Rain poured down out of the dark thunderheads high above, turning the roads to sticky mud under the tires of the General Lee. Nevertheless, the car's tires cut through the mud, pushed onward by the steady pressure of Bo Duke's leadfoot on the accelerator.
"Jimney Crickets, Luke! It's raining cats and dogs out there!" Bo turned the wheel sharply to drift around a turn.
"Easy, Bo. These roads ain't like they normally are." Luke put his hand out on the dash to steady himself as the General glided around the corner, sending a spray of gloppy mud into the brush.
"Was it supposed to rain today?" Bo was more concerned with the sudden onset of the bad weather than of his driving and the welfare of the vehicle and its occupants.
"I don't know," Luke tensed again. "Bo, lookout! There's something on the road up ahead!"
Bo's attention immediately snapped back to where it belonged, and the right foot went from the accelerator to the brake, bringing the General to a sliding halt just feet away from a dark form standing on the roadside. The younger man in the car leaned back against the seat with a breath of relief that he hadn't hit whatever the thing was out there.
"I told you that the roads were a mess!" Luke snapped at his impulsive cousin. "You could've killed somebody!"
The form beside the road moved closer to the window and soon a man's scruffy face appeared, covered by a rain slicker. A week's worth of beard shaded his gaunt cheeks and his tired blue eyes looked old and sad.
Luke and Bo looked at each other. What was a person doing out here in the weather at dusk?
"You're liable to get hit walkin' on the road in the dark, mister." Luke pointed out. "Where ya headed? We'll give you a lift."
The man stared blankly at Luke for a moment. Then he said in a monotone voice, "Don't know where I'm headed." He mumbled.
Two little hands popped up and gripped the door of the General. Luke leaned over the edge to see who had a grip on the vehicle. It was a little girl, about three or four years old. She smiled up at him, strands of damp hair that had escaped from the slicker and stuck to her face.
"What do you mean you don't know where you're headed?" Bo demanded.
The man shrugged. "Me 'n Lisa here, we jus' don't know where we're headed. Got evicted 'bout two months ago, 'n jus' been wanderin' 'round ever since."
The little girl tugged on her father's rain slicker. "Daddy, I'm hungry."
"I know, Lisa. There ain't nothin' I can do about it though. Now quit pestin'."
Luke turned to look at Bo, and the two exchanged meaningful glances. Luke slid out of the General, grabbed the man by the elbow when he tried to back away and explained to him over the roaring of the wind that they had a few extra beds and a hot meal back at the Duke farm. The man was only convinced when Luke was thoroughly soaked and little Lisa had begun to screech because the rain picked up intensity and was stinging any exposed skin.
Bo helped from inside the General to direct the man's legs into the back seat and grabbed Lisa when Luke stuck her through the window. As Bo started the engine and took off, Lisa sat on Luke's lap, laughing when Bo turned up the radio and belted the tunes out to drown out the thunderclaps.
Luke grabbed the CB and told Uncle Jesse of the unexpected guests they were bringing in.
"Lost Sheep to Shepherd, Lost Sheep to Shepherd,"
"This here's Shepherd. On your way home, Luke?" Uncle Jesse's kind voice came on clear through the speaker.
"Yessir, and we're bringing a couple of lost lambs with us. Got caught out in the rain. Get some warm blankets and soup ready."
"Alrighty, Luke. How soon you gettin' home?"
"Five minutes." Luke hung the CB on the transmitter and returned his attention to the little girl on his lap.
From the backseat, the man said, "I don't know how to thank you fellas."
"Shucks, it's the least we could do. We've been caught out in rainstorms before." Bo slowed as he approached an intersection.
Up ahead was the Duke farm, warm lights glowing within the windows and a thin trail of smoke curling from the chimney. The yard was deserted by all the normal chickens and goats that populated it during the day, chased into the sanctuary of the barn by the wind and rain.
When the General slid to a mud-slinging halt in front of the screened in porch, Daisy cracked open the door and waved the man and little Lisa inside.
The two travellers were plunked down at the table and steaming bowls of hearty stew slid in front of them. The slickers were thrown onto the porch to drip dry and blankets replaced them.
Throughout the meal, the man repeatedly kept thanking Uncle Jesse again and again. Uncle Jesse patted the man on the shoulder. "We've been between a rock and a hard place before. It's the least we could do. Where y'all from?"
"Raleigh."
The conversation kept on until nine o-clock, upon that time the man retired to Bo and Luke's room, which they had given up for the two travellers.
Little Lisa though, was frightened by the rolling thunder and flashing lightning. So she sat on Uncle Jesse's lap as Dukes sat around the fireplace, talking about the day.
"Where's your mommy, Lisa?" Jesse asked kindly.
"Daddy says Mommy's in Heaven with the angels." The little girl leaned her head on Jesse's chest as he stroked her silky dark hair. Thunder boomed and Lisa stiffened for a moment. "After Mommy left, Daddy said we had to go away because the VC were after him. But I don't know what the VC is, but Daddy says they'll hurt me if they catch me."
"VC?" Automatically, Luke's interest was piqued. "Is that why you keep moving?"
Lisa nodded and stared out into space, her eyes beginning to get sleepy.
"The father said they were evicted two months ago, Uncle Jesse." Luke filled the older man in. He was now concerned about the father's mental state, although it was not uncommon for Vietnam veterans to suffer from PTSD.
Lisa yawned. "Sometimes Daddy gets really angry and throws things around and he thinks the VC are really close and we hafta run away real fast."
Not long after, Lisa's big blue eyes slid shut and Uncle Jesse slipped into Bo and Luke's room to lay her down on the other bed.
When he returned, his face was filled with worry.
"That poor little girl." Daisy was on the verge of tears. "What a life to live at such a young age."
"I'm worried about the father." Luke stared into the flames in the fireplace. "If he believes the VC are out to get him…" He paused. "I just don't know."