Author's Note: This is just a childhood story with Bo, as well as a guess on how he came to be called Bo, instead of his full given name, which we have come to see he do not like at all. As for teachers picking on a name spelled wrong, even in my high school years I would get papers back with points drawn off for my name being spelled wrong. So I kinda feel sorry for anyone who has it even harder than my simple five letter name. For the rest, this is supposed to make you laugh...
Big thanks to Earendil Eldar for beta work.
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….
Beaureguard Duke
Beaureguard sat at his bench in the school, listening to the teacher and trying hard not to let his attention wander. It wasn't really all that interesting. She was talking about math, and it wasn't really his strong side in school, come to think of it, nothing in school really were. Jesse shook his head and said it just didn't come as easily to him as it did to Daisy, or even Luke, and that as long as Beaureguard, did his best, he wouldn't get angry at him if he didn't manage it.
So as long as he sat still, didn't make trouble, and tried to listen, he guessed he was doing okay. When he got home they would help him with his homework, either Luke or uncle Jesse, and if he was good, he could get some cookies and milk while they worked on it. Jesse had decided that you couldn't force a boy to enjoy school, but you could try and make sure he didn't hate it, and his youngest charge was just too active to enjoy anything where he had to still.
To make up for having to sit still in his desk, he was always the first to run out at recess, the first one up in the trees. Now the teacher started handing out some test forms with some fairly simple ones, he easily managed half of them, and he thought he got at least some of the rest right. The part he really hated however, was signing his name to it.
Why had his parents given him a name that was so hard to spell? It was easy enough to say he supposed, but he still was a bit jealous of Luke and Daisy. Theirs were much easier than his, he never seemed to get the spelling right, and the teacher always pointed it out that it was wrong.
This time to, when he go back the paper at the end of the day, his name was underlined with red where he had left out an e, and put in an o, instead. He had tried to get around it by just signing Duke, but they hadn't accepted that either. Saying he needed to put his full name there, that he wasn't the only Duke there, and they didn't accept the fact that neither of his cousins were in the same grade as him.
When he got home Jesse saw his sullen look the first thing, it was usually hard to miss. Especially since Beaureguard came into the kitchen, and climbed up to sit on the counter beside him.
"What's wrong Beaureguard?" Jesse asked, turning his full attention to him.
"I hate it." The boy said in a slightly grumpy voice.
"What is it you hate?" Jesse asked. "See if ya don't tell, I wouldn't know what it is."
The child pulled out a crumbled paper out of his pocket and passed it to his uncle who took it and studied it. "This here ain't so bad." He said encouragingly. "Seems like all that time you spent with Luke paid off, you've done really good here on this here test."
"Yeah, but I hate it." He muttered with a pout. "Look uncle Jesse, I never, ever get my name the right way, an' I don't like it, an' it's so long, an' I just hate it." He sulked.
"You don't like Beaureguard?" Jesse asked, he had been a bit afraid it would be to long when they christened the boy, but both his parents had agreed on it, and even if the boy had pouted over it a few times, he had never seemed to really dislike it before. Of course, that was before some older kids in school had made fun of it. It didn't help either that the teachers found it hard to accept that he mixed up the spelling at times.
"I hate it." Bo looked up at him, and Jesse wondered if he'd ever figure out that he just looked too cute when he pouted like that.
"Well, I'm afraid there ain't much to do about it." Jesse sighed. "Only thing else we've ever called you was your cradle name, and that was Bo-Bo."
"They'd never stop picking on me." Beaureguard looked up startled.
Jesse nodded. "I'm afraid there ain't much to do there, it's your name, and I can't change that."
"I know that, Uncle Jesse, but I really, really hate it." The child whined.
Jesse sighed, maybe some would say he should tell the boy it was his name, and take it like a man, but he couldn't do that. "Look here, I'll talk with ya teacher there, and I can call ya Bo, that better?"
The child's smiled was bright enough to challenge the sun. "I like that much better, thanks Uncle Jesse." Suddenly Jesse found that he had a child wrapped around his neck. He had considered shortening down his cradle name before, since Beaureguard really was a bit cumbersome, but he hadn't been sure the boy would like it. Now he hugged him tight, it was such a lovely boy, so eager, never sad for very long, and Bo did seem to suit him better. He would talk with his teacher, his oldest nephew was always called Luke, and signed his test papers that, they should be able to do the same for the youngest one as well.
When Bo had finished hugging his uncle he ran off to find Luke, telling him that now he too had a nickname. He already loved it.
The End
Thank you all for reading, I'll do my very best to reply to all signed reviews, Elenhin
