The Freeloader's Folly

Driving home for the holidays, Leo Davis is talked into giving his uncle's family of five a ride, though they refuse to chip in for gas. They eat oranges and toss the peels across the seats, smoke inside, and mock his warnings, insisting that family need not stand on ceremony. At a deserted rest stop with no cell service, he drives off without them.

Back home, his parents marvel at the borrowed luxury car his boss lent him, worth more than they can imagine. The reunion sours when his uncle's family arrives filthy, having hitched a ride on a pig truck, and demands five thousand dollars for distress and medical bills. When Leo refuses, his aunt stages a public scene at the gate, turning the village against him.

Summoned before Great-uncle, the village's senior elder, Leo shows a photo of the ruined seats. But the old man waves it off: it is only a little dirt, and they are family. The demand still stands, and the New Year hangs in the balance.