The Bet: Charles and Almanzo bet that they can get a cargo to Sleepy Eye before it's 13 pm and that whoever comes last will pay for the other's dinner.
Determinator: Kavendish, the hitchhiker who takes a ride with Charles as he's trying to get to Sleepy Eye first. He's trying to apply for a job, but Charles' idea of a shortcut gets in the way and almost gets him there too late, but he nevertheless follows his path when Charles is stuck and takes a ride on a train, even shaving himself while waiting for it. He gets the job.
Charles decides to take a shortcut by travelling off the map. As it turns out, there was a reason that area wasn't part of the road, as there was a creek in the path.
Almanzo decides to take a different path on the road, but leaves part of the cargo behind which he intends to get later. A starving family passses by and thinks it's a Godsend gift, and take it home.
Laser-Guided Karma: Charles arrives after Almanzo but tries to pretend he got there first, so he can have his son-in-law pay for the dinner. As it turns out, the waiter in the restaurant is Kavendish, the same old man who got a ride with him during his ill-chosen attempt at finding a shortcut, and he wastes no time in spilling the truth, forcing Charles to pay for the (very expensive) dinner.
Parenting the Husband: Genderflipped with Percival and Nellie. Nellie is still quite immature, so Percival often has to remind her about her eating habits during her pregancy as she keeps insisting on bizarre, unhealthy combinations such as pickles with maple syrup against the doctor's orders, even sending her to her room like a parent to a child.
