The clatter of banging pots woke Joe. He sat up in bed as Ed stirred beside him. He glanced at the clock. No, they hadn’t overslept; Jenny was an early rising farm girl.
With a spring in his step, he got up and pulled clothes out of the dresser. He put them on before heading to the bathroom. He washed quickly, and Ed stumbled into the bathroom as he left.
“Good morning,” Joe said cheerfully.
Ed grunted an unintelligible reply, and Joe smiled. Ed tried so hard to keep up with him. The man had an admirable sense of fair play and not a lazy bone in his body. He could trust Ed with his life—and his tears. That was why he felt like the weight of the world had been lifted from his shoulders this morning. Sure, patching things up with his dad contributed to his cheery mood, but sharing his bur
