Jesse took in his family out of the corner of his eye as he stirred the crawdad bisque that was on the stove. The boys had won the race, so naturally spirits were high and the small talk that had been being made in the front room had grown increasingly louder and quicker. He was proud of them, not only for winning but also for being so unselfish. He couldn't have gotten more generous kids that much was for sure.
They gave up all of the prize money for the bills that J.D. was demanding without even batting an eyelid, even though it wasn't nearly enough to cover the full price that had been laid. It made his old heart ache to think what the boys gave up for the farm over the years. All the hours that they spent doing chores for their Uncle that could have been used to hang around with their friends, all the money they had given up to keep the farm firmly in the Dukes hands that could have been spent on dates and fixing up their beloved car of theirs. Not all the young people Jesse knew had the love for land and an old farm as the boys and Daisy did, nor were they willing to give up so much to save it. His children loved the farm that much was oh so very clear and always had been.
It made him smile further when he realised that, not only did they give up the prize money willingly, but they acted as though they never even considered doing something else with it, which Jesse wouldn't have been surprised to find if that was true.
No, winning was enough for them and knowing that they had helped out seemed to make it even a bigger victory. There were times when Jesse thought those three kids were more than he deserved, much more, and he wished that he could do as much for them as they were always doing for him. When he looked at those kids he knew that he had gotten all he could ever want in life. Sure there were times when he shook his head at them or had been forced to put them over his knee, and they were probably responsible for every single white hair he had with all the trouble they kept getting themselves into.
Then there was the endless worrying that he was sure practically every parent had to go through. The worry that some guy would try and take advantage of Daisy, the worry about Luke when he was in the Marines and the worry that the next time Bo wouldn't blow up the outhouse by mistake but himself. Then of course there was the continuous worry of the antics they were up to frequently. Those boys sure never seemed to lack ways to make you feel as if your heart would stop when you saw what they were up to. What were you supposed to say when they were running all over some speeding car, and jumping between them like a pair of squirrels? Ah, but they were good ol' boys and known throughout Hazzard as just that.
He watched them out of the corner of his eye, and he saw Bo sneaking glances at him as he took his place at the table, checking whether the coast was clear or not before he reached for a turnip from the bowl. He was going to let it pass, but Daisy had other ideas. She slapped his fingers sharply with her hand. Bo gave her a hurt puppy-dog look that would usually have softened her up if it hadn't been for Luke ruffling his hair.
Jesse frowned slightly as the action made Bo duck away and wince and had a good mind to find out what it was all about later on. For now though he shrugged and smiled to himself as Bo gently rubbed the top of his head while glaring at Luke.
As he said grace, he noticed that Bo didn't try to sneak a taste as was almost tradition at the table but put it down to that fact that Bo probably didn't want Luke to go anywhere near his head again. Before long, all commotion had died down, and they only noises were appreciative slurps and hums.
"This is great Uncle Jesse." Luke beamed as he ate.
Bo managed to pause in his eating long enough to agree while Daisy laughed at him.
"It might even be the best crawdad bisque we've ever had." Daisy smiled.
"It's always the best one." Bo grinned. "Always. There ain't no one round here or further that can touch Uncle Jesse's."
"For once, Bo is right." Luke grinned as he refilled the plates.
Jesse grinned as he looked at them, wondering how Bo was still holding up. The boy was bristling with something, he could tell by the way he kept fidgeting during the conversation and not saying much about anything. Bo could never keep anything this important in for too long before he blurted it out and Jesse could tell he was waiting politely but impatiently for a gap in which he could jump in.
"Hey y'all guess what?" he practically yelled, the smile on his face stretching from ear to ear.
"Bo, I've been through 4 years of war and yet somehow it's only when ya have that look on ya face that I get really worried." Luke noted.
"Aw come on Luke, it ain't nothing bad I promise ya!"
"Bo, we won't know what it is unless you tell us." Daisy quickly put in, trying to avoid another 10 minute argument/bantering session between them.
"Well, I'm tryin' ta." Bo looked slightly offended.
"Look hunny, just ignore Luke and tell us 'afore you explode."
"Ignore me! Well that makes me feel much better; maybe I should hit you with a fryin' pan and see…."
"Now, ya two just be silent for a minute so that Bo can tell us whatever it is he wants to tell us." Jesse intervened as he saw the frustrated look on Bo's face grow.
Bo gave him a grateful smile.
"Well see, when Luke here was making a fool out of himself chasing after Mary-Sue Johannsen…hey!" He cut of as Luke rapped him on the top of his head again and sent a scorching glare across the table at him. "Cut that out, will ya!"
"Well then stop tellin' lies! I was not making a fool out of myself. I was getting myself a date!"
"And I'm trying to tell ya something!"
"Now boys, quit yer yellin'! Luke, just let him finish."
"Well, while Luke was 'getting a date' from Mary-Sue Johannsen, I was working on the General." Bo gave Luke a challenging look before going on. "An' two fellas came over and talked with me, turned out they were all really impressed with my driving."
"They must've been blind." Luke muttered, wanting to get back at Bo for what he had said about a really nice girl.
"Cute. Smart comment for someone who apparently taught me everythin' he knows." Bo retorted, grinning challengingly at his elder cousin. Daisy just shook her head at them both while Jesse smiled to himself. There was not one time when those two boys could not be seen bantering.
"Well what did they say; ya wouldn't be going on about that if they were just congratulating you." Daisy finally stated to urge him on.
"They wanted me to enter another race." Bo beamed. "One that would end all of our financial problems once and for all."
"What kind of race would that be?" Luke asked immediately suspicious and protective of his head strong younger cousin. To say that Bo never looked before he leapt was an understatement, one that Luke had learnt he had to deal with very quickly to avoid as much trouble as possible.
"Big one, real big." Bo grinned. "They told me that they's is tryin' to put together a team to run on the NASCAR circuits and they want me to drive for them. They think I'm good enough for NASCAR." He looked at them in turn. "The price money would be $25.000 if I win and $10.000 just for entering! With that amount of money we could pay of the mortgage completely and buy a new tractor and still have plenty of money left over! And even if I don't win, we still get a great deal of money, now how's that sound?"
He looked at them expectantly. Looking back and forth between them, wearing the expression of a boy who had just brought home a treasure.
Jesse hardly knew what to say. It was a lot of money, and they sure could use that at the moment. With prize money like that the boys could keep a great deal of it for themselves for once and really get the General into shape. And yet he sighed as he realised once again that Bo was instantly making his assumptions. He was so sure of himself, so cocky and that was one sure fire way of getting into danger on the track. Jesse wanted to keep the farm and he knew the boys did too, but not as much as he wanted the reassurance that Bo would be safe.
"It…Bo it just sounds too good to be true." Luke was the first to speak, smiling, but looking doubtful.
"Yeah Bo, sure, it sounds great, but are you sure you got all the facts straight?" Daisy asked.
Jesse looked as a small bit of Bo's grin faded. He could tell how happy the boy was over the news, how much he loved thinking that he could help, and by racing at that. The boy lived for racing even more so than Luke did. He knew how he dreamed about NASCAR, and this had to seem like the one big chance for him.
"It sounds really great."
He gave him an encouraging smile. If there was one thing Jesse couldn't stand to do, it was crushing their dreams.
"With that kind of prize money, you boys wouldn't have to give up all of it for this ol' farm."
There were times when he thought that racing was too dangerous, especially when he wasn't sure if Bo was ready to enter a race like that. Still, if racing was what he wanted to do, Jesse would be sure to support him all the way.
"We'd never have to owe Boss Hogg another dime ever again." Bo grinned. "Imagine that. And we could get into NASCAR for real. Luke, ya can't say ya ain't excited to hear that."
Luke smiled as he looked at his younger cousin; he could no more crush his hopes and dreams than Jesse could, although he couldn't help but notice the constant use of 'we' in Bo's excitedly garbled sentences.
"Bo, what d'ya mean 'we'? Ain't you the one they asked for?"
Bo snapped from his daydream to look startled at Luke.
"Well whadda ya think I mean? You didn't think I was gonna run off all by myself now did ya? We's a team Luke, we's both been dreamin' o'this since we was knee-high to grasshoppers! I want you riding shotgun with me cuz, I wouldn't wanna have it any other way!"
Luke found himself swallowing a lump in his throat at Bo's words, noticing the almost hurt look that Bo has in his eyes and the very thought that Luke would abandon him. He sighed and sat back in his seat.
"I guess we have a race to practice for." He grinned as he patted his cousin on the shoulder. "If we're gonna stand any chance of winning it."
"Yee Haw!" Bo let out a loud excited holler and leapt from the table as he realised the very thing that he'd been dreaming about was starting to become reality. He ran towards the door, plucking the General's keys from the nail they hung on, yelling back to his family.
"I'm gonna work some on the General. Call me in when it gets real late!"
Everyone laughed as they heard his footsteps pound across the yard and the gentle squeak of the General's hood hinges filled the air. Luke rose from his place and started to help Daisy clear the table when Jesse collared him, motioning him into the living room.
"Now Luke. I know you and Bo's been dreamin' o'this since as long as you can remember, but – "
"I know Uncle Jesse., somethin' ain't right bout this. There is no way I'm lettin' him race unless I'm a hundred percent certain everythin's legit."
Jesse smiled at Luke's almost fatherly protection of Bo and clapped a hand on the young man's shoulder.
"You're a fine young man Luke. Just be careful how you approach it. I wouldn't let Bo know what you's up to while he's all hett up like this. You know it'll come to trouble."
"I know Uncle Jesse. I just hope that everythin's as legit as he makes out…I don't know how to break it to him if it ain't…"