Chapter 5 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!”
• *
• *
• *
• - - - - - To be continued - - - - -