Roy sighed and rubbed his head. His headache had gone away with medicine, but it was starting to come back. Maybe it was from stress.
"What might I have forgotten?" Roy asked.
"Dinner with Mom tonight."
"That's right," Roy said.
Their father had to go away for a business trip this week, so their mom thought it would be nice to have her boys all home again for a meal.
Just then, Ronald and Jack came over, and the four of them decided to all fit into Ronald's car so they didn't all have to drive over and waste gas.
Roy's brothers talked about their chores and the animals and how some of them were still clearly scared yet from the storm, but Roy didn't say much of anything. He hugged his mom once they arrived, and she bid them to sit at the table.
"It's so nice to have you home again," she said warmly.
Ronald laughed. "As if you and Dad don't have us over once a month every month."
"At least," Parker added.
"That storm... It was a doozy, wasn't it?" their mom asked.
"It sure was," Jack said. "It did a real number on the orchard. Just ask Roy."
"Ask Roy?" His mom looked at him. "Why should I ask you about the damage to the orchard?"
"You eldest son decided he can fix up all of the damaged buildings himself," Parker explained before Roy could say anything.
"Is this true?" his mom asked.
Roy nodded.
"Well, I'm sure you can use some help," she said. "Your brothers could spare some time from their chores to assist you."
Roy shook his head. He knew his brothers were all busy with their own responsibilities and he didn't want to add any extra burden on them.
"No, it's all right," he said firmly. "I can handle this myself. It'll be better if I can do most of the work by myself."
His mom smiled, but he could tell she wasn't quite convinced. Still, she turned her attention to Jack, who was talking about a puppy he was thinking about rescuing.
"We have offered to help," Parker said, "but he's determined to take this on for himself."
"Makes me wonder who he's trying to impress," Ronald added.
"No one," Roy said with a laugh. "Just know that I got this."
"If you say so," Parker said.
Roy smiled, knowing he had the support of his brothers even if they didn't agree with his decision. "I know what I'm doing," he reassured them all. "I can handle it, and I'll get it done fast."
"Just don't overwork yourself," his mom said, "and a puppy is a lot of work, Jack. You might want to start with a slightly older dog who is already trained. You will be away at the orchard for long hours every day after all."
"That's true," Jack mused.
As dinner progressed, they talked more about the orchard and how they could all chip in to help out where needed. Roy thanked them for their offers of help but insisted that this project was something he wanted to do himself and that he could manage it without any outside assistance, no matter how much his brothers wanted to lend a hand. He knew they would have helped if asked, but he needed to prove to himself that he could do this alone.
Once they finished eating, Roy helped to load the dishes. His mom approached and rubbed his back.
"What's going on?" she murmured. "Why aren't you willing to let your brothers help you?"