"The emotion of love gives all of us a misleading illusion of knowing the other."

Milan Kundera

RAIN

When Erika Salinger knocked at the farm's door, Daisy's stomach squirmed; the nausea of the night before was still there, annoying her.

"Enos isn't here, yet. My cousins are goin' to the Hospital to bring him back, and we're waiting for him", her only words to Erika after she opened the door.

Not a welcome from Daisy Duke, but Erika pretended not to hear her annoyed tone, she entered the farm and she walked to uncle Jesse, "I'm going to wait for him. Thank you for your invitation, Mr Duke".

Erika sat on the couch and she looked around, observing the living room, and Daisy, still standing near the door, her arms folded, looked at her, wondering what she was thinking of.

Daisy regretted her staying at the farm while her cousins were going to the Hospital to bring Enos back, but, at the same time, she preferred to be there to wait for that woman, a sort of marking her territory, a sort of telling Erika "this is MY farm, you're a guest, an unwelcome guest, so stay at your place and remember I'm watching you". She thought uncle Jesse was too much gentle with that woman, and, somehow, she wanted to balance that kindness. She would've preferred some days passed before that occasion, but Erika asked to meet Enos as soon as his coming back, unable to wait any more (she said she already waited too much when he was at the Hospital), and uncle Jesse granted her that possibility: so, Andrew Salinger's daughter was already there, even before Enos' arrival.

A brief glance from uncle Jesse and Daisy had a deep sigh, she walked to the couch and she sat near Erika, trying to keep calm, but she couldn't forget Enos' silence after she talked to him about Erika; he was thinking of something, but unfortunately he didn't share his thoughts with her, and it was the first time since his mother's death: was he going back to his previous prudence and of his previous being so offish? She tried to relax thinking of his way to rest his head on her shoulder: no, he wasn't running away, he couldn't run away after what happened between them. She remembered the time spent at the Boarding House after his mother's funeral, their time spent talking 'bout everything and hugging each other (and not only hugging) on his bed; she remembered his spontaneous talking 'bout the way his mother and Andrew Salinger died, expressing her all his doubts. But, no matter how much she tried, his silence, that sudden silence after his showing his pride ("I don't want your PITY! I'm stronger and more mature you, and everybody, think") scared her: was he simply offended because of her over-protecting him? Or was there something more deep and complicated in his mind? Daisy knew Enos enough to understand that nothing was so simple with him: for sure he was now pondering on something really wry and confusing, something concerning Erika and Andrew Salinger, something he was hiding to her, so she couldn't keep calm, not at all.

And his silence was, in effect, the real reason why she decided to stay at the farm. She wanted to show him she wasn't so over-protective: she knew pretty well that if she had gone to the Hospital she would've spent their way back to the farm to try to push him to open up 'bout that silence, whereas Bo and Luke would've had a different approach, maybe managing to push him to open up with their friendly nonchalance whereas she would've failed with her excessive worrisome (as the day before). She didn't want to make the same mistake, waking up his pride and, because of his pride, his being offish.

Was she doing the right thing? She sighed realizing how much difficult was to be by Enos' side, and how much difficult was to find the best way to show him her affection and love without let him think it was a sort of pity or a sort of lack of confidence in his strength. For sure their relationship's changed that night at the Institute, but if, at that time, she thought it was the natural finishing of their (HER) previous push and pull, their final (and beautiful) station, she was now realizing it was the beginning of something totally new and somehow mysterious: if she had always thought of Enos as someone she knew better than anybody else, a shy man she could, somehow, totally control, she was lately learning to understand how much complicated and unforeseeable he could be; but she didn't understand exactly how much the pain and the confusion he was going through worked together to make him what he was after his mother's death.

Bo turned to Enos and then to Luke, a brief glance between the blonde and the brown Duke, a glance full of meaning: worrisome, perplexity and curiosity.

Since they left the Hospital Enos remained silent, looking outside the window of the General's back seat; he wasn't surprised about their arrival to the Hospital instead of Daisy, since Daisy told him, the previous day, she was going to wait for him at the farm; he already knew about Erika Salinger's coming to the farm and he knew Erika was probably already at the farm waiting for him.

So, Bo and Luke were wondering what he was thinking of so deeply and so intensely: he was going to meet the young woman who could be his sister; and, if she wasn't his sister, she was the daughter of his mother's lover (a tricky and embarrassing love affair ended in a dramatic way, a love affair everybody in Hazzard was talking of, a love affair bringing John Fitzroy to attack Enos).

It wasn't surprising he was so silent and lost in his thoughts.

"Everything's OK, buddy? How's your wrist?"

Luke's words woke Enos up.

"Pain-killers work", he shrugged, turning again to the window after a brief smile to Luke.

"Are you worried?", a direct question, this time from Bo.

"No. But I'm eager to remove this cast. Possum on a gum bush, I can only use my right arm, and it's difficult", another brief smile.

"Enos, I'm talking 'bout Erika Salinger".

Enos' smile faded, "No. I'm not worried, I'm just curious to… know what she knows 'bout… well…. you know, Bo", another shrug.

Another glance between Bo and Luke: it was clear Enos didn't want to talk 'bout it, so it was pointless to go on. They had a try, as Daisy asked them, but they stopped in front of Enos' resistance, as Daisy warned them.

Daisy looked at Bo and Luke helping Enos coming out the General: a difficult thing for Enos because of his useless left arm and his broken ribs… a difficult thing for him even when his left arm worked, in effect.

She observed everything: his walking to the farm, his entering the living room, and his first look at Erika Salinger.

He stared at her, looking carefully for something, and she stared at him.

She looked at their shaking hands, seriously and shyly at the same time.

She couldn't understand what he was thinking of, and his words slapped her.

"I'd like to talk to Miss Salinger alone", he lowered his head, sighing, "please. I appreciate you invited her here, uncle Jesse, but… it's something really personal".

Daisy bit her lip to remain silent, remembering uncle Jesse's words and fighting against her instinct to protect him: "I think Enos' pride wouldn't accept so easily your acting like a tiger protecting his puppy. It's something too much important 'bout HIS life and identity".

"Bo, Luke and I have a lot of things to do at the barn", a clear look at his nephews, "and Daisy has to do the whashing", another clear look at his niece, "but… if you need us…. anything from us… just ask", and a final clear and meaningful look at Enos.

Enos nodded, "Thanks, uncle Jesse", and he turned to Daisy, smiling, a meaningful smile ("I'm OK, don't worry, Dais, we'll talk later").

Not completely relieved by his smile, she nodded and she smiled, leaving Enos and Erika alone, her look lingering on them sitting at the kitchen's table.

Silence.

He moved the food here and there in his plate with his fork, without eating.

During the dinner, Erika Salinger already gone after her talking with Enos, Dukes looked at Enos without asking him anything: they didn't want to ask him what Erika told him, but they couldn't pretend nothing happened talking of useless or funny things.

Uncle Jesse's advice was stuck in their minds: "If Enos wants to talk 'bout it, he'll find a way to talk 'bout it. Don't force him and let him take his time to put up with this thing".

Daisy was still fighting against her instinct to protect him from his pain, and finally her instinct won: after dinner, looking at him walking to the guest's room, she couldn't help but following him.

Her hands reached his ones as he tried to unbutton his shirt, a difficult action because of his left hand half-covered by the cast.

"Sugar, let me help you"

He let her unbutton his shirt, and when she looked at him she noticed he was smiling.

"Daisy Duke. Having you unbuttoning my shirt has always been my dream. And not only my shirt"

She opened her eyes wide, surprised by his smile and his sly confidence, and at the same time relieved by his relaxing talk after his long silence, so she laughed, "Enos Strate, you're really something else", her hands on his bare chest.

"I want only to sleep, now, only to sleep, but, please, don't go away", his smile turned sad and Daisy's heart skipped a beat.

"Let him put up with this thing. He can't take things for himself anymore, and he's understood it".

"Ok, I'm going to stay here with you", she kissed gently his lips and he answered her kiss, calming her worrisome.

Uncle Jesse didn't protest against her decision to spend the night sleeping by Enos' side, as he didn't protest against the same decision the night of Rose Strate's funeral, whereas, since he didn't know anything about the night at the Institute, he couldn't protest against it; and if it was OK for uncle Jesse, it was OK for Bo and Luke too.

Drowsiness.

Again that drowsiness overwhelming her, despite her attempt to stay awake hoping for Enos opening up; she fell asleep when he was still awake, and in her sleeping she could feel him tossing and turning by her side.

In her deeper and deeper sleeping she heard the pelting rain outside the window confusing with Enos' soft calling her and hugging her, and she couldn't understand if it was real or a dream.

Uncle Jesse's voice woke her up, entering her dreams and mixing with the sound of the pelting rain outside the window.

"Daisy… please, wake you up, we have to go out and look for Enos"

Look for Enos… Look for Enos?

The meaning of uncle Jesse's words finally forced her drowsiness's barrier.

Enos wasn't by her side. He wasn't at the farm.

He was gone.