Author's Note: This is a story I wrote about the Dukes and their first years at the farm. I tried to keep it with them from the point where they got to the farm, and carry on throughout a couple of years. It's a growing and learning experience for all of them. There are also notes at the end of each chapter, a credit of sorts to a father from his son.
Warning : The warning is placed here for vinsmouse, who wanted a spew warning here, claiming it might be a bad idea to drink while reading the funnier parts. So please keep in mind that drinking any kind of beverage while reading this, might be hazzard'ous to the health of your screen.
Disclaimer: The Duke Boys are not mine, I don't own the Duke boys, nor the General Lee. I promise that once I'm through with them, there will be nothing broken that a trip to Cooter's garage can't fix….
Learning To Love…
Chapter 21 ……Big Brothers
Bo was holding on to his uncle's hand in the store, while looking around. Luke was supposed to come over there when he was done in school for the day. His uncle had a really long list of things to get, and usually Bo loved to be there with him, but he wasn't sure if he was eager for Luke to come, or scared of it. He and Luke had gotten into a fight that morning before Luke left, because Bo wasn't done eating, and Luke put his homework on the table. Bo hadn't meant to, but he had spilled his milk and it had gotten all over Luke's things. He had been so mad he even hit Bo, and Bo had run off crying, hiding under his bed while Jesse yelled at Luke.
Then the school buss came and Luke left without even saying goodbye to him. The day before when his uncle told him they would meet Luke after school he had been thrilled and couldn't wait, now he was more scared. Jesse understood what was up with the boy, but while Luke's temper caught on quick, he wasn't one to carry a grudge, he might still be annoyed, but he'd know better than to take it out on Bo. Still, wanting to comfort the boy he bought him a small lollipop and sent him outside to wait for his cousin.
Bo was looking down the street when someone came up to him, he looked up and realized it was Barry, a boy who was just a little older than him, and that wasn't any nice at all.
"What are ya doing here?" the freckled faced boy asked squaring of his shoulders.
"I's waiting fer Luke," Bo told him, trying not to show how he was scared. Luke had told him never to show when he was scared, he said it just made it worse.
"Where'd ya get that sucker?" Barry demanded. "I think ya are a sucker, a big ugly one."
"I's not," Bo declared furiously. He wasn't sure exactly what it meant, but he didn't want to be anything that Barry called him.
"Give me that," Barry snapped, yanking his lollipop from his hand and throwing it on the ground.
"Yer mean!" Bo shouted angrily.
"What ya gonna do, tell yer cousin?" Barry taunted.
"He don't have to," a low voice came from behind him. "I saw what ya did Barry, ya apologize to my cousin right now."
"An' what if I don't, Luke 'Puke'?" Barry demanded.
"Then I'm gonna make ya," Luke told him, punching him in the face, and in an instant the two boys were rolling on the ground. Barry wound up pushing Bo so he fell over, and he couldn't help but sniff a little. His bottom hurt and he grazed his palms. With Luke there he didn't want to be a baby though, so he bit his lip trying not to cry.
It didn't take long before Luke had chased Barry away so that he ran, and then Luke brushed the dust of his clothes, pretending that his scraped knee and bruised cheek didn't hurt none, instead he helped Bo to his feet.
"Did he hurt ya?" he asked softly as Bo still sniffed.
"Is ya mad at me Luke?" Bo asked, sniffing again.
"No, I ain't mad at ya no more," Luke assured him. "Did he hurt ya Bo?"
"Hurts," Bo nodded, holding up his hand so Luke could see his palm.
"It ain't bad Bo," Luke assured him though a few tears slid down Bo's cheeks. He didn't cry just because it hurt, but also because he had been scared, scared of Barry and scared that Luke would still be mad.
"Come Bo, I bet Uncle Jesse will get ya a new lollipop," Luke told him. "Do ya wanna ride piggyback?"
Bo nodded his head, he wanted to, slowly climbing up on Luke's back he sniffed again, wiping at a stray tear, and when it stung in the graze on his palm he couldn't help it anymore, he started really crying.
"Uncle Jesse, Barry was mean to Bo," Luke declared as he headed inside the store.
"I can see that," Jesse stated as he picked Bo up and sat him down on the counter. He hauled out his handkerchief and spat on it before wiping Bo's palm off. Comforting the boy as he did so.
"He ruined his lollipop, can he get a new one Uncle Jesse? Please, I could get him one, I's got a little money at home," Luke stated where he stood.
"Don't worry about it Luke," Mr. Rhuebottom smiled. "I got it covered," he got down a jar where he kept his lollipops and held it out to Bo. "Ya chose a new one now Bo, I ain't gonna let ya be without just because some boy is mean."
"I could get the boy a new one, ya know?" Jesse chided softly, not wanting to scare Bo, but he had to say it.
"Go on Bo," Mr. Rhuebottom encouraged him, shaking the jar lightly, smiling as Bo picked a red one, whispering a quiet thanks. "That's a good boy," he smiled ruffling his hair lightly. "Come here Luke, ya pick one to," Mr. Rhuebottom stated, shaking the jar lightly again.
"Thanks sir, but I couldn't," Luke told him quietly. "I didn't do nothing."
"Ya did enough, go on now, if ya don't pick one, I'm gonna pick one fer ya," Rhuebottom grinned, and when Jesse nodded, Luke did so, picking a red the same as Bo, then bowing his head. "Thank ya, sir."
"Well, I think we got everything now, so I had better take these two home," Jesse stated. "Appreciate it Homer," he added nodding towards his boys.
"Think nothing of it," Homer grinned as Jesse lifted Bo down from the counter, Bo immediately hurrying over to stand beside Luke where he knew he would be protected. "You boys come back here soon now, ya hear."
"Yes sir," Luke nodded seriously.
"Luke, can ya carry a bag?" Jesse asked as he lifted a paper bag down from the counter.
"Yes sir," Luke nodded taking it from him.
"I's can carry to," Bo offered quietly.
"Alright then," Jesse smiled, giving him a bag of sugar. "Ya carry that then Bo," he instructed as Bo followed right behind Luke, getting the two remaining bags himself. They put it all in the back of the pickup. Jesse putting down his two bags before taking the things the boys carried.
When they were home and Luke had sat down in the kitchen to do his new homework Bo came over to him.
"Luke," he said quietly and tugged at his jeans leg. Sensing that it was something more serious than Bo wanting to play Luke lifted him up to sit in his lap.
"I's sorry," Bo told him, giving him a worried look.
"Sorry fer what?" Luke asked confused.
"Didn't mean to spill," Bo told him. "I's sorry."
"I'm sorry to Bo, I shouldn't have hit ya," Luke told him.
"Ain't mad no more?" Bo asked carefully.
"No Bo, I ain't mad at ya," Luke assured him.
"When Barry's mean, I's scared ya's mad an' wasn't gonna help me," Bo admitted. "I mean, before ya did, I's though maybe ya's mad at me an' didn't care if he's mean."
"Bo, even if I am mad at ya, I ain't gonna let anyone be mean to ya," Luke told him. "Yer my cousin, an' I love ya, an' I'm always gonna do my best to protect ya. If someone is mean, ya can always tell me, even if I'm mad, because I won't let anyone be mean an' hurt ya."
"So, even if I's bad, an' ya's mad at me, yer still gonna hit anyone that hits me?" Bo asked thoughtfully.
"Uhu," Luke nodded.
"Even Ernie Ledbetter?" Bo wanted to know.
"Especially him, if he says anything mean to ya, I'm gonna hit him real good," Luke told him.
"Promise?" Bo pleaded, it wasn't that he wanted Luke to fight, he just wanted the promise of protection.
"I promise," Luke told him, reaching out and shaking Bo's hand.
"I love ya Luke," Bo declared, twisting around and kissing him on the cheek.
"I gotta work now Bo," Luke told him.
"Can I help?" Bo asked eagerly.
"Alright, ya can try, but if it don't work yer gonna have to go play," Luke told him.
"Okay," Bo made himself comfortable, doing his best to help. When he couldn't, he simply sat quiet and let Luke work it out on his own.
"There, done," Luke declared as he closed the book.
"Can ya play with me now?" Bo asked. "Please Luke?"
"Okay," Luke agreed. He was in a good mood for playing with Bo, he felt really protective. "Lets get the cars an' play race."
"I can get them," Bo declared happily. He slid down onto the floor and darted of to their room to fetch their toy cars.
"Ya know Luke, I still ought to take ya out to the woodshed fer hitting yer cousin earlier today," Jesse told him sternly from where he was getting himself a cup of coffee.
"Yes, sir," Luke swallowed. He had thought that part was all done and over with by now.
"I know ya stood up fer him there, but just cause ya pounce on some other little boy, an' one that's smaller than yerself at that even if it was to help yer cousin, it don't make up fer what ya did first ya know," Jesse went on, fixing the boy with a firm look.
"No, sir," Luke agreed quietly.
"I should take ya out there an' have a talk to ya about it I reckon, I fer sure knew there ain't many would see why if I didn't, so what do you think Luke, should we git ourselves out to the woodshed?" he asked him.
"I, I guess so," Luke mumbled quietly. If he started objecting, saying it wasn't fair his uncle would only get angry and then he'd be in even more trouble.
"Do you know why it is we ought to go there?" Jesse asked.
Luke nodded, not really trusting his voice at that moment. "Cause I got mad an' hit him, cause it was nothing really, an' if I hadn't, I could have just wiped the milk off of my things, but I lost my temper," he said in a hurried rush.
Jesse nodded, he almost felt sorry for getting the boy worked up like that. He hadn't meant to do anything bad more than Bo had, but when Luke's anger fired the boy himself didn't know what he was doing until after he did it. Jesse had to take that out of him, for his own sake. If Luke lost his temper the same way when he was older, the lord knew what the boy might wind up doing.
"Now, ya made it up with Bo, an' that's good," he stated. "Ya know what ya did wrong, an' that's good to, but I just can't accept that kind of behavior, so what shall we do about it?"
"Go to the woodshed," Luke mumbled quietly.
"Well Luke, because ya know what ya did wrong, an' because yer actually standing up taking responsibility fer it, I'm gonna go easier on ya then maybe I should. What yer gonna do is ya gonna clean out Maudine the mule's stall, an' yer gonna clean out after them goats. Yer gonna be doing that fer a week I think, does that sound fair to you?"
"Yes, sir," Luke nodded, relieved that he didn't have to go to the woodshed.
"Alright then, that's starting tomorrow," Jesse stated. "Now come over here boy," he smiled softly at the young boy who had stood putting on a brave face even as he thought he was going to get his hide tanned. There was one thing Jesse always wanted to make sure off, that the boys knew that no matter what he loved them.
Luke shuffled over and Jesse knelt down to hug him. "Yer a good boy Luke, an' I love ya, ya just gonna have to learn to control that temper of yer's."
"Yer sir, I'm sorry," Luke mumbled.
"Now cheer up an' run along an' play with Bo," Jesse advised him.
"Okay," Luke nodded, walking over to meet Luke who came running with two cars in his hands.
"Lookie Luke, I's got ya yer green one," Bo called out. "An' I's got my red one."
"Great Bo, I bet ya I can beat ya," Luke told him, dropping down on the circular rug on the floor to race his cousin around it. Jesse smiled softly to himself as he watched them, they were sure good kids.
In credit of the man who was so hard to read I never knew what I did wrong.
TBC
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