Dukes of Hazzard
Only What We Can Handle
Part 9: Pains and Small Hopes
It had taken 6 months the disease that was suppose to take her in 3. Jesse had been there the moment she died. He watched as her spark of life left her and held her hand as he prayed for her soul on its way to Heaven. I had been 4 weeks since she's gone and Jesse's greatest condolence was that she was no longer in pain. He on the other hand was in a constant state of ache. His mind ached in the morning when he woke up with out her. During the day he ached as he went about his work with out her. And now at dusk as he sat on the porch his mind turned Martha yet again and the lonely bed he would have to return to without her. He wondered if he would ever get use to it; sleeping alone, if he ever really wanted too? Maybe he would just spend another night on the coach, one more night wouldn't hurt.
Inside Jesse heard Daisy and Bo doing the finishing up the dishes. They were relaxed and laughing, teasing each other with soapy hands. It was good to hear them laugh again. The house had been quiet for far too long. Since Martha had been sick, no one talked too loud and the only laughing was soft chuckles to mask tears. The kids were getting back to normal as children should. It seemed Luke had been taking it the hardest of all the kids. Despite Luke's trying to deal with the situation Martha's illness had just made him angry and being unable to help or control things made it all the worse. There was more than one day when Luke was sent home from school for getting into a fight and more than one evening friends had brought him home from the boars nest after he'd been in a row. After Martha's death Luke had the hardest time talking about it so instead of dealing with the situation at home he escaped by staying out and keeping his distance even from Bo.
"Where have you been you missed dinner?" Daisy stopped chasing Bo around the kitchen as their solemn cousin came in the back door.
"No where. Where's Uncle Jesse." Daisy and Bo looked very young to Luke these days and he wanted little to do with their games.
"He's out front on the porch. You're going to be in trouble." Bo told his cousin but he knew Luke didn't care these days. Bo was angry with Luke because Luke didn't seem to care about anything these days.
"Oh well." Luke moved threw the kitchen past his cousins who no longer felt like playing after being under Luke's dark cloud, they started putting up the rest of the dishes.
Luke stepped out on to the front porch and the screen door shut with a "thwap" behind him.
"You missed dinner." Jesse said without looking at his nephew.
"I ate." Luke replied.
"Well then I'm glad you've come to grace us with your ever so happy presences since you don't seem to need us anymore." Jesse spoke more bitterly then he meant too but it was how he felt. He got up and started to head into the house when Luke stopped him cold.
"I joined the Marines today?" Jesse's face turned white.
"You did what?" Jesse turned back to the boy who was as tall as he was and as lean as he used to be.
"I joined the Marines." Luke repeated.
"Why'd you?" Jesse was in shock. The boy had never expressed an interest in the military and had always had mixed feelings about the war that was going on. "You're not even 18!" Jesse's thoughts turned with horror to loosing this young man he loved.
"I'll be 18 in 2 months I ship out the day after." Luke's face remained expressionless, though his eyes held volumes of uncertainty. Jesse could think of nothing else to say, nothing else to do save taking the boy in his arms and embracing him but he couldn't, neither Jesse nor Luke was ready for it. It would be a whole 2 months with cold shoulders and angry words before they finally let go of their baggage and hugged. It was their hug goodbye.
Bo missed Luke awful bad, everyday he hurried home from school hoping a letter had come from him and every day he preyed it wouldn't be the bad kind. The kind that no one talked about and everyone dreaded. Uncle Jesse didn't say much these days he hadn't gotten the chance to let his wounds heal from Aunt Martha's passing, then Luke left, and then Great Aunt Edith passed. It was a difficult time in the Duke house hold; money was tight as usually but things were not happy. Bo was starting to think for the first time in his life that maybe there were things Uncle Jesse couldn't handle, that they couldn't handle and it scared him.
The letter that arrived that day talked about how Luke missed them and how he'd been competing in boxing and having a good time. Nothing to scare or worry them which in someway was more worrying than not.
Bo left most of Luke's things untouched on his side of the room but he taken Luke's pocket knife and carried in around with him as good luck charm. As a way to keep Luke close to him and safe.
Her friends asked about him all the time and the best she could tell them most days was that she didn't know. She sometimes thought her friend Summer missed Luke more than she did. Crushes were like that, Daisy had had her own. She missed Luke terrible and worried about him out in the world in some foreign country. Some how she'd known he'd be leaving, after Aunt Martha died. She resented it, why did he get to leave, Leave Her, Bo, and Uncle Jesse to pick up the pieces. How dare he cause them added stress, who did he think he was. Everyday she hoped from a letter from him and not the sad kind the one that told you he wasn't coming home for good. Darn him he better come home and it better be in one piece or he'd get a piece of her mind.
Jesse tended his farm and all the things on it, he did the best that he could. Each day was a trail every task a testament to his perseverance. This particular day found him banging a loose board on the porch back into place when the mail came. He thanked Mrs. Mayberry for delivering his mail. He shuffled through the usual mail junk and bills nothing special till he came to one that was from Luke. His heart jumped as it always did when he got on of Luke's letters and he wasted no time tiring into it. The Letter started as all Luke's letters did. "Dear Uncle Jesse, Daisy, and Bo I hope you're all well, I miss you very much." There was nothing Jesse hadn't read before in the middle, what caused Uncle Jesse to jump and run to his truck was at the end.
Bo was called out of class by the principal as he walked down the hall to the office he wondered what it was he could have done to get into trouble, that was until he saw his cousin down the hallway. "Hey Daisy wait up." Bo sped up to catch her.
"Bo were you called out of class too?" Daisy asked as connections started to form in her mind.
"Yeah, what do you think it…..oh. NO." Bo's eyes got wide and Daisy's did like wise. They both took off running in the direction of the office. When they turned the corner they could see Uncle Jesse up ahead with his back to them, he turned when he heard them coming. Bo and Daisy saw his eyes were red and puffy. Their hearts fell as they stopped before him, they're minds finding all kinds of horrors and nightmares to settle on. Then it happened.
Jesse's face broke into a wide smile, like the cousins hadn't seen in what seemed like years. "He's coming home." Was all Jesse had to say for the fear to melt away. Jesse embraced his two children and couldn't wait to have the third back so he could do the same.
The worst was the waiting. Bo thought as he looked out the window of the room he and Luke would share again soon.
To Be Continued…
I'm trying to finish these before the distractions get too great. My interests have already moved to new things. I really want to finish this though so hang on I think I've got one more chapter in me. Thank you to every one who's been reviewing and asking for more I appreciate it so much, you've really kept the story alive.
