"Bo!" Luke exclaimed. The room was dark again but Luke could remember the look on his face. "Bo, what's wrong?"
"Just come to get some of my stuff." Bo replied in a monotone voice as Luke heard him walk toward his closet and dig around for his suitcase.
"Why? Where you goin'?" Luke asked.
"Don't know." Bo replied in the same monotone voice.
"What do you mean you don't know?"
"I mean I don't know. All I know is I can't stay here."
Although it was still stormy outside, the house came alive with electricity again. The bathroom light that was normally left on at night cast a soft glow into the boys' bedroom from across the hall. Bo finally spotted his suitcase and brought it to his bed, where he unlatched it to begin packing.
"Look, if you're upset about hitting me, don't worry about it. I'm okay."
Bo shrugged his shoulders as he took clothes out of his closet. "I ain't upset about it."
"Oh." Luke replied, somewhat surprised. "Then why are you leaving."
"Just can't stay here no more, that's why."
"What's goin' on….Bo!" Daisy exclaimed, appearing in the doorway. She then noticed that he was packing. "Where's he goin'?" She asked Luke.
"I don't know, he won't tell me!" Luke replied.
Suddenly, they all heard a big crash come from the front of the house. Uncle Jesse rushed from his bedroom into the hallway where he stopped to observe the living room, where the remnants of a sweetgum tree protruded through a section of the ceiling, dripping water all over the floor.
"That's all we need." Jesse muttered, looking toward the boys' bedroom. "Bo, you're back! Good, we need all the help we can git. You boys grab the chainsaws and set ta work gittin' that tree off the house. Daisy, see what ya can do to catch some of that water, then git out to the barn and grab that tarp that's bein' used to cover the tractor. I'll get the ladder set up so's we can git up there and nail it to the roof. It's all we kin do 'till this storm blows over 'nd it lightens up out."
"C'mon Bo!" Luke exclaimed, waving Bo toward him. Bo simply shook his head and continued to pack. "Bo, we need your help!"
"I don't live here no more. Ain't my problem." He replied, shrugging his shoulders before he continued to pack.
Luke just shook his head and ran out the bedroom door. There was no time to argue, not with the rain coming down in buckets.
He put on what little clothing that was absolutely necessary and ran out to the barn, where he grabbed a chainsaw. Bringing it back to the house, he climbed the ladder and jerked on the line a few times before it finally roared to life.
"Where's Bo?" Jesse shouted as he braced the ladder for Luke who began sawing at the tree.
"He's inside!" Luke yelled back over the sound of the pounding rain.
"Why ain't he helpin'?"
"I dunno Jesse, somethin's gotta be wrong with him!" Luke replied as the section of the tree that wasn't touching the house finally gave way to the ground. Luke then grabbed the hunting flashlight that Daisy handed up to him and climbed on the roof where he began sawing at limbs.
"What are you doing up here?" He exclaimed a moment later as he saw Jesse beside him, grabbing up the sawed limbs and tossing them over the side.
"Ya can't do this all by yourself!"
"Ya got no business up here! This is a medal roof, you could slip and fall!"
"So could you! Now quit jabberin' and git busy!"
Luke shook his head a bit before he turned and continued sawing. About ten minutes later, when the hard rainfall had turned into a steady drizzle, the tree was cleared away. Luke and Jesse spread the tarp over the opening and nailed it down. Satisfied with the temporary patch job, they began to climb down.
"Careful, Uncle Jesse." Daisy said, holding the underside of the rung ladder as her Uncle made his decent. Suddenly, about midway down, his foot slipped and he landed on the ground with a hard thud!
"Uncle Jesse!" Luke and Daisy exclaimed simultaneously. Luke took the ladder rungs two at a time and hopped over to the side, where he knelt beside his uncle along with Daisy. "Jesse, you alright?"
Jesse gritted his teeth. "I think I mighta busted my ankle." He replied, his bedclothes covered with mud.
"Bo! Bo!" Luke yelled. When his cousin didn't show after a moment, he looked at Daisy. "Think you can handle it?"
"I'll sure try." Daisy nodded. The cousins each roped an arm around Jesse. At the count of three, they strained and finally managed to lift him off the ground. Leading him toward the stairs, they assisted him inside.
"Take me over to my chair." Jesse instructed. His kids assisted him to his easy chair which was in an area not affected by the downed tree. Daisy then took the injured ankle and slowly elevated it to place it on the cushioned footstool.
"Easy! Easy!" Jesse exclaimed, pointing to his ankle as it was moved.
When his foot finally rested on the stool, Bo emerged from the bedroom, carrying two suitcases.
"I had to borrow your suitcase, Luke. I'll make sure it's returned." He announced before looking at Jesse. "What happened to you?"
"He fell off the ladder, Bo." Luke replied, anger evident in his voice.
"Oh." Bo replied. "Well don't worry, Uncle Jesse. You're a Duke, you'll be good as new in a couple of days."
"He shouldn't even need a couple of days, Bo Duke!" Daisy exclaimed, getting up to face her younger cousin head on. "Uncle Jesse didn't have no business bein' up on that roof helpin' Luke. He only did it 'cause you's in here and you refused to come out."
Bo shook his head. "This house ain't my responsibility no more since I ain't gonna be livin' here."
"I don't know what that's all about, but it shouldn't matter where you're livin'. This man sittin' here's your Uncle Jesse and if there's somethin' like that that needs doin', then it's up to you to see it's done!"
Bo simply shrugged his shoulders. "Well, guess I'll be goin' now."
His family looked at him with open mouths as he let the conversation end at that and trudged to the kitchen door. Luke snapped out of it and went after him.
"You ain't goin' nowhere, Bo. Not tonight, and most likely, not tomorrow. Not without telling us where you're going and what you're up to."
"I told you already, I don't know where I'm going."
"Bo that's a lie!"
"It is not! Just listen to yourself. You're treating me like a kid and you're calling me a liar. Why would I want to live under the same roof as you?"
"Just git back in the living room and sit down!" Luke ordered, pointing toward the living room.
When Bo turned to open the door again, Luke grabbed his arm. Bo turned around swinging. He swung his arm out to give Luke a right cross. This time, Luke ducked. He came back up and formed a fist, ramming it into Bo's stomach. As Bo doubled over, he caught Luke around the waste, throwing him back against the kitchen table. As the table broke, the pair landed with a thud on the floor, both throwing wild punches at each other.
"Stop it!" Daisy yelled.
"Cut it out, you two!" Jesse snarled from where he sat.
Moments later, Bo got the upper hand. He delivered a couple of punches to Luke's stomach before he got up. To everyone's horror. He bent his leg back before bringing his boot forward, putting a lot of strength behind the kick he delivered to Luke's stomach!
As Luke lay gasping for breath, Daisy stormed over to Bo. "Bo Duke, I ain't never hated you more than I hate you now!" She exclaimed, bending her hand back before smacking Bo across his cheek!
In response, Bo's neck snapped to the right. Turning to face her with an evil stare, he backhanded her with a lightning reflex, sending her to the floor beside Luke!
I'm always ready to whoop anybody who's mean to sweet Daisy, but folks, this is one time when it would hurt me worse than it hurt him.
(Here's hoping that you and your family have a blessed Easter. Don't eat to much dressing---save it for me! ((dressing- that might be known as 'stuffing' to you non-rebel types—but don't call if it comes out of that red box, I like the homemade variety!)) :D
