help her own mother?

"I'll leave early tomorrow Grandma, don't worry, I'll be there." She thanked me in her normal cheerful voice. We said our goodbyes and I tossed the phone back into my mother's lap.

"Great, so you're going to play farm for two months? You know Summer is the best season to look for husbands." Her green eyes cut over to me. Kate nodded in agreement, probably only hearing the part about finding a husband. She took after our mother in more than just looks. She wasn't as shallow, but still money hungry.

I scoffed and stood up, startling the poor salon worker. I apologized, grabbing my purse, slipping on my shoes, and leaving without another word to either my mother or sister.

A/N So, what do you guys think? Longer or shorter chapters? I have more written but want to see how I need to split the chapters. Thanks for your feedback!!

~Chasity