Two days later, on Saturday afternoon, the boys were in Hazzard Square setting up the tent for Enos. As they sat on the ground, trying to sort out the poles that would have to be connected to one another, Uncle Jesse pulled up in his pickup truck.
"You boys seen Daisy yet?" Uncle Jesse asked, getting out and slamming the door.
"Just in passin'." Bo replied, nodding toward the boarding house that sat opposite Boss Hogg's house. "We were granted a slight wave on her way to the Boar's Nest this morning."
Uncle Jesse shook his head in frustration as he looked at the boarding house. It was where Daisy had been every since she had furiously left the house after telling Enos and her cousins off. "I tell ya, you boys can be stubborn as mules sometime, but when I look at one of ya and think I've seen the worst case of stubborn anybody could present, Daisy can go and top it."
"Hey, don't point fingers at us. We learned by example." Luke teased.
Uncle Jesse offered a slight smile of guilt. "You learn a little bit about the benefits of being stubborn once you've raised three teenagers by yourself."
Bo laughed and shook his head. "Ya see Luke? It still comes back to us!"
The laughter shared by the Duke men died down as Jesse looked at the boarding house again. "I can understand her being upset with you boys to an extent. After all, ya did embarrass her in front of the man she loves. But all I've tried to do is go and set her straight on what's goin' on, and she won't listen to me either. Went over there again this mornin' and I couldn't even git her to answer the door!"
"Ah I'm sorry, Uncle Jesse." Luke replied. "'Least we ought to see her soon. Since the academy hired out the Boar's Nest to cater some of the food she'll have to show up eventually."
"And when she does, she ain't goin' nowhere till she hears me out. Besides, we got better things to pay fer than a room at the boardin' house when she's got a perfectly good one back at the farm with the people who love her."
The boys simply nodded in agreement.
They continued to tinker with the tents that they had agreed to set up as a favor to Enos, relieving Boss of the responsibility of trumping up and excuse for community service work. As the afternoon wore on, policemen from all over the state began to appear, as well as their families, a band, decorations, and gaming booths to keep the children entertained.
Eventually, a van with the Boar's Nest logo on the side pulled into the square. Daisy got out along with Myra, another waitress who had helped her prepare the food. They went to the back of the van and began to open the doors as Bo and Luke walked up.
"Hey Daisy." Bo offered.
"Hey yourself." She replied.
"Well it's a start." Bo confirmed. "At least you're acknowledging me again."
"Don't feel flattered. Just help me get this food out then go about your business. We're half an hour late."
Bo frowned. "Well just tell me this miss high-and-mighty, what makes you think I would help you when you're actin' like this?"
"Because you're my cousin and you're supposed to help me."
"Just because I'm your cousin don't mean I'm gonna stand here and let you treat me this way!"
"Just do it, Bo." Daisy said, getting out some tablecloths as Myra began unloading the van and Luke stood there trying to get a word in between his cousins. "If Uncle Jesse were here, he'd make you help me."
Bo went closer to her and pointed a finger at her face. "If Uncle Jesse was here he'd tan your hide because he's about as fed up with you as I am!"
"And how fed up is that? Anywhere near as fed up as I am with my cousins poking their noses where they shouldn't? Besides, you'd be the one getting your hide tanned if Uncle Jesse was here, for arguin' instead of helping me."
"Well I reckon I ain't answering myself, am I? Seems you're fifty percent of that argument."
As Daisy opened her mouth to reply, she felt someone grab her upper arm. Bo felt the same thing as both of them were walked to the side of the van before being turned around to face their Uncle Jesse.
"Alright, you two. I don't know what triggered this but I want a stop put to it and I want a stop put to it now! Them policemen just started their presentation and ya got everybody focused on you instead. Now what's goin' on?"
Daisy and Bo pointed to each other saying "He/she started it!"
"Uncle Jesse, all I did was ask Bo to help me unload the van."
"No she didn't Uncle Jesse, she TOLD me to unload the van then she told me as soon as I was done to go on and mind my business, and all I did was say hello to her."
"That ain't the way it went Bo, you…."
"I SAID STOP IT!" Jesse yelled, startling Myra and Luke as well as a couple of bystanders. As the two quieted down, he turned to his nephews. "Bo, Luke, I want you two to help Myra here get things set up."
"What!" Bo exclaimed in disbelief. "But Uncle Jesse, she….."
"Just do it, Bo!" Jesse commanded as Daisy gave him an 'I told you so' look of satisfaction.
"Yes sir." Bo replied turning toward the tables, being ushered by Luke the whole while.
"Thank you, Uncle Jesse." Daisy said, steping toward the van herself.
"Now just hang on." Jesse stopped her. "Those three can handle that food. I think it's time you and me had a talk."
"But…."
"No buts. If ya didn't want me interruptin' your work, you should've answered the door when I come over this mornin'. I gotcha now and I ain't lettin' you go till we get things settled."
Daisy sighed. "Alright Uncle Jesse."
Jesse led her over to the courthouse steps and commanded her to sit down before he sat beside her.
"Now." Jesse began. "Why don't you tell me what's really goin' on with you. I know you ain't arguin' with Bo over some help with the caterin'. Why did you leave home?"
Daisy threw up her hands. "Well you know why Uncle Jesse, because they went over to Enos house and bribed him to ask me to this picnic today. I wanted him to ask me, but not because he was bribed into it!" She rolled her head back and looked toward the sky. "I've never been so embarrassed in my life!"
"Now Daisy. Everybody knows that Enos has been wantin' to court you for years. What makes you think the boys would hafta bribe him?"
"Well, I wouldn't….normally. But ever since that Goldie Matthews came to town, that's all he ever talks about. It's like he can't go nowhere and do nothin' without her! He even planned to bring her along on our date, after the boys finally bribed him into asking me!"
Jesse smiled. "Daisy, the boys met Goldie the other day, when they went to visit Enos. It's high time you knew something about her. It's something we've been tryin' to tell you for two days, but you never would answer our calls!"
"I don't want to know nothin' about her, Jesse." Daisy's lip trembled a bit. "Enos loves her, what else would possibly be important to me?"
"Daisy?" Jesse began, deciding another lesson needed to be taught before she heard what he intended to tell her. "Do you trust me?"
She looked at her uncle. "Of course, Uncle Jesse, I trust you more than anybody in the world."
"Then listen to what I am saying. You're not mad at Bo, and you're not mad at Luke. You're upset that you're losing the man you love. Now, if you trust me the way you say you do, then go tell Enos how you feel. Trust me. You won't regret it."
Daisy looked down. "Uncle Jesse, it's just that it's a whole lot simpler to feel angry than it is to feel vulnerable."
"That may be, if there was somebody for you to feel angry toward. But there's nobody. Nobody at all."
As Daisy looked toward the square where a mass of people were seated around the gazebo, listening to the speeches given, she spied Ms. Matthews off to the side, playing with a dog on the lawn. Rosco stood by keeping an eye on Flash, who simply lay and watched the younger dog who bounced around her in excitement.
"You're wrong, Uncle Jesse. There's one person I can feel a lot of anger toward."
With that, Daisy stood up and briskly started walking toward the square.
"Daisy, where ya goin'?" Jesse yelled after her.
Daisy kept walking without so much as a pause. This brought the attention of Bo and Luke, who began grinning nervous grins.
"Uh, Daisy?" Luke called out as they began to walk after her.
Daisy continued her rigid pace. A pace that carried her quickly toward the gazebo. A pace that directed her straight toward Ms. Matthews.
"And now, ladies and gentlemen comes the moment we've all been waiting for!" The presenter stated. "This year, the award for Georgia Lawmen of the Year goes to….Hazzard County's own Enos Strait!"
Before the applause sounded, everyone was startled to hear a yell to the side of the seating area.
Everyone turned and looked in shock to find Daisy Duke wrestling Ms. Matthews to the ground!
Ya know, she don't hafta look a thing like Bo or Luke for ya to know they's related, does she?