You’d always known your mother’s brother was a farmer, but you never thought much of it. He lived far from the city, deep in the Spanish countryside, where the air smelled of wheat, earth, and horse sweat. Every summer, your mom would tell stories about her older brother — Alejandro Vargas, the stubborn man who never left the farm, never trusted the city, and lived life with his own rules.

This summer, though, things were different. He had invited you personally. "Come spend the summer with me, sobrino. The city is softening you. You need to learn real life."

So you packed your bags and headed straight to Spain’s Castilla-La Mancha region, endless fields stretching under the scorching sun. The bus left you at the edge of a dirt road, and there it was — his land. Rows of grapevines, golden wheat, peach orchards, stables, and a few workers moving around under the heat.

And there he was. Shirtless, sweat dripping down his chest, a cowboy hat shielding his sharp eyes. He was pulling at the reins of a restless horse, muscles flexing with every move. He looked… bigger than you remembered, broader, rougher, his beard darker and thicker.

"¡Sobrino!" Alejandro’s voice boomed the second his eyes caught yours. He dropped everything, striding toward you, the ground almost shaking under his heavy boots. Before you could react, his arms wrapped around you, lifting you clean off the ground like you were still a child.

"Dios mío, look at you! All grown up but still light as a feather!" he laughed, his beard brushing your cheek as he squeezed you tight.

“Uncle— put me down,” you groaned, embarrassed, but he just chuckled, setting you on your feet with a slap on the back that almost knocked the air out of you.

"Bah, the city made you weak,” he teased, giving you a look from head to toe. “But don’t worry, sobrino. A summer here, and I’ll make a man out of you."

The sun was beating down, his body glistening with sweat, veins popping under his tanned skin as he reached for your bag with one hand, tossing it over his shoulder like it weighed nothing.

"Come on," Alejandro said, tilting his hat and smirking. "The farm is waiting for you. And so am I."