A Lost Letter by the Late Vincent Andreas De Luca || Challenge accepted
writing challenge → 001.
prompt → The day I found a letter from grandad.
characters involved → Vincent and his grandfather
notes → I don't know how this will turn out so yeah might be trigger happy.
word count → 1321
Vincent lay on his bed, of his dorm room and he stared at the ceiling. Music blasting through the speakers of the radio he turned on a few moments ago. His laughing smiling face a mere ghost in the mirror of the bathroom. His arm hung off the bed a letter from his grandad, he never thought would ever happen, clutched in his in hand, empty bottle of his best friend Jack Daniels next to the bed. The words still haunted his mind, his eyes wished that they never read anything like that.
|| 2 hours ago
Vincent stumbled into his room, laughing as the guy his one friend from two doors down playfully pushed him inside and they just joked around.
"Vincent you have that test tomorrow... Go study now, come on man... We can party later."
Vincent just lifted the bottle to his mouth and took a swig his laughed and slammed the door shut. He turned up his stereo that was playing his favorite song so softly. He just swung his head from side to side, the sun was shining into his room while he danced to the beat. There was a soft knock on his door and he fell against the door, laughing loudly and then he opened it up.
"De Luca?"
Vincent nodded and he just took a swig from the whiskey bottle, the guy handed him a bright yellow envelope, his name and address written in almost a calligraphic style of handwriting and he just lifted the bottle as to wave the guy away and he shut the door. Taking a swig, must be from some girl confessing her love to him, because the envelope was very puffy from all the papers. He chuckled and tore the letter open, when he saw a photo of himself and his grandfather that died years ago, he froze. The bottle dropped from his hands and fell to the floor, clanking a few times and started to empty onto the carpet. He just stared at the picture of himself probably 4 maybe 5 years old. Fishing hat, his first fish. Grandad right next to him, smiling happily.
Vincent sank down onto his bed and everything went quiet around him, he placed a shaky hand over his mouth. He was the only one that knew his grandad, neither Nate or Nick knew him. Vincent lay down on his bed, tears forming in his eyes and they started to leak from the corner of the jade colored windows of sorrow. He took the paper in his hand and he pulled out about 6 pages of written on out and he started to read.
Dear Vincent...
A sob broke over his mouth and he closed his eyes he just wished when he opened his eyes that this was a dream and this wasn't happening. But when those eyelids got removed he was still in his room, holding that letter a few inches from his face. He shut his eyes again and opened them again, still here.
Vincent read the letter...
Dear Vincent...
This is so hard for me to say, since your mother never let me visit you after what happened. I just had to write this to you. And I asked the post office to send this in 10 years from the day I handed them it and I guess this day 10 years ago I wrote this for you...
Vincent sobbed again and he just curled in on himself and slammed the letter against the wall, when a few words caught his attention. He knew? But how... Who told him? His mom said that his grandad died long before Nick or Nate ever was born.
Vincent I know your brothers must be asking questions about me but I can't see them, not like I always had a grandad, grandson moment with you, you know. Your mom would have killed me if I had even set foot so much as 20 miles close to the house. But you have to know, boy... I always loved you...
Vincent just stared at the letter. What were these words that was swimming up to his eyes and biting him like a water snake would have with it's prey? He shook his head.
"You never did anything... You just stood there... You saw how they treated me all those years but you never said anything... What kind of a father are you?"
His eyes scanned over the papers and he screamed at the words and a few more sobs broke over his lips. When he came to the end.
Vincent... I'll fix everything. I know I was never there when you called me. But I promise all the pain will go away. I promise, boy. You are my Vincey.
Honest Love,
Granpapa Vincent.
Vincent's arms just fell from where it was to beside his bed, hanging off the side.
|| 2 hours later?
The electricity suddenly went out and Vincent was left in the darkness. Words haunting him, he just stared at the ceiling, his world started to spin and he frowned when he saw his grandad's face coming into view.
"Come on, Vincey... Pull harder, boy..."
"Look grandaddy, I'm gonna catch my first fish."
The 5 year old squeeked. His grandfather laughed and held onto the pole.
"Yes you are Vincey... This will be the first De Luca catch made in 20 years."
He closed his eyes and a tea fell from his eye. The front door came into his vision and he saw his grandad leaving with suitcases.
"We'll go fishing on my boat right? You'll be the Captain, right, Grandaddy?"
His grandad bent down to get eye level with the 5 year old boy. Tears filled the grey haired man's grassy green eyes and he nodded.
"Of course, but my Vincey will be the Captain, I will be the Captain's first mate. What have I taught you?"
"Freedom comes from being brave and courage comes from being free. I love you, grandaddy..."
Vincent's arms encircled the older man's neck and he felt stronger arms hold onto him. Those strong arms suddenly left the little boy's body and he was pulled away from the door and the door got shut, his mom's arms held onto him. Vincent stood there for a moment. His mom walked off to the kitchen. Vincent stood there, he always stood on that one spot. He only left to go to the bathroom and sleep, after a few years go to school. One day after school, he dropped his bag on the spot where he usually stood, eyes filled with tears when his mom said his grandad died of a heart attack. He ran out of the door, rain pouring over him. He ran out onto the dock where he and his grandad usually grabbed a boat and set course north where the best fish were. He got into the boat and just lay there in the rain.
"Captain, Vincent De Luca..."
His grandad's voice rang in his ears.
Vincent just walked to the bathroom, threw the letters into the sink, grabbed a box of lighters and set the papers on fire. When he was satisfied with the ashes he walked away from the letter. No one ever knew.
Vincent grabbed and threw on his hoodie over his head, he walked out of the dorm room, he took a train to the docks. He got off just as it started to rain, he walked to the edge and sank down to his knees, running his fingers over the words that were carved into the wood.
Captain Vincent and Grandaddy forever.
Vincent started to cry again, he looked to the side where all the other boats were docked and a boat with the words
'Courage comes from being free...'
painted onto the side, Vincent lay on his back in the rain on the edge of the dock and closed his eyes.