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Four days later, Bo was beginning to wonder if the medications were doing any good at all. The first one he found out made him drowsy as heck. He caught himself nodding off at the weirdest times, such as in the middle of chores or dinner.
The second one didn't seem to do anything for him at all. It didn't clear his head, nor did it stop his very sneezy reactions any. If anything, it made them worse as after taking it, he would break out into fits that left him gasping for air, and congested. The first time that had happened, Daisy had jumped in alarm, ready to haul Bo over to the Tri-Counties hospital as Bo's fit had reached over 35 straight sneezes. He had been unable to talk, just basically gasp for air as his body shook and convulsed with the ferocity of the fit.
When it had ended, his eyes were swollen and red, his nose had been blocked and he felt dizzy from the lack of oxygen to his brain. Thinking it had been a fluke, he had tried the medication again and got the same result, but this time in front of Luke, who had his tight blue jeans nearly scared off him as he hauled his cousin out of the Boars Nest and into fresh air.
Luke had stood by, while Bo had sneezed repeatedly, unsure of what to do. Bo had rested one hand on the General as he sneezed harshly over and over again towards the ground, giving up on covering them up after the first 12 or so.
Finally the fit had subsided, and he wearily collapsed against the car, white dots dancing in front of his eyes as he fought to keep from passing out. When he recovered enough to finally stand straight, he saw Luke looking like he was about to haul his cousin to the nearest ambulance as his blue eyes conveyed his fear for Bo's health.
The third medication had left Bo feeling very nauseated, and the first time he took that, he spent the next hour hunched over the toilet bowl, very happy to have indoor plumbing. That experience alone was more than enough to keep Bo from taking that medication again. Sneezing fits he could handle, even feeling drowsy was livable. Hunched over the toilet bowl, gagging his lungs out while revisiting his most recent meal was out of the question.
Which left him basically back where he had started. Either take one of the three medicines that his Uncle had spend good money for, or not take them at all and live with his allergies. The one that made him drowsy was the one that worked the best, as it basically stopped him from sneezing at all, but it also but a crimp in his life as he was always looking for a place to rest his head for a bit. Which definitely left driving the General out of the question.
Bo sighed wearily as he leaned against the side of the barn. He had gotten up extra early today to start his chores before the sun came out and dried the morning dew off of everything and made his allergies worse. He hadn't taken any of his medications today and now he was feeling guilty. Uncle Jessie had meant well, in trying to help, yet Bo couldn't bring himself to tell his Uncle that none of the meds were really working. How could he disappoint his Uncle like this?
Finding no answers to his questions and doubts, he picked up the pitchfork and began shoveling the hay into the horse stalls in the barn. He had to finish his chores soon, as the sun was now coming up.
The barn work was quickly finished and he also collected the eggs for the morning breakfast. That chore had proved a bit harder as the chicken feathers were one of the catalysts to his allergies. He had managed to get out of that chore pretty easy today, stifling only two short sneezes into his elbow before hightailing it out of the chicken coop.
His next chore of cutting the grass around the sides of the farmhouse was the one he dreaded the most. He considered asking Luke to do it, but then realized that in doing so, he would end up with Luke's chore of cleaning out the pigsty and the goat's pen. Neither of those chores appealed to him.
So he went and hauled out the old mower. The small gasoline powered machine was a luxury to them, as most people still used the older hand-pushed ones. This one had been given to them as repayment for repainting a barn a few summers back. Mr. Dodson had just gotten himself a new fancy model and he was more than willing to part with the older one for some work from the Dukes.
Bo checked the gas in the motor and started it up. With luck, he would be done and back in the house before Daisy could even start breakfast.
Luck however was not with him. He had only just begun mowing when the scent of the freshly cut grass began it's work on his nose. Having already dealt with the chickens, his allergies were already in full swing.
He turned his head away from the mower and sneezed harshly. "HehheChIshhh!! hah-Hahchuhh!!" He wiped under his nose with one hand and tried to push the mower on further but the grass tickled his nose too badly. "Heh-eh" he panted, trying to urge the sneeze out already. It was building slowly and itching like crazy. He stopped walking, and waved one hand in front of his face. "Come on al-already." He took a few more pre-sneeze breaths.
"Heh-eh-ahh," It finally built to where he could release it fully. "Heh-HEKT-Chuhhh!! Hah-KESHhhh!! Hehh-EKKTshhh!"
He pulled out one of his own bandanas that he had taken to carrying around. He shook it open and wiped at his nose and eyes. The sneezing had made it hard for him to see. He blew his nose then started in on the mower again. This time he made it two more rows around the side before having to stop to sneeze again.
Half an hour later, he finished up one side and saw his cousin just coming outside. He raised one hand in greeting and began to work on the other side.
Luke stretched and walked around the side of the house to where Bo was headed. As he got closer he noticed Bo's reddened eyes. He sighed. "Bo."
Bo didn't hear him and continued to mow the other side of the house. Now that Luke was awake he wanted to get done quickly, so this time when the fierce tickle started up again, he simply turned his head to sneeze into his shoulder. "Heh-EhhShooo!" He sniffed once and pushed the mower forwards.
Luke watched as his cousin continued to battle the urge to sneeze and finish his chore. After three more half-stifled sneezes, he took pity on the younger boy and walked over to the mower. Bo hadn't seen him as he was still sneezing and had his eyes tightly closed. "KEHT-Chhhh! Heh-KESHhhhh HehheChIshhh!!" Bo's blond head bobbed wildly.
Luke reached over and turned off the mower. "Bless you. Bo, why are you doing this? You didn't take your medication today, did you?"
Bo blew his nose again and crumpled up the bandana. "No, I didn't. And I'm not going to." He went to start the mower but Luke's hand on the switch deterred him. "Come on, Luke, I'm almost done." He stuffed the soggy cloth in his left back pocket.
"Why didn't you take them?" Luke asked with a frown.
Bo sighed and pushed Luke's hand away. "If you must know, they make me sick. They ain't helping any so why should I take them?"
"Alright then, let me finish this for you." Luke offered. "You go inside and take a break."
Bo refused to let go of the mower. "I've said it before, I don't need no babyin. I can finish this up just fine." His tone was harsh.
"I ain't babyin you, Bo. You've already done most of it, so you should take a break anyway." Luke again reached for the mower.
"Don't you have your own chores to be doin?" Bo asked angrily. He didn't want or need special treatment from anyone. He just wanted to be left alone to finish his chores like he always did.
"Fine,fine," Luke said as he gave up trying. He covered his hurt with a swallow. He had just been trying to help. "Do whatever you want, Bo." He turned away before his cousin could see the hurt in his eyes. He hated to see Bo suffering, and mowing the grass was really causing Bo some distress. He walked towards the pig pen and fetched the bucket that was going to hold the slops.
Bo started the mower back up and resumed his previous chore while Luke fed the pigs, cleaned the sty, milked the goats and cleaned their stalls. When he was done with his morning chores, he looked across the yard to find Bo hunched over the mower, sneezing harshly.
He shook his head and ran a hand through his dark hair. Why must his cousin be so foolish? Part of him wanted to check on Bo to make sure he was okay, yet part of him just wanted to leave the boy to his own torment. He asked for it after all.
Ten minutes later Daisy came out the door and called both boys in to breakfast. Bo had finished the yard and was putting away the mower, still sneezing occasionally. As Luke approached him to put away some tools he had been using to try to tune up the tractor, he noticed that Bo was forcing himself to sneeze if that was at all possible. Luke frowned as he watched his cousin insert a blade of grass in one nostril, sniff deeply and then sneeze harshly twice before repeating the process.
"What the hell are you doing?" Luke growled at the hunched over form of the boy that was more than kin to him. "Have you lost your mind?"
Bo held up one finger to halt Luke's outburst. "KEHT-Chhhh! HahChuhh!!" He sniffed after removing the grass. "No, I haven't lost my mind, but I'm not about to be sneezing at the breakfast table." He brought a fist up to his face quickly and sneezed again onto it, this time unprovoked. "hah-Hahchuhh!! Heh-EhhShooo!" He quickly wiped his hand on his jeans. "My nose itches so badly and the sneezes were..." his breathing hitched as his face contorted yet again into the pre-sneeze look that was becoming commonplace on his face as of late. "Heh-KESHhhhh!" He turned his face away from Luke to sneeze bitterly towards the ground. He wiped his nose and tried to continue. "The sneezes were stuck so I thought I'd just help them get unstuck." He shrugged, a bit embarrassed that he had been caught.
"Oh." Luke said, at a loss for anything else to say. He turned away and walked towards the house, leaving Bo alone. When he got inside he greeted Daisy and Uncle Jessie with a smile. "I'm gonna go wash up for breakfast. The chores are all done."
Daisy started putting the food on the four plates already set up on the table. "Where's Bo?"
Luke shrugged and called back over his shoulder. "He should be along in a moment, he was putting the mower away when I left him."
When he came out of the bathroom he found Bo waiting outside the door. One glance at his cousin showed a still swollen face, red-rimmed eyes, and an expression of misery. He wanted to ask if Bo was alright, but instead he just stepped aside and let his cousin pass into the room.
Luke went and took his place at the table. Jessie looked up as he entered the room. "Is Bo comin? This food is gettin cold."
"He just went in the bathroom, he should be out in a moment," Luke said.
Sure enough, Bo came into the room less than five minutes later, his face a lot clearer, and his eyes a lot less swollen. Luke already knew that Bo must have been washing his face off with cold water for his appearance to be so normal looking.
Daisy took her seat and they all bowed their heads as their Uncle said the grace. Once that was done, the four Dukes then began to eat, keeping conversation to a minimum. Luke couldn't help but look over the table to his cousin, wondering if Bo had changed his mind and had taken the medication after all.
He watched as Bo kept his eyes carefully averted and on his plate, concentrating deeply on what appeared to be his food. Luke could see Bo's nostrils flare briefly and realized that his cousin was holding in his reactions to his morning chores. He was sure keeping to his word, Luke realized. Bo was not about to sneeze at the table.
That was, until the meal was over. Once Daisy stood and cleared the empty plates, Bo finally lost the battle and one small sneeze escaped his diligent efforts. "HehheChIshhh!!" He had managed to bring his napkin up in time and he blushed red. "Excuse me."
"God bless." Jessie offered. "I take it those medicines are working better? I've hardly seen you sneeze at all lately."
Bo caught Luke's eyes briefly as if to warn him from saying anything. "Uh, yes, Uncle Jessie," he said as he lowered his napkin. "Those medicines really do have an effect on me." Again his eyes darted towards his cousin.
"That's nice." Jessie said as he stood. "Glad to see they are working. Now I want you two boys to run into town and pick up a few things for me. Miz Tizdale has some letters that can't be delivered and Cooter has the replacement horn for the one wearin out in my truck."
"Sure thing, Uncle Jessie." Luke said, happy to have the conversation off the medicines.
He then followed Bo out of the house and over to the General. Bo was already climbing in the driver's seat, so Luke walked around and got in the passenger side. Bo started the car and drove off, happy to be away from the farm for a bit.
The ride towards town was in silence, and Bo already knew why. His cousin was angry with him for not telling the truth about the medicines. Well he didn't actually lie either, he just left out a lot of details.
"Luke," he started to say.
"Just keep it to yourself, okay, Cuz?" Luke said angrily. "I ain't gonna be a part and party to your lies this time. If you want to be miserable, that's your choice. I'm not gonna cover for you."
Bo sighed. "I ain't askin you to lie for me." His eyes flashed as his temper rose to match Luke's. "How do I just tell him that all the crop money was wasted on a bunch of pills that make me feel worse than the allergies do?"
"You just never learn, do you?" Luke stated. "You lied to him before and we were lucky we didn't get the switch that time. You like pushing your luck?" He stared angrily out the window. "Just leave me out of it."
"Alright, if that's what you want." Bo said, closing the conversation. The rest of the ride towards the town was in complete silence. Even when Bo sneezed once, from the wind in his face, the customary blessing was not offered.
They arrived in town and Luke went to pick up the mail at the post while Bo walked over to Cooter's garage. He found the mechanic under Rosco's cop car, tinkering with something. "Yo, Cooter, will you come on outta there?"
He heard a thud and then an 'ow' before seeing the legs inch out from under the car. Cooter appeared, and he was rubbing his head with one greasy hand. "Oh, hi, Bo."
"You okay?" Bo asked.
"Oh, I'm fine. You just startled me is all. What brings you to town?" Cooter questioned as he wiped his hands on a nearby rag that wasn't already covered in grease.
"We came to pick up Uncle Jessie's new horn for the pickup." Bo answered and walked over to the cop car. "What are you doing to Rosco's car now?" He peered into the engine compartment.
Cooter walked over to where a box was sitting on a workbench. "Oh nothing major. Rosco managed to crack the U-joint in the car while chasing y'all. You know you boys give me more work to do on these cars. If it wasn't for y'all I might not stay in business." He said with a small laugh as he picked up the box and carried it over.
"Well, I guess that's a good thing then." Bo returned the smile as he took the box. "Jessie will be happy to have this, as he can't stand to drive without his horn."
Cooter nodded and opened up a container of hand cleaner nearby. "Yeah. You tell him he was lucky to get it, as Atlanta was sold out. I had to get that one from Chickasaw." He dumped some of the liquid on his hands and began to rub them rapidly, dissolving the grease.
The hand cleaner was very pungent in the small enclosed garage. Bo had started to reply but was halted by the ever insistent tickle in his nose. He brought his fist up and turned away from Cooter. "HahChuhh!! KEHT-Chhhh!"
Cooter's eyebrows shot up to hide somewhere under his grimy baseball cap. He had never seen that reaction from Bo before. "Gesundheit."
Bo sniffed and wiped under his nose with his shirt sleeve. "Thanks." He turned to leave the garage, "I'd better get going and get this back to the farm."
"Alright, I'll catch you later then." Cooter said as Bo left the garage. He followed the younger man with his eyes, and saw Bo sneeze twice more as he climbed back into the General. Cooter looked over to the container of hand cleaner and sniffed it himself. It had a faint orange smell but nothing that would cause the reaction he got from Bo.
Shrugging to himself, he picked up his tools and went back to work on the car.
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