𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐰𝐞𝐬𝐭 - 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒘 𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒚 𝒈𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒓

nine months earlier

"I'll have the Fettuccine Alfredo and a glass of your driest white wine." Vienna could hardly contain her sarcastic comments at the 3rd Joanna Gaines wannabe that entered the sorry excuse for a restaurant she worked for. It didn't help that the trophy wife and her family had walked in 20 minutes before closing.

"Two more days," she thought to herself as she poured the shitty wine into a glass. Vienna was thankful to leave for grad school and finally find some freedom of her own. Being a 24 year old who still lived at home was not her proudest accomplishment. But with the shaky job market, her parents couldn't afford much more than the university down the road for her undergrad. She'd spent the last two years saving as much as possible so she could pursue her dreams writing.

Still, she was proud to be a first generation college grad. And there was nothing stopping her from making a name for herself and finally leaving this sorry excuse for a town. Bigs, Tennessee had been the place she called home her entire life, dreaming of Parisian streets and mountaintop views. But her family could barely afford to pay the plethora of student loans Vienna had taken on for her undergrad degree. The only hope of her eventual travels and graduate degree came with the last two years working in a run-down Italian restaurant.

"Excuse me hun, my wife ordered a glass of wine." The twang in the voice from across the room make Vienna cringe as she forced a smile and turned to deliver the glass to the table.

"Sorry about that wait, y'all need anything else before your food gets here?" The fake enthusiasm coming from her own voice made Vienna writhe underneath the surface.

"That depends, it gonna take you another 10 minutes to bring me a beer?" The nerve of this guy.

"Not a problem." A forced smile spreads across her face as she digs her nails deeper into her palms. "Two more days."

———

When she finally locked the door behind her, two hours after closing, Vienna was exhausted. The January air stung against her body as her weak legs carried her to the beat up Subaru. She let out a heavy sigh, climbing into the car. Her eleven-hour shift was no joke, the aching in her feet told her that much. But the extra $50 she made tonight meant she was that much closer to independence, and that made all the difference.

She drove in silence back to her house, just glad to let her hair out of the tight ponytail she wore for work. Her head couldn't take anymore stress. The streets were empty this late at night, the few businesses in the city center were already dark, their owners tucked into bed.

As she pulled into the driveway of the quaint craftsman she called home, Vienna noticed the living room windows were dark and the curtains drawn.  Her face pulled into a frown, it wasn't uncommon for any random house at midnight. But it was odd that her dad wasn't up to greet her. He worried sick over Vienna's late night shifts, telling her "you don't need to work, I can take another job to support you." He was a saint to her, but she just couldn't let him take on anything more. He had been dealt enough stress over the course of the last few years.

"Dad?" she called as she stepped through the door. She heard the TV from another room. He must have fallen asleep in the den again. The air was thick, the smell of her father's cologne lingering in the air.

She set her things down in the kitchen. The table held disheveled plates and pans, leftovers still remaining in the dishes. She made her way toward the couch. "Dad? You really ought to get in bed." She placed her hand on his shoulder, shaking it softly. His skin cool and still beneath her touch.

"Dad?" she asked again before examining his face. Vienna was greeted with a blank expression of her father's white face.

"Oh my God." Vienna breathed out. Her hands began to shake. Her mouth fell open, she was sure she was screaming, but couldn't hear anything. Tears poured down her face as she faced what was right in front of her. The empty pill bottle scattered on the ground. A note on the coffee table spelling out her father's last words.

Vienna heard the muffled voice of her mom entering the room. There was a sense of panic in her voice, her mother met Vienna's gaze before she noticed lifeless body lying on the sofa. The realization hit her and she clutched desperately into Vienna's side. Through blurred vision, Vienna watched as her mother fumbled with her cellphone, desperate for help. Her mother was desperate for her husband to hold out a little bit longer.

But Vienna knew better than to hope for a miracle. Her father was gone. The one person who kept her going in this town was sitting stone cold in front of her eyes. Time was still in front of her. Hours passed, ambulances circled the home, her father inevitably carried down the driveway in a body bag. She remained fixed in place, only to be moved when the paramedics guided her to the kitchen table.

Vienna looked down at the linoleum floor below her. Fixed on the tiles, she cried. Nothing would ever be the same.