The Balance of Brothers

Canto XI: Humble Pie

It was an unusually quiet afternoon in the Williams household. Dylan was seated in the living room, scribbling furiously in his notebook, as Nick leaned against the kitchen counter, munching on an apple. The peace was short-lived."Dylan," Nick called out, "can you order a pizza?"Dylan didn't look up. "Why can't you order it?"Nick smirked. "Because I'm asking you. Consider it a test of your ability to handle basic human tasks."Dylan sighed, slamming his pen onto the table. "Fine. What do you want?""Pepperoni," Nick said. "And ask for extra napkins.""Extra napkins?" Dylan repeated, wrinkling his nose. "Why do you always ask for extra napkins?"Nick shrugged. "Because they always give too few. It's practical.""Practical," Dylan muttered under his breath. "The world bends to the will of the practical man.""What was that?" Nick asked, grinning."Nothing," Dylan snapped. He picked up his phone and dialed the pizza place.---The call began smoothly enough. Dylan rattled off the order—large pepperoni pizza, no drinks, pick-up. But when the worker on the other end asked if there was anything else, Dylan hesitated."Yes," he said, glancing at Nick, "could we get... um... extra napkins?"There was a pause. "Sure," the worker replied, clearly unbothered.Dylan hung up, tossing the phone onto the couch with an exaggerated sigh. "There. Happy?""Very," Nick said, his smirk widening. "See? That wasn't so hard.""It wasn't hard," Dylan shot back. "It was humiliating.""Humiliating?" Nick echoed. "Dylan, it's napkins. Not a public confession.""It's the principle," Dylan insisted. "Asking for extra napkins feels... subservient. Like admitting you can't make do with what you're given."Nick burst out laughing. "You're unbelievable. The guy taking orders doesn't care, Dylan. He's not sitting there judging you for needing napkins.""You don't know that," Dylan muttered.---When the time came to pick up the pizza, Nick dragged Dylan along. They entered the pizzeria, the smell of melted cheese and garlic greeting them as a cheerful worker handed Nick the box."Here you go," she said, smiling. "And here are your extra napkins."Nick gave her a nod of appreciation. "Thanks."Dylan, standing awkwardly behind him, felt a flush of embarrassment. The neatly folded napkins in Nick's hand seemed to mock him, a tangible reminder of his perceived loss of dignity.As they walked back to the car, Dylan couldn't contain himself any longer. "Do you even hear how ridiculous that sounded? 'Thanks for the extra napkins.' Like they just did you the biggest favor in the world."Nick glanced at him, amused. "You're overthinking it. It's not about the napkins. It's about not being afraid to ask for what you need."Dylan scoffed. "I don't need napkins.""Really?" Nick said, raising an eyebrow. "What's your plan when the grease starts dripping?""I'll manage," Dylan said stubbornly."Suit yourself," Nick replied, sliding into the driver's seat.---Back at home, the brothers sat down to eat. Nick dug into his pizza with gusto, using the extra napkins liberally. Dylan, true to his word, refused to touch them, even as grease began to accumulate on his hands."You know," Nick said between bites, "you could just use a napkin.""I'm fine," Dylan said, wiping his hands on the side of the box.Nick chuckled. "You're really going to die on this hill, huh?""It's about principles," Dylan said, though his tone was less convincing than usual.Nick leaned back, grinning. "Principles are great and all, but sometimes it's okay to let them go. Like, say, when your hands are covered in pizza grease."Dylan glared at him but didn't respond. Instead, he tore off a corner of the pizza box and used it to wipe his fingers."Impressive," Nick said, raising his slice in mock salute. "Truly the behavior of a man above humility."Dylan ignored him, focusing on his pizza with an intensity that suggested the conversation was over. But as he chewed, he couldn't shake the nagging thought that maybe Nick was right. Maybe, just maybe, asking for extra napkins wasn't the end of the world.---When they finished eating, Dylan stood up to toss the empty box into the trash. He hesitated, then glanced at the napkins still sitting on the table. Slowly, reluctantly, he grabbed one and wiped his hands.Nick watched, his smirk widening. "See? That wasn't so bad.""Shut up," Dylan muttered, tossing the crumpled napkin into the trash.Nick laughed, leaning back in his chair. "Congratulations, Dylan. You just took your first step toward humility.""Don't push it," Dylan warned, though his lips twitched with the faintest hint of a smile.Nick raised his hands in mock surrender. "Fine, fine. But I'll say this—you might want to get used to asking for what you need. It's a lot easier than pretending you don't."Dylan rolled his eyes and left the room, but as he walked away, he couldn't help but think that Nick might have a point.