If seeing his home wasn’t enough to bring a tear to Wil’s eye, then the smell of dinner cooking certainly did it. His mom had made his favorite dish, jambalaya, and the smell of spices in the air would’ve made his eyes water no matter what. One by one they crammed into the entryway. With his luggage floating behind him, he looked at his father.

Bob motioned to leave his luggage over in the den. Wil stowed it away, looking around. They rearranged it in the last few years. Nothing major, the chairs were in different positions and they got a new table, but the layout rotated. He expected things to change, but the den hadn’t been touched for like ten years before he left. It threw him off more than he wanted to admit.

“Wiiiiiiillllll!” his mother shouted from the other room. Wil jumped out of his skin and then laughed and turned the corner. His mother Sharon waited for him in the kitchen doorway, arms spread wide. She grunted as he collided with her and hugged him tight enough to make his ribs creak.

“You’re back. My baby’s back!” Sharon said, sniffling. And then the waterworks came. Wil patted her back awkwardly, fighting back a few tears of his own. Behind Sharon, Sarah gagged theatrically while Bob shook his head laughing. Jeb was nowhere to be seen, so he must’ve already been in the kitchen.

“Yeah, I’m back,” said Wil, squeezing her one last time before pulling away. “I’m sorry it took so long. But I learned a lot!”

Sharon looked him up and down, really drinking in the changes. “You got so tall!” she said. Jeb still had a couple inches on him, but they both broke six feet like their dad. “Are you hungry? You have to tell us everything about the academy! Your letters were great, but it’s nothing like having you home and hearing from you directly.”

“Starving,” said Wil with a smile. “I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”

They all went inside to the kitchen, where Jeb finished setting the table. Over on the stove sat a ludicrously large pot, steam rising off the top. They all had their biggest bowls on the table. Being the man of the hour, Wil got his food first for a change, scooping up a heaping portion of jambalaya into his bowl and getting a bottle of beer from the fridge. His father raised an eyebrow but smiled and got one of his own.

There’s nothing in the world like coming home and tasting some of your mom’s cooking, and for that alone Wil could’ve cried. The first bite of spicy rice, meat, and peppers had him sighing in contentment. Luckily, his family understood and he demolished the first bowl and his beer in just a couple of minutes. He got another of each and took his time with this one.

“I missed this so much,” Wil moaned.

“At least you missed something,” Jeb muttered. He made a face like someone kicked him in the leg, and a warning look from Bob kept him quiet.

“Did they not feed you at that school?” Sharon exclaimed as she ate her portion much more slowly.

“Oh no, the food was great,” Wil said between shoveling bites into his mouth. “Would’ve been worth going just for the food alone, but they’ve got nothing on you, Ma.”

Sharon beamed, while Sarah rolled her eyes. “Kiss ass!” she declared.

“Mama’s boy,” Jeb added, a little less playfully.

“Damned straight,” said Wil proudly.

“Tell us about some of your classes,” said Bob, getting up to get another beer for himself and a third beer for Wil. “Your letters were kinda hard to follow there. What’s it like, learning magic?”

Finally, something Wil could talk about for hours in front of a new crowd. He took another bite and pushed his half-full bowl to the side for the moment.

“Hard,” he said. “Mind numbingly hard. You don’t just have to be born with the capacity for magic, you have to learn to make it happen at your command. Which means opening yourself up to magic power, letting it become a part of you, and then focusing and channeling it out as a spell. Like this.”

He opened himself up just a little. There was no need to do something especially impressive or dangerous at the dinner table. The magic flowed into him, the mana around his house tasting sweet and familiar. Wil pointed his finger at the salt shaker. It was the simplest spell they learned and drilled on, even if they mastered it at home. Mild telekinesis could be fun and useful, and a second later the salt shaker spun around in circles while Wil twirled a finger.

“Yeah, but can you do anything impressive?” Sarah said with a mischievous grin.

“That IS impressive,” Sharon said. “Can you do that?”

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“Sure.” Sarah grabbed the pepper shaker and held it up with a flourish. “Ta-da!” Jeb at least clapped for her.

Wil grinned. “Yeah, okay. Hold on tight, then.” The salt fell back to the table with a clatter. Wil held up his entire hand this time, drawing in more power. Sarah shrieked in surprise as her entire chair lifted three feet into the air.

“Okay, put me down,” she said. “I’m impressed.” From across the table, Bob burst out laughing, coming right from the belly in big guffaws.

“You sure?” Wil asked. He twirled his finger again and the chair rotated. Slow at first, then faster and faster. Sarah clung on tight, screaming more but in delight rather than fear of what her brother would do.

Eventually, a look from Sharon made him put her back down again. But because he was her older brother, the chair faced the wrong way. “Ta-daaaa!” Will said, taking a drink of beer.

Jeb shook his head, frowning. Sharon, however, clapped enthusiastically. “That’s fantastic, Wilbur! I’m a little surprised. I thought you had to say magic words or have a wand or something to do magic.”

Wil chuckled. “I do have a magic wand in my bag, but I don’t need it. Plenty of other wizards need to say words of power, but I’m something of a specialist. I’m what’s called a spellshaper. I do things by feeling it out and making it happen. But there’s a trade-off. If something doesn’t come naturally to me I have a hard time learning it. But the things I learn I’m really good at now. I learned a lot while I was there.”

“Is that why you stayed two extra years and never came home?” Jeb asked. His tone was neutral, but there was something in the way he looked at him Wil didn’t like.

“We’ve talked about this,” Bob warned him.

“He’s not wrong, Dad,” Sarah said, crossing her arms over her chest and mimicking Jeb’s expression.

“No, it’s okay,” said Wil. This was inevitable, and as much as it hurt to see Jeb resent him, he kept a cool head. “You’re right. I should’ve visited. But I had good reasons. Things I didn’t want to say in a letter because I knew you wouldn’t understand.”

“Wouldn’t understand?” Jeb scoffed. “What’s there to understand?”

“Jeb,” Bob growled.

“No, we’re doing this.” Jeb jabbed a finger in Wil’s direction. “What’s there to understand, Wilbur? You got to go to a big expensive school that everyone in town pays for. A four-year course, that’s what we were told, right? What, did you like it so much you wanted to stay there as long as you could? Embarrassed about your farmer family, wanted to stay in the city? I’m surprised you even came home at all.”

Silence, save for Bob’s resigned sigh. Sharon looked too upset to speak, while Sarah looked excited that Jeb couldn’t hold himself back. As for Wil, it hurt. A lot. Jeb wasn’t wrong.

“Forget this,” Jeb said, pushing his bowl away. Wil looked down. He heard the scrape of the chair against tile and then the thunder of Jeb storming off and down the far hall, where he had a room separate from his siblings. Wil always envied that, but Jeb deserved something good. This fight didn’t change that.

“We don’t really believe that,” Sharon said, reaching over and taking his hand. She had tears in her eyes but looked calm. Sad, but in control. “You have to understand, it was really hard on him and Sarah.”

“Naw, I’m fine,” said Sarah brightly. “I mean, it’s not like I didn’t miss you. If I could’ve gone there and stayed longer, I probably would too. But I would’ve visited,” she added.

“I’m sure you had your reasons,” said Bob, finishing his beer. “I wouldn’t mind hearing them, but I’m not gonna push you, son.”

“It’s okay,” Wil said again. He took a deep breath and forced a smile. “He has every right to be mad. I didn’t visit. I made excuses every time because I didn’t want you to worry. But I didn’t visit because it was too expensive.”

“Oh, hogwash!” Bob shook his head. “I don’t care how much it would’ve cost, I would’ve found the money.”

“I didn’t want you to find the money,” said Wil. “I know how expensive it was to send me there. It took so much just for the first four years. But the thing is, I had to work harder than everyone else there to get where I am. That meant staying longer and working harder. And for those last two years, I got a job to help pay the tuition increase. I scrimped and saved everything I could to try to make it easier for you guys.

“And those extra two years were critical.” The guilt was still there, maybe would always be there, but Wil appreciated getting it out early. “I graduated with the rank of master. It opens a lot of doors for me, and I think also might affect how much I get paid. I had the opportunity and I had to make the most of it while I could. I wanted to be able to come home and make you all proud.”

“Aw hell, Wil,” Bob sighed. He leaned sideways in his chair and clasped Wil’s shoulder. “We’re already proud of you, obviously. But you shouldn’t have to worry about the money. That’s my job.”

“We would’ve been okay,” Sharon said.

Sarah made a face. “I mean, if he wanted to pay for it himself, it means I got to get spoiled while he was gone. And if it makes things better for you, then good for you. Jeb’ll come around. Unless you start acting like a know-it-all.”

“You think I’m going to be able to avoid that?” Wil scoffed. “I’ll be a know-it-all until the day I die and proud of it. Here Ma, let me clear the table.”

“You don’t have to do that!” Sharon swatted his hand.

“I want to though. I’m glad to be home, and I’ve got a lot to make up for.” Will collected his and her bowls and took them to the sink. From behind, he heard Sarah mutter something about one less chore for her. While the water heated up, Will took some time to be grateful things had gone as well as they had.

As much as the guilt and Jeb’s words stung, Wil found himself mostly content with his decision. It may not have been a popular decision but it was his to make. Things were going to be good, he decided. He smiled and did the dishes.