Day 7 Serennedy Pride Week : Childhood nostalgia - Quixotic change - Serenity
He only had good memories of his childhood. Valdelobos used to be a beautiful place in the eyes of a child. Sometimes he missed Spain, but Luis had found his place elsewhere. That didn't stop him from talking about what the village was like, sharing memories of its people and his life there. Luis could only smile when he thought of his childhood, avoiding the one troubling memory that tainted an otherwise perfect life. His Abuelo had always taken good care of him, as best as he could in a small village like Valdelobos.
His grandfather did everything to make the child Luis had been smile, even though he didn't have much money and it was hard to get anything modern in the area. Luis was lucky to grow up with books. He remembered how his Abuelo would hold him close, reading despite the fatigue of a day of hunting, letting the little boy he had inherited dream a little. Don Quixote was his favorite, but he had heard more fairy tales than he could count. Later came science books when Luis became interested in them.
He also recalled all their hunting trips together. How Luis sometimes disobeyed, wandering into the woods on his own, searching for anything and everything. How his Abuelo also taught him to shoot, to defend against the forest's beasts. Luis wished it hadn't been so useful against things other than wolves. But those were good times spent with the old man. He felt that, aside from Mendez and sometimes some miners, his grandfather and, by extension, Luis, lived apart from the other villagers.
That didn't stop Luis from thinking he had a wonderful childhood.
His Abuelo did everything for him. He always supported him, no matter how crazy his projects were. He wasn't afraid of his curiosity and his need to learn. Luis knew he had worked hard to provide him with the means to learn. His Abuelo wanted to see him become a great man, a good person, smart enough to leave and move to the city.
Luis still remembered his grandfather's smiles and the warmth of his hand when he placed it on his shoulder. He also remembered all the times his Abuelo talked about his mother, how she was an amazing woman, a kind and gentle soul who would have loved him if she'd had the chance to know him.
Luis believed him. His Abuelo never lied to him; he was a man of conviction and principle. He was also a gentle man who never hesitated to sacrifice for Luis. No matter how many times he put himself in danger, too curious and unaware for his own good, the man always put Luis's life before his own. Until the end, his Abuelo protected him and spared him from the worst.
Luis hoped his Abuelo was proud of him, wherever he was. Even if Luis hadn't always succeeded in life, he hoped his Abuelo could now be proud of the man he had become. He wished so much that he could be there to see him work to end Las Plagas. To hold him once more and tell him that no one would fall victim to the evil in their village again.
That his grandfather could see everything was fine now, that he was finally safe. The old man must have worried so much, seeing him move from one monster to another. It was all over. He was fine and safe for the first time in a long while. He was also well surrounded.
Ashley was a lovely young woman, who stood her ground, and he was proud to have attended her graduation. Leon was someone Luis wished his Abuelo could have met. Being with the other man felt so right, giving him the sense of being home. Luis no longer needed to run. His grandfather deserved to meet the man with whom Luis wanted to spend his life and more. He wanted to introduce Leon to his Abuelo, having more than just memories of the man who had protected him for as long as he lived. Even though good memories were enough to show that his Abuelo had been a good person.