Matt stood in the cramped kitchen of the diner, tying the food-stained apron around his waist with a heavy heart. He loathed this place: the greasy counter, the sizzling stove, and the ever-present smell of frying oil that seemed to seep into his very soul. This diner, and the crushing debt that came with it, was a painful reminder of a life he had lost.
The diner had been his parents’ dream, and they had poured their hearts and savings into it. But fate had dealt them a cruel hand on the night of their anniversary. A drunk driver, fueled by grief and anger from a cheating girlfriend, had swerved into their lane, snatching their lives away in an instant.
Matt, then just 19, had been left with the wreckage of their dreams. His grief was compounded by the overwhelming burden of debt tied to the diner. It wasn’t just a business; it was his family’s legacy.
He had considered walking away from the diner, abandoning the weight of its debts to pursue a college education. But a single thought held him back – his younger brother, Josh. At 15, Josh was still a minor and legally considered the property of his parents’ estate. If Matt were to abandon the diner, The Office of Financial Affairs, a cold and indifferent bureaucratic entity, could legally tag Josh as a “commodity” and sell him into a form of indentured servitude to pay off his parents’ debts. Josh wouldn’t reach the age of independence for another three long years.
The thought of his younger brother suffering such a fate was unbearable to Matt. He couldn’t let that happen. Responsibility weighed heavily on his shoulders, and it was a burden he was determined to bear.
As he faced the sizzling grill and the orders that never seemed to end, Matt drew strength from his love for Josh. He had a mission – to protect and provide for his younger brother, to ensure that Josh could one day escape the clutches of the Office of Financial Affairs and build a better life.
With each plate he served and each order he took, Matt’s resolve grew stronger. He might loathe this place, but he would endure it, for Josh’s sake. The diner was a symbol of his sacrifice, a constant reminder that he would do whatever it took to protect his family, even if it meant putting his own dreams on hold.