A short drabble, inspired by the song You and Me by Gabrielle Aplin
It was a lovely spring morning. The wind was blowing through his hair. Urging his mare to go faster and faster. Esperanza couldn't go faster than Toronado, but racing through the landscape, smelling the blossom trees, feeling the spring air in his hair gave him the biggest smile he had in years. It gave him a feeling of ultimate freedom.
It has been a hard time the last few weeks or rather months. The Acalde still made up new taxes, banditos still roam the area and the love of his life was still unreachable as Diego. All this together did make him a bit depressed and made him feel useless. This morning he had the urge to go as far as possible, screaming of anger, running from his daily duties, releasing all his hidden feelings. And it had worked. He had screamed at the world, the ocean breeze had captured his words of anger and taken it far away. His frustration left his body as he kicked some sand in the air, which was also captured by the same ocean breeze and taken away. When all the anger, frustration and feeling of impotence had left his body, the breeze calmed his soul and gave him serenity. And now Diego was yet again racing on his mare, but now he was noticing the nature, the wind, the beauty and Diego smiled. This was a world that was worth fighting for.
After a while he arrived at his favorite spot in the area: a hidden brook in a small forest. Although Diego now comes here for the tranquility and serenity, in his youth he came here with the Escelante boys to climb in trees, play in the brook and to romp. He dismounted his mare and walked to the brook when, to his shock, he discovered that he wasn't alone. On a rock next to the rock sat the most beautiful women he had ever seen. A woman in a white summer dress, white flowers in her hair, black wavy hair. "Victoria?"
The beautiful woman turned around and send him a smile brighter than the white flowers in her hair. "Diego, what are you doing here?" she asked him. Still somewhat stunned by her stunning beauty he answered: "I could ask you the same thing." "We used to come her with Francisco and Ramone when we were younger, I have a free day today, I miss the careless and innocent times when we were children. To be carefree, no responsibilities, no worries, no pain or loss. I thought: maybe when I went back here, maybe I will find some peace." Victoria described the exact feelings he had felt that morning, he was searching the same things. "Me too" nodded Diego and they stood just for a little while all in silence, but the streaming brook next to them.
Victoria broke the silence: "Would you care for some peaches? I brought some with me." Diego noticed that he hadn't eaten at all and the ocean breeze and the ride had made him quite hungry. He agreed and they sat down and ate in peace. They talked about memories from their childhood, about the innocent times, about their mothers. Victoria noticed the pain in Diego's eyes while he was talking about his mother. She never knew that Diego missed his mother. In return she told him what she missed about her mother "I miss her when I make a new dress and she isn't there to tell me how beautiful I look, I miss her advice when I have problems with the tavern or my love life. But what I miss the most about her is her loving embrace, where I could hide when I had pain, to hide from the angry world. In her embrace I would be totally blissful and happy. My worries would melt like snow in the sun." Diego smiled, he knew the feeling. It hurt him that Victoria was also hurt and he couldn't help. He wanted to take her in his embrace and make her forget the world, but it wouldn't be very appropriate.
After a while they were telling stories about their youth and how they played like Indians, climbing in trees. "I dare you to climb that tree over there, oh big feather!" Victoria said with a mischievous smile after Diego boasted he always climbed the highest trees. Diego looked at the tree and smiled. He could easily climb that tree. "I only go if you go with me, my fair lady" he dared her. "I am not a fair lady, I am White Deer and I will be the first at the top of the tree!" And with that announcement Victoria raced to the tree. Diego laughed and rushed after her.
They had a carefree time. Even though they were adults now, they had climbed in trees, played in the water, sang old songs, ate wild berries, danced like nobody was watching. Diego felt like the luckiest man in the world when he lifted Victoria up and spun her around. Victoria was laughing freely. They forgot the problems in the world, they were living now.
But all good thing must come to an end. It became dark and Diego escorted Victoria home. "Thank you for the wonderful time today, sometimes I miss being a child and seeing you so wild and freely, not so tedious and timid as you are nowadays.." Victoria said just before they said goodbye. Normally Diego would feel hurt by her comment, but now he watched her go inside and smiled. One day she will be his wife and they will raise carefree children. Tomorrow he will ride again as Zorro and fight the evil, but one day his future will come and today was a glimpse of his future. He stepped in the great unknown.