Arthur, a hardworking nineteen-year-old, was devastated when his grandmother died and perplexed by the fact that all she left him was an old rocking chair. Granny Esme, on the other hand, has one last lesson to teach her grandsons, which Arthur discovers.”Close your eyes, my dear boys. I don’t have much time left.” Granny Esme spoke in hushed tones. When she reached for her grandsons, Luke and Arthur, her hands shook. The young men leaned in close to hear what she was saying.

“Look after each other.” As she studied the boys, Esme’s eyes were filled with love. “The world can be harsh at times. To get through life, you must be astute and wise. You must help each other.” “Of course we will, Granny.” Arthur’s tears streamed down his cheeks. “We’re like family, and we’ll always be there for each other.” Esme grinned. Arthur was so sweet and helpful. He didn’t see his brother, Luke’s, selfish side at all.”And how about you, Luke?”

Esme cocked her head to look at Luke’s handsome face. “Will you always be there for your brother?” Luke smiled, and Esme knew nothing he said after that would be true. He’d always relied on his charm and good looks for everything, which had resulted in him being lazy and self-centered. But the boys would eventually learn and improve. Esme had made certain of it.

The light streaming in through the window seemed to brighten and expand to fill her entire room. Esme smiled, her heart filling with joy. Her final act was to squeeze both boys’ hands. “The cheapest casket will do,” Luke reasoned. “After all, Granny is no longer with us, and the last thing she’d care about is how beautiful her coffin is.” She would prefer that we save the money.

Arthur smirked. He and Luke hadn’t agreed on much since they arrived at the funeral home. Although he agreed with Luke’s insistence on saving as much money as possible, Arthur still wanted Granny Esme to have a dignified funeral that honored her life. “I have some money saved up from mowing lawns and selling the tomatoes I grew last summer,” Arthur explained.

“I was going to surprise Granny with a trip to the ocean, but now I’ll use it to give her something I know she would’ve liked for her funeral: a blue coffin.”Luke shook his head and rolled his eyes, but that didn’t stop Arthur from making funeral arrangements with the funeral director. Arthur also purchased a spray of blue and white flowers for Granny’s casket with the last of his savings.

Following the ceremony, a few of Arthur and Luke’s relatives gave them money to assist them now that Granny could no longer support them. Luke thanked them with a sad smile, but once they were in Luke’s car, he began counting the money. “There’s almost two thousand dollars here.” Luke smiled and began stuffing bills into his pockets. “Since I’m the oldest, I’ll take care of the money, okay Arthur?

“Arthur shook his head. He couldn’t stop thinking about Granny Esme and how much he missed her.Arthur and Luke were summoned to the lawyer’s office a few days later for the reading of Granny Esme’s will. Granny had always been fair while raising the brothers, and Arthur expected her will to reflect that. He was mistaken.”To my grandson, Luke Anderson, I leave my house,” the lawyer said aloud.

“And I leave my antique mahogany rocking chair to my grandson, Arthur Anderson.” When he sits in it, I hope he remembers how much I loved him.” Arthur’s mouth dropped open. Luke got the house, but Granny only gave him her rocking chair? How is that possible? He remembered all the times he’d told Granny about his dream of owning a farm. She’d promised to do everything she could to assist him. He had nothing now.

‘Dearest Arthur, you didn’t really expect your adoring grandmother to leave you only a rocking chair, did you?’ “I am the oldest brother, so that makes sense.” Luke took a step forward and shook hands with the lawyer. “Granny Esme was a wise old lady.”Luke laughed and clapped Arthur on the shoulder outside. “You’ve just learned an invaluable lesson, bro.”

“I have?” Arthur looked at his brother with a frown. He was still perplexed as to why Granny had done this and hoped Luke would explain. “You’ve discovered that charisma is the thing that will get you the most places in life.” Luke smiled. “All those times you helped Granny with chores and all the time you spent transforming the backyard into a vegetable garden earned you nothing but a rocking chair.” My charming personality, on the other hand, got me a house.”

Arthur looked at his brother in pained silence. How could he be so callous? It was as if he didn’t miss Granny at all.Luke’s demeanor only worsened when the brothers arrived at Granny’s house. “So, how long do you think it’ll take you to find your own place?” Luke inquired.”Are you kicking me out?” Arthur looked at his brother with wide eyes. “Didn’t you promise Granny that we’d always look out for each other?”

“Of course,” I say, “and I’m not kicking you out.” Luke smirked. “But you need to gain independence, and my girlfriend is very interested in living with me.” I’m sure that will make you uncomfortable. Perhaps you could stay in a shelter until you find your footing.” Arthur fists were clenched. He couldn’t believe his brother would be so cruel to him! He looked around at the worn wooden floors and old wallpaper in the house they’d lived in since their parents died.

Arthur wasn’t afraid of hard work and knew he could save up for a place one day, but this was his home for the time being. The walls were adorned with priceless memories.”On the other hand,” Luke added, “this place could use some serious fixing up before Stacey moves in.” “I’ll work something out with you, bro. You can live here rent-free if you help me with the repairs. “What do you think?”

Arthur wished he could tell his brother to go away, but he was in no position to do so. Instead, he bowed his head and accepted Luke’s plan. Luke began laughing the moment Arthur left the room, which Arthur had no idea. “I can always count on little brother to be a fool,” he remarked.Arthur worked hard for the next week to repair loose tiles in the bathroom, paint the hall, and replace the old linoleum in the kitchen.

Luke initially helped a little, but he soon spent all of his time watching TV and giving Arthur orders. “You should clear out the attic, too,” Luke exclaimed one day. “While you’re at it, get your inheritance down there.” Arthur thought he heard his brother chuckle as he dragged the attic ladder down, but dismissed it as his imagination. Granny’s mahogany rocking chair was in one corner, spider webs and dust all over it.

As Arthur dusted it, he remembered Granny telling him stories about her youth while rocking on the porch.”Every time I sit in this chair,” Arthur promised, “I will remember the love you shared with us.” “Luke may completely transform this house, but Granny Esme, you’ll always be in my heart.” Arthur wiped his tears away and sat in the chair. Granny’s death had turned his world upside down. Nothing made sense about Granny’s will, and he’d be homeless soon as a result.

“Perhaps Luke would let me live here.” When Arthur leaned back in his chair, two things happened at once. Then there was a loud clunk from the roof section above him. Dollar bills then rained down on him like confetti. “What the…” Arthur removed a bill from his lap and examined it. Benjamin Franklin returned his gaze. He reached for some more notes that had fallen to the ground. All of them were one hundred dollar bills.

When Arthur looked up, he noticed a trapdoor directly above him. When he stood up to inspect it, he discovered a rope connecting the trapdoor handle to the rocking chair. He must have opened it while rocking in his chair. He then gasped as he peered inside the secret storage space. The small space was crammed with money bags! A letter was propped up against the nearest one. It had his name written in Granny’s lovely cursive. Arthur took the letter out and opened it.

‘Dearest Arthur, you didn’t really expect your adoring grandmother to leave you only a rocking chair, did you?’ The letter began. ‘All of this money is for you, but you must promise me one thing: you will never reveal it to Luke. Granny’s insistence perplexed Arthur, but the letter explained that she knew Luke would be careless with the money. She also wrote that this was why he’d left Luke her house, so he’d always have a place to call home, no matter what bad decisions he made in life.

Arthur clutched the letter to his chest. His eyes welled up with tears, but he couldn’t stop laughing. Granny had saved his life yet again.When Luke kicked Arthur out of the house a week later, he said nothing about the money. He’d already bought a small farm with the money he’d found. He’d always wanted to work on the farm, and now he could make that a reality.

The produce from Arthur’s farm became well-known in the area over the years. He began selling preserves and pickles after selling fresh fruits and vegetables to local supermarkets. Everyone knew that ‘Esme’s Farm’ was the best place to go for low-cost, high-quality produce. Arthur drove into town every weekend to pick up his young nieces and nephews. Luke and Stacey married shortly after moving in together and had five children.

Luke struggled to find work, but Arthur brought them food from the farm when he picked up the kids.Arthur was determined that his nieces and nephews would not follow in Luke’s footsteps. He showed them how to farm and care for the plants that would feed them. When they decided to revive the vegetable garden he’d started at home so many years ago, it made him very proud.

Then Arthur met his true love. He’d gone to a dairy farming symposium to learn more about the industry because he wanted to expand his business and met Kaylee there. It was love at first sight for both of them. They were in a long-distance relationship for a year before marrying.Arthur received devastating news just days after Kaylee gave birth to twin boys. When the phone rang, he and Kaylee were in the middle of changing the twins’ diapers.

It was late at night, and Arthur knew it had to be bad news when he saw who was calling. “Bro, the house is gone,” Luke informed him. “Gone. A fire broke out…God, it spread so quickly.” “Is everyone okay?” “Stacey and I just got the kids out in time, but now…” Luke let out a sigh. “We have nowhere else to go.” “Yes, you do,” Arthur said. “My farm manager recently retired and moved in with his children.”

You’ll need furniture, but the cottage is empty and ready for you to move in at any time.”Luke expressed his gratitude to his brother. They arrived that night, and by the end of the week, the family had settled into the cottage. “You’re a great brother for giving us a place to stay.” Luke slapped Arthur on the back of the shoulder and smiled. “Just like Granny said, we must always look out for each other.”

“Exactly.” Arthur smiled back at his brother. “You’re fortunate to have moved into a house that includes a job. I’ll see you at 4:30 a.m. on Monday to show you what tasks you have to complete for the day.”