The Tale of Two Lukes

Chapter 17: 5 years

    Crows cry out as the sun comes over the land. Antonio wakes up as the sun does, and he gets ready and cooks. Luke wakes up long after him and gets dressed in the bathroom. Luke brushes his teeth and his hair. Once done, he steps out to see Antonio already done with breakfast, only one plate of food remains while the other plate only has scraps. Luke sits down with a creak coming from the old chair. He's surprised he hasn't gotten splinters from it. Luke eats his breakfast, and Antonio looks at him.
     "You're late. You should've been up at sunrise", Antonio lightly scolds.
Luke looks at him, "It's not my fault! There's no alarm!"
      Antonio crosses his arms and looks at him with an arched eyebrow. "Well then. Maybe you should go to bed early tonight then."
      "You say that as if it's easy", Luke counters.
       "Oh, what, you need your mother to tuck you in and sing you a lullaby?"
      "No! I'm just not used to this!"
      "Don't you go to school? You should be used to this!"
      Luke breathes in. He realizes that Antonio won't let in, so he decides just to apologize.
      "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be arguing with you", Luke says in defeat.
     "You're much too early in your training to be able to win an argument against me. I'd suggest you don't try", Antonio says as Luke nods.
As Luke finishes, he cleans the dishes. Antonio looks at him as he does. When Luke finishes, Antonio invites him to sit outside. Luke is a bit reluctant, scared he was in trouble for back talking.
     "You know", Antonio says. "You're a good kid. I know we got off the wrong foot this morning, but let's put this behind us and start new, alright?" He suggests. Luke nods, and Antonio changes the subject. He takes a breath in and lets it out, "You know", Antonio tries to make conversation. "I still don't know what brought you here, so, what did?"
      "Well..." Luke sighs as he recalls the past. "There's this other boy named Luke. He played the same instrument as me. We seemed to be close friends, but I guess he hated me..." Luke sighs and closes his eyes as he slumps. "Luke started to take over the school, and so I was exiled. I'm here to grow strong and defeat him."
     Antonio nods in understanding. He looks at Luke and then at the sun. "Well, I'm sorry to hear that", Antonio says, not knowing what else to say. Admittedly, he really didn't expect that as an answer. Many come to him for various things, but few come for such a grand mission.
        "Let's go down to the field and train some more. This time you'll get to do more things", Antonio says. Luke nods and gets up from his chair. He honestly doesn't feel like training, but Luke doesn't want to argue again. Instead, he thinks about how much better he'll be when his training is done. He looks at the sun determined. His retinas are fucking burning, but damn he looks cool.
     Antonio mentors and trains Luke for years, putting him through hell (whichever city in Mexico has traffic as bad or worse than Dallas) and back (whichever city in Mexico doesn't have traffic as bad as Dallas). Luke has learned patience, strength, problem solving, and spell casting. Antonio also teaches Luke Spanish and a little bit of French and German. He's much stronger than what he used to be. Luke spends the last remaining parts of his childhood with Antonio. They share a bond with each other only a father and son could have, and Luke starts seeing Antonio as a fatherly figure. As Luke ages, old Antonio almost remains stagnant. Antonio sees with both pride and a little envy how Luke changes a lot as he ages since he's so young. Luke walked in as a 14 year old boy with nothing to his name and turned into a 19 year old man who has ended up being one of the best students Antonio has ever had, not necessarily because Luke is the strongest- he's not, but because of how much he's grown and changed, and how much he's willing to continue growing. Antonio smiles as he remembers his own youth, how he was just like Luke. A young man with such ambition and energy.
     Antonio snaps out of his own head and stands up to face a now older Luke. "There is one more challenge I have for you", Antonio says as Luke makes eye contact with him. "I want you to move into a village nearby and live on your own. Get to know the locals and make something out of yourself."
     "What? Why? How will that help me?" Luke tries to make sense out of it.
     "I can't always be there to help you", Antonio says. "You must learn to do things on your own, and living on your own is how you truly do it and hone those skills."
    Luke sighs and gives in. "Alright", he says.
    "I'll drive you to the village. It's not that far. Pack your bags. You'll be moving in tomorrow", Antonio says.
      Luke nods and goes inside to pack up. He looks at the house, and notices how decorated it actually is. Many memorabilia lies inside. Old photos, badges, military uniforms, old clothing, badges, medals, instruments, and so much more. It was like a museum. It was like living in all decades at one time. He finally makes his way to his room and grabs a bag. Luke folds and neatly puts his clothes inside. He packs up and organizes personal hygiene products and some card games he was gifted. Luke goes outside where Antonio still is. Luke could have sworn the old man was crying a bit. He decides not to bother him, and pretends he didn't see anything. Luke goes back inside and helps clean the house a bit. He doesn't do too much, but he helps where he is able. Antonio walks back in after an hour. Luke is in his room playing a guitar quietly. He isn't playing anything specific, it's just random strumming and the occasional song he has stuck in his head. The day goes by with nothing of interest happening.
     The next day comes, and Luke gets up on his own. He opens the curtains and then the window. The golden sky hits his hair and face as he breathes in. He gets ready and heads over to the kitchen. Antonio isn't up yet. Luke decides to make breakfast. He goes simple with coffee, pancakes, beans, and eggs.
    Antonio enters the kitchen. "Wow, you actually got up earlier than I did", He comments.
    Luke nods as he finishes making breakfast. He plates the food for the both of them.
    "I take it you're excited for today then", Antonio assumes.
    "I'm not sure how I feel about it, but I do feel more energetic this morning, so maybe I am?" Luke says with a smile as he looks at what he's made.
    Antonio nods and sits down. They begin eating in silence. After breakfast, Antonio cleans up as Luke gets his bags. Luke puts them in the trunk, and he waits for Antonio. Antonio comes out, and they drive to the village.