3. IDYLLIC

• • • • • THREE YEARS LATER - - - - -
• • • • • AUSTIN, TEXAS - - - - -

~ Violet ~

“Good morning, beautiful girl,”

Barbara greeted her daughter with a smile as Violet walked into the kitchen. Her feet and the hem of her dress were gliding on the hardwood floor. Barbara looked up and saw Violet smiling back at her. She was all dressed up and ready to go, wearing her favorite summer dress and a denim jacket. Her hair was cut shorter and curled. She still had the same fair features, but her high cheekbones showed that she had lost some of that baby fat from her teenage years.

“Good morning, mom,” Violet replied, taking a seat on the kitchen counter. “What are we having for breakfast?”

“We have… bread, cereal, and some leftover cake from your birthday last week,” Barbara said as she pulled out a half-eaten red-velvet cake from the fridge.

“Yum, I’ll take a slice,” said Violet.

Barbara cut out a piece of cake and served it on a plate for her. Last week was the fourth of July and Violet just turned twenty-two. They had a lovely barbecue and celebration for her out in the garden. It was probably the best thing she liked about living in the country, the ample gardens and greeneries.

Speaking of gardens, three years had passed since she ran out of the gardens of the Van Zandt estate. It was a split-second decision, but it changed the course of her life forever.

• BANG! *

It had been three years, but every time she closed her eyes, Violet could see it like it was yesterday. She was standing in front of Damon in that old abandoned church. He refused to let her leave and she pulled out a gun on him. She never wanted to pull the trigger, but he kept taunting her. And in a moment of desperation, she pulled the trigger and he went tumbling down.

At first, Violet couldn’t believe what she had done. She stood for a second just watching him, but then the reality kicked in. She just shot Damon Van Zandt in the chest. She shot the mafia king of the east coast.

Violet could hear the sound of people running towards the building. Panicked and overwhelmed, Violet dropped the gun and ran as fast as she could. A part of her wanted to come back to make sure Damon was okay, but the other part of her—the logical part of her brain— kept telling her to run.

Violet ran in that wedding dress and climbed the gates of the gardens, the exact same spot where Dylan made his escape last night. She fell down, had some bruises, and twisted her ankle a little—but she kept running. Finally, after she got far enough away, she stopped for a moment to think of where to go. She had nothing but her purse with her, and it had the plane ticket Dylan gave her. It was clear to her that there was only one way to go now.

“Are you heading out to campus?” Barbara’s voice broke through Violet’s daydreaming.

“No, mom,” Violet shook her head. “I told you, my semester finished last week. It’s summer break now,”

“Oh, silly me,” Barbara laughed and pulled out a pen and yellow post-it note. “I think I forgot to write that down,”

Barbara began scribbling on the paper and she stuck the note to the fridge. All over the fridge and kitchen cabinets, there were post-it notes in all shapes and colors. She was still struggling with Alzheimer’s, but the post-it notes helped her be productive. Living out in the country also proved to be better for her health. She was closer to one of the best Alzheimer’s facilities in the nation and the fresh air did wonders for her. Violet had to admit, Dylan was right about bringing their mom there.

“Anyway, where’s Dylan?” Violet asked when she noticed her brother wasn’t in the room. Usually, he’d be here, drinking his coffee and reading the morning papers.

“Where do you think?” Barbara smiled cryptically and pulled the curtains behind the kitchen sink.

Violet could see through the window that Dylan was watering their plants in the garden. He wore a hat, some jeans, and a flannel shirt on him. If she didn’t know any better, she’d think that he was the neighbor cowboy watering their garden.

Dylan then noticed that his sister and mother were watching him. He tipped his head and nodded at them. And seconds later, a blonde girl who had her hair up in a ponytail came walking towards him. She was carrying a bottle of water with her and she handed it over to Dylan. Dylan took the water and gave the girl a quick kiss on her cheek.

“Oh, poor Ivy,” Violet joked, stifling a laugh.

Ivy Kinsella was one of Violet’s friends from college. She was over one day to do a group project with her when she met Dylan. The two kids soon fell head over heels for each other. They started dating a few months back and recently, on the fourth of July at Violet’s birthday party, he even proposed to her.

“He’s very happy with her. I’ve never seen him like this before,” Barbara smiled as she stared at Ivy and Dylan. “Aren’t they just the sweetest couple?”

Violet paused for a beat and a small smile crept up her lips.

“Yeah, they are,” she muttered.

For as long as she could remember, Dylan was never the romantic type. Back in New Jersey, he used to hang out with call girls and escorts, and he would never call a girl his girlfriend. But, everything changed once they moved to Austin. Much like Violet, Dylan also got a new start. He went back to school and finished his degree. Then he started a new tech company with some friends from college and they did pretty well for themselves. He had no more desire for drinking, doing drugs, and casual one-night-stands. Dylan was a completely changed man. So when he met Ivy and the two hit it off, it didn’t take him long to realize he wanted to have a future with her.

“Hey, whatever happened to that guy you went out with?” Barbara asked and Violet turned her head sharply at her mom.

“What guy?”

“Oh, I don’t quite remember his name… but I remember you were seeing someone back in New Jersey before we left… what was his name again?”

Barbara really didn’t remember, but Violet couldn’t ever forget that name.

“Damon,” she said.

“Yes!” Barbara nodded. “Why didn’t it work out between you two?”

Well, that’s a loaded question.

Violet gave Barbara a sad smile and just shrugged. “It’s just… we’re too different. We’re from two different worlds…”

I thought I knew who he was. I thought I could trust him… but in the end, I couldn’t.

“Your dad and I were quite different too, but sometimes opposites attract,” Barbara argued.

“Mom, what are you trying to say?” Violet stifled a laugh. “Besides, you didn’t like Damon,”

“I didn’t like him?” she asked. “Why?”

“It doesn’t matter why,” Violet sighed. “You and Dylan don’t like him and you guys are right. We’re not meant to be with each other,”

Barbara looked like she wanted to say something else, but Violet’s tone was dismissive. She never liked it when the topic of Damon got brought up. Violet finished her cake quickly and brought the plate to the sink.

“Anyway, I gotta go to work,” she said, giving her mom a quick kiss on the cheek. “I’ll see you later,”

“Alrighty, bye honey,” Barbara chirped in response. “Say hi to Luke for me!”

Violet let out a sigh as she stepped out of the house. They lived in a one-story farmhouse on the outskirts of Austin. It was a lovely neighborhood, a beautiful summer day for a walk to town, but Violet’s steps were heavy. His name was ringing in her ears and thoughts of him filled her head.

Violet thought about Damon often. Every night before she went to bed, every morning when she woke up, and every other moment in the day when her mind was wandering—all she thought about was him. She wondered if he was okay—she never heard from him again. She wondered if he was angry, if he would ever find her and punish her for what she did. She thought about these things often, but for the past three years, he never once showed up or even called. Just like that, he was gone without a trace. And all that was left were the memories.

Those bittersweet memories…

Violet stopped her tracks for a beat and looked up to the beautiful blue sky. Memories of him flashed through her head and her eyes went glassy. Her hand instinctively reached to her lower stomach and Violet rubbed the tattoo she had. It was the tattoo of his initials. She could’ve easily gotten rid of it if she wanted to, but she never did. Because no matter how painful that part of her life was, it was all part of this incredible story of love and loss. She vowed to herself she wouldn’t ever forget that. Forever and ever, she’d keep it with her.

Because life after you is…

---

“…Surprisingly pretty good, isn’t it?”

Lucas asked as he watched Violet’s face carefully. He had just made her a cup of oat milk latte and he was waiting for Violet’s approval.

“Hmm. Not bad,” Violet nodded her head after a moment of silence. “I might just promote you to assistant manager,”

“Yes!” Lucas punched the air dramatically and threw his apron over his head. Violet just shook her head and finished the latte he made her.

Violet loved her coffee, some things were never gonna change. The first thing she did after moving to Austin was to find a local coffee shop she could frequent. Violet found The Common Grounds when she was walking around town one day and it soon became her favorite coffee shop.

Earl, the owner, was a guy in his late fifties who had a son, Lucas. Violet started working for Earl and she became good friends with Lucas. Lucas never liked the coffee industry that much, but he enjoyed having Violet around the café. Violet also enjoyed Lucas’s company and sense of humor, and Earl appreciated Violet’s help around the place. She was the best barista he ever had, and she even taught Lucas some things about coffee.

Lucas was the same age as Violet, they even attended the same college. He had bright blue eyes and dirty blonde hair that he wore with a heavy fringe. He was fun and playful, always making jokes and pulling pranks on his poor father. Lucas wanted to be a Nascar racer, but his dad didn’t approve. Instead, Earl kept him working in the café, hoping that Lucas would take over for him someday.

Today was no different. Violet was closing up shop with Lucas by her side. The summer break had started and Earl extended Lucas’s shift at work. Usually, Lucas would complain about this until Violet’s ear fell off, but he was surprisingly calm today. He didn’t pull too many pranks and he even experimented with lattes.

Hmm. Maybe I’m rubbing off on him, Violet thought to herself.

“So, what are your plans for the summer?” Lucas’s question pulled Violet from her thoughts.

“I don’t know. I’ll just keep working here, I guess,” she shrugged. “Earl’s gonna be lost without me,”

“Yeah, he is,” Lucas laughed.

“Oh, and you know about Dylan’s proposal to Ivy. Apparently, they wanna have a summer wedding. I’m also the maid of honor, so that’ll keep me busy,” she said as she closed the register and walked to the staff room.

“Yeah, that was very shocking, wasn’t it?” Lucas chuckled and followed her to the back. “Didn’t they just meet like… a few months ago?”

“Two and a half months ago. Yup,”

“Well, hey, if you know, you know,”

“I guess,” she shrugged again. “But Dylan seems happy, so I’m happy too,”

Violet opened her locker and pulled out her bag. Then she folded her apron neatly and put them inside.

“Am I gonna be invited to the wedding?” Lucas asked, leaning against the lockers.

“Of course,” she said. “If anything you can just be my plus one,”

“Why, I’d be honored to be your plus one, Miss Carvey,” Lucas made a joking bow and spoke in an exaggerated southern accent.

“Why, thank you, Mr. Hayes,” she played along.

Lucas cringed at Violet’s attempt for an accent and laughed. Violet rolled her eyes and shoved him playfully.

“Three more years in here and maybe you’ll get it right,” he joked.

“Whatever,” she muttered, grabbing her things, and turning for the door.

“Hey, uh, you wanna watch a movie tonight?” Lucas said quickly, stopping her tracks. “They’re doing classic movie nights at the drive-in,”

Violet thought about it for a moment. It was a beautiful summer night and it would go to waste if she just went home to sleep.

“Sure. What’s playing?” she asked.

“The Godfather. It’s the greatest mafia movie of all time!” Lucas’s eyes were filled with excitement as he pulled Violet away. “You’re gonna love it!”

Violet could only force out a smile and said, “Hmm. Yeah…”

The next she knew, they were walking to the parking lot where Lucas’s mustang was parked. He was rambling on and on about Al Pacino and Marlon Brando while Violet listened in silence. She’d managed to go half a day without thinking about Damon, but now he was in her mind again. And she would keep thinking about it as the movie played for the next two to three hours.

I guess this is what I get for doing what I did.

Violet sighed quietly as she looked up at the night sky. Lucas was driving the convertible at full speed and the wind was blowing in her hair. Slowly, Violet closed her eyes and tipped her head back, letting the memories of him flood into her mind again.

Because life after you… isn’t much like living at all.

• • • • • To Be Continued - - - - -