Chapter Fifteen: Song of the Cricket
"Haven't you heard what we have lived to learn?
Nothing so new –something we had forgotten:
I wasn't going to tell you and I mustn't.
The best way is to come up hill with me
And have our fire and laugh and be afraid."
Robert Frost
Friday, February 8, 1985
Luke passed through the kitchen and grabbed a slice of ham off the platter. "Hey, where'd Daisy get off to?"
Jesse told him Daisy was upstairs doing some last-minute packing.
Bo returned the plate he'd just dried to the cupboard and said, "Least her and Enos ain't out there in the swing neckin' tonight."
"And you and that gaggle of females you got on a string don't neck?" Luke teased.
"That's different. That ain't…weird. Don't know if I'll ever get used to it. Just don't seem natural."
Daisy showed up in the doorway. "What don't seem natural?"
"Nothin'."
"Enos and Turk still out on the porch?" she asked.
Luke said, "Been out there for a while. Probably talkin' about L.A. or Enos's Academy trainin'."
"More like the Lakers game would be my bet," Daisy mused. While Enos lived in Los Angeles, Turk had turned him into an avid Lakers fan, and he'd followed them with rabid allegiance ever since.
She sidled up next to Bo at the sink and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for doin' the dishes."
"Guess we gotta get used to doin' a lot a' things around here without you."
She gave him another kiss and added a hug.
"Why's he goin' anyway?" Bo asked her.
"'Cause that's where he belongs."
Bo didn't dispute that. They'd all agreed long ago that Enos was wasted in Hazzard. It was why Daisy felt she had to go with him right off that was getting his goat. After all, from what he'd been able to gather, she'd practically be an Academy-widow for six months.
"No, I don't mean back to Los Angeles. Why go through all that Academy trainin' and not straight back ta' Metro? They're not makin' him go through it. Cletus said he heard Rosco and Enos talkin', and Enos said he wouldn't go back no other way."
"Well…there was one other condition," Daisy said quietly, then squeezed him tight. "Oh, Bo. Don't ever change. My heart couldn't take it."
Bo squeezed her back. "But," he said, after some deliberation, "you and Enos sure have changed, though. Hard ta' get used to."
"We haven't changed, Bo," she sighed. "You just never saw us before."
"Huh?"
Daisy smiled, to herself mostly, and headed toward the front door.
"Now what's that s'posed ta' mean?" He was looking at his older cousin for an answer.
Luke waited until Daisy was outside before telling Bo, "What she means is, what we been seein' for a long time's just them on the outside. Like an egg. All ya' see is the shell till ya' crack it open. It's the stuff on the inside that makes the omelet."
Jesse, who had been content with his own thoughts through the exchange, patted Luke approvingly on the shoulder, then retired to his favorite chair in the parlor to rest up. Tomorrow would be chocked full of activity, what with the wedding and reception and seeing his children off to make new stories for themselves.
Made him think of when he and Lavinia first started out on their life together.
Saturday, February 9, 1985 – Wedding Day, 2.0
In February, Georgia tends to be wet, with rain showers draining from gray cotton skies of an afternoon. Which was one of the reasons they had set the wedding ceremony for 10:00 am. Laying under warm covers, Daisy could feel the dampness already making itself at home in the old house. The park-bench weather prognosticators called for rain later in the day, and she hoped it would just hold off until after the reception. She and Enos might have to drive in it, but they wouldn't have to get married in it.
In truth, though, she didn't care if they had a flat-out gully washer as long as she and Enos were able to leave the county – together.
The only problem with the February climate was that it was infused with pollen and everyone's sinuses sent them for the aspirin and the antihistamine. The rain and atmospheric pressure just exacerbated the misery. Sitting up, the pressure under her brows and behind her nose sent her to the drawer in the nightstand.
She froze. Did she really need aspirin that badly?
A quick check of the wardrobe assured her that the wedding dress, restored (almost), hung on the front just where she'd left it last night.
Breathing a sigh of relief, she said to herself, 'Now you're just bein' silly.'
Sliding out of bed, intent on getting the antihistamine from the bathroom, she headed toward the door. She reached down to pull her slipper over her heel, something new she'd adopted to guard against toe injuries, and came smack up into the edge of the wardrobe door.
Panic set in as it jolted her memory. She'd been singing some song in her head just before she'd fully awakened. What was it? Double and triple damn! What the hell was it?
Aunt Lavinia's double-bell alarm clock had been moved.
'Right. You did that when you reached for the drawer. It's okay. It's okay. Breathe.'
The time read 11:59…sending her down the rabbit hole...
…no…she wouldn't do this to us again…she wouldn't…she…
The room started to spin, her eyes rolled back, and she crumpled to the floor in a heap.
Daisy's eyes fluttered open to find Enos sitting on the bed beside her, gently holding a cool washcloth on her forehead with three discombobulated figures looking on. Tears were gushing down her cheeks when she grabbed Enos's collar and pulled him down so she could whisper in his ear.
"It's happening again."
"Daisy, honey. Nothin's happenin' today 'cept our weddin'."
She still held him in a chokehold.
Jesse said, gently, "Daisy, let the man get a breath."
She relaxed her grip.
"It's okay, Uncle Jesse," Enos said. "Ya'll mind givin' us a few minutes?"
Over Luke and Bo's protests, Jesse shooed them from the room and closed the door, taking one last look before he closed it behind them.
There was still a hint of panic in Daisy's eyes when Enos looked back at her. "You near scared us to death."
"Enos…I'm scared."
"Me too. Big step we're takin'. If you changed your mind…or wanna wait a little longer…maybe till I graduate from the Acad––"
"No! Absolutely not! I mean, I haven't changed my mind, an' I sure as hell don't wanna wait any longer. But things started happenin', and I was afraid it was startin' all over again…bein' trapped in a reapeatin' day, and not bein' able to be together for so long…"
"What kinda things?"
"I woke up with a headache, I remember hearin' a song in my head just before, but I can't remember it now, I hit my head on the chifforobe, then the clock said 11:59…"
Enos pulled the clock from the nightstand and showed it to her. The time was 7:36.
"But it said…"
"You were dreamin', honey."
"If I was, it was a nightmare. What about the headache and hittin' my head?"
"Half the population a' Georgia woke up with a headache this mornin', Daisy. It's pollen season, and you always stubbed your toe, remember? I'm the one got a knot on my head every mornin'."
"Then what about the song?"
"Can you hum it for me?"
"I don't remember it enough. But I think…this time…it was a pretty song. A happy one. Not like…"
"Look, Daisy. There's nothin' goin' on here, but a bunch a' people who love you bein' scared outta their wits when they heard you hit the floor."
"You heard me?"
He smiled. "No. Luke called me. Said I needed to get over here right away. You near scared me half to death when I saw you layin' here. But Doc Appleby was by, and he said the bump shouldn't be nothin' to worry about and that you should be just fine. Said it was more likely the party last night that made you faint."
"But I didn't have anything to drink. I made sure a' that."
"You didn't eat much of anything either."
"No, I guess I didn't. When did Doc get back in?"
"Last night. Said he didn't wanna miss the weddin'. At least you're askin' questions that make sense now."
"Uncle Jesse and Bo and Luke probably think I need those men in the white coats again."
"You know they don't remember that part."
"Yeah, I keep forgetting. Hard to keep the ducks all lined up."
"Me and Turk better get on so we can get ready. You sure you're okay?"
"I'm okay. But will you do one thing for me?"
He leaned over and kissed her. "I'll do whatever you want."
Smiling, she said, "Have Cletus or somebody guard Dixie. I don't want anybody sabotagin' her."
Although he thought about protesting, he understood her concerns. "Whatever you say, almost- wife."
Turk, Jesse, and the boys were waiting for him downstairs. After assuring them that Daisy was fine, he and Turk left to get ready.
On the way out, he was mumbling, "She loves me. She really does love me."
Bo, ever a work in progress, remarked, "He just now figurin' that out?"
Cletus thought he would add a little intrigue to the task Enos had given him, hiding in the bushes to spy instead of just guarding Daisy's jeep outright. His life wasn't fascinating, so it was the little things.
But he'd been there for half an hour already, and the excitement wore off. Nodding a little, he snapped back to find Miss Tisdale lurking suspiciously around Dixie. He sprang into action, nearly frightening the wits out of her.
"Oh, Miss Tisdale, ma'am. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean ta' rattle ya' like that."
"It's alright, Cletus. Takes more'n that ta' rattle this old girl. What're you doin' out here anyway? Shouldn't you be somewhere givin' out phony parkin' tickets?"
"Uncle J.D. gave me the day off so's I can go ta' the weddin'."
"Mr. Hogg done got mushy in his old age?"
"Nah. He's gonna make more outta parkin' fees an' he'd ever make givin'…Ahem…What are you doin' here Miss Emma? The weddin's not for another hour."
"Oh, I was just leavin' Daisy and Enos a little weddin' present." She held tight to the bags behind her back. "Just a little somethin' to make sure Daisy gets that college diploma."
"Well, that's real sweet, Miss Emma, but if it rains, it might get wet. So might be better if you leave it inside, don'tcha think?" He assumed it was of a monetary nature. "Or durin' the money dance?"
"I s'pose you're right. Now you behave yourself, Cletus. And watch out for the real hooligans, you hear. Don't want anything ruinin' things for them two."
"Don't you worry, Miss Emma. Cletus Hogg's on the job."
"Well, that's nice," she said, backing away from him, then mumbled under her breath, "I'm the danged postmistress. I can mail um the rest."
Of course, she would take a number before doing so. Wouldn't do to break her own rules.
Considering the recent history, everybody in Hazzard was on pins and needles waitin' to see 'will they, or won't they?'
The Methodist Church was festooned with white roses and yellow wildflowers, and a sprinkling of daisies. The bustle of activity in the bride's dressing room was nothing to the nervous activity in the groom's.
Enos asked Turk for the fourth time if his tie was straight, the third time if his boutonniere was pinned on right, and the sixth time if Turk was sure he had Daisy's wedding ring in his pocket. Luke was enjoying the show, as well as the nervous pitch Enos's voice had taken on since they arrived. Bo wasn't entirely on-board with the whole idea yet (that would take more than a week of gettin' used to), and Rosco was fiddling with the basket that Flash would waddle down the aisle with carrying the ring pillow. As much as Rosco protested, no one trusted Flash with the actual rings.
Bertha Jo, Miss Tisdale and Sarah Jane stood back and admired how well Daisy's Aunt Lavinia's dress had been restored.
"Took nearly a miracle," Daisy said, "but Lester, bless his heart…he worked all week to get everything back the way it was. Except for this one place where we had to put a bow. (It covered a spot that had been torn and lost somewhere between Mrs. Huckabee's garage and WHOGG.)
Daisy felt for Enos's ring, tied securely in the secret pocket next to her heart. Then, she moved her engagement ring from her left to her right ring finger. The ring was a pretty good match to the wedding bands they had picked and would still use. She would transfer it back after Enos put the wedding band on her left ring finger.
When Jesse came to collect her, he stood admiring the woman she had become and said, "Daisy, honey. You got that lit up look you get when you're real happy."
"Oh, Uncle Jesse." She ran into his arms and surrounded him with hers. "I'm so sorry about the dress."
"Now, you stop apologizin'. If your aunt's dress had to be sacrificed for you to find happiness, then I know she'd understand."
She gave him another hug.
"I'll never doubt your Aunt Lavinia's womanly intuition again. She said that you two was destined ta' be together. And the only thing was gonna stand in your way––"
"…was us?"
He nodded.
"I love you, Uncle Jesse." She looked heavenward. "And I love you too, Aunt Lavinia. Thank you."
Having given way of late to a general weepiness she'd always dismissed as foolish or affectatious, Daisy was sure her Uncle Jesse didn't understand the full meaning of the glistening over her eyes. Of course, she doubted many other brides, if any, had traveled the road she and Enos had been sent down to arrive at this moment in time.
"We love you too, sweet girl. Now, we gotta get a move on if I'm gonna walk you down the aisle and give ya' away."
She hugged him again, and they made their way to the church's foyer, where Lulu was making sure everybody was lined up in their proper order. Lulu, the Matron of Honor, and Daisy's bridesmaids wore yellow dresses of their own choice. Flash waddled down first, with the ring pillow tucked neatly in the basket he held in his mouth, followed by the flower girl and then Lulu. Luke escorted Bertha Jo, while Bo took Miss Tisdale's arm. Rosco beamed with Sarah Jane Bascom on his arm. (Her bear claws weren't the only reason he frequented the bakery.) Then, the doors closed. Daisy and Jesse moved in front of them, ready for the walk down the aisle.
When the ushers opened the doors, Daisy was met with a sanctuary filled to the brim – standing room only. Reverend Tucker had enlisted two volunteer fire department members to count heads, so they didn't exceed the fire code. The overflow was already waiting at the reception.
When the Reverend Mr. Tucker asked if there were any objections to this marriage, the attendees held their breath. When he said the words "I now pronounce you husband and wife," there was a collective exhale…followed by much fanning of faces...and some clapping.
At the reception, and after the wedding couple's first dance, everyone was asked to get up and cut a rug. Enos tried to hold on to Daisy as much as possible, but it wouldn't be polite to keep her all to himself. He'd get that chance in a few hours. But he stayed close to her with whatever partner he ended up with.
He was dancing with Sarah Jane when Rosco came up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. Enos nearly leaped out of his skin.
"Jiminy Crickets, Sheriff! You scared ten years off me."
"Mind if I take a whirl with Miss Sarah Jane, Dipstick? So she duddn't get trampled on by your size thirteens?"
"Sure. Sheriff. 'Bout time I found my wife and danced with her again."
He turned, only to come face to face with Daisy, her arms crossed and with a 'Really?' expression on her face.
"The Cricket song. That's what you woke up to every mornin'?"
"What can I say, Mrs. Strate? You married a simple boy with simple dreams."
"Mr. Strate. You're about as simple as a Rubik's Cube. But I love ya' anyway."
He gathered her up in his arms, swung her around, then kissed her well and proper, right there on the dance floor.
A voice from deep within Daisy whispered in her mind, and she knew it was whispering to Enos as well.
"It was now or never, my sweet children. You had reached what folks out here call the divergent point, that place where your arrows of time part company and, if they don't join together, they go off in different directions, never to merge again. Use the time you have from this point wisely, my loves."
Daisy returned from her last dance with Rosco to warn Enos they needed to get ready to leave. The festivities lasted for hours for the wedding guests, (folks in Hazzard don't need much excuse to throw a hoedown) but the wedding couple had to leave by 2:30 pm if they were going to make Birmingham by nightfall. Turk had left earlier because he had a flight back to L.A. right after the ceremony. Another reason the wedding was scheduled early. He'd only been able to make it in for Friday and Saturday.
Since she and the Sheriff seemed to be doing a lot of conversing and little dancing, Enos asked his wife, "What'd you and Sheriff Rosco have your heads t'gether about?" He eyed her with the suspicion he'd have given someone facing him across a table in an interrogation.
"Nothin'. Just doin' a little wagon repair work."
Enos's speculation on what she meant by that remark was substantiated when Rosco grabbed some guy in a burnt-orange shirt and black vest who was stuffing his face with Lulu's wedding fare and cuffed him.
"What did I do?" the man asked.
"Crashin' a weddin' where you're not invited, for starters. An' impersonatin' a country star for 'nother."
"But I am a country star! I'm the Balladeer. I'm just not allowed to show my face, only my hands." He spread his hands out for Rosco to examine. "Just let me go get my gi-tar, and I'll prove it. I got a contract an' everything."
"You must be drunk and disorderly, too. 'Cause Hazzard don't have no 'balladeer.' And you might sound a lot like...you-know-who, but we take our country stars real serious here in Hazzard an' I got it on good authority, you ain't him."
[Wow! A Duke had been elevated to 'good authority' status.]
As Rosco led the man away through the gawkers, Enos could barely hear the guy's continued protests because Daisy was laughing so hard.
"Aw, Daisy. You shouldna' done that."
"Why not? You said he was 'real annoyin'.'"
"I know. But the man's gotta make a livin' like the rest of us." Enos would have schooled her on the fact that crashin' a weddin' or impersonatin' a country star wasn't an arrestin' offense without some monetary gain. Even it was, it would be a misdemeanor. But this was Hazzard, after all.
"Oh, honey," Daisy cooed. "Rosco won't be able to keep him long. Just till we get away from Hazzard. I got me a feelin' that once we cross that county line," (and she'd sure as heck feel better once they did), "We won't need to worry about his comments anymore. He'll be able to prove who he is…and mind you, I still ain't completely convinced…an' Rosco'll have to let him go."
Daisy changed into her goin'-away outfit with more satisfaction than she'd had dressing in the wedding gown, grateful for all the milestones they could check off the list.
After Daisy had thrown the bridal bouquet, snagged by Sarah Jane, and Enos's adept removal of the garter, which hit ole' Rosco squarely in the face, they bid everyone goodbye.
When they left, no voices followed them, except their own.
But as fate would have it, sure enough, about the time they got near enough to the Hazard County line to spit over into the next county, it started to rain, and Dixie's roof began to leak. They parked under the Sweetwater Overpass so Enos could inspect the damage. While drying off the area around the tear, he asked Daisy to get the repair kit out and see she could find some duct tape.
"Ya' find any, honey."
"Not yet…still lookin'. I think there might be some under my seat."
There was a long pause, and Enos stuck his head in the passenger window.
"Everything okay, Daisy?"
She began to laugh hysterically.
"Daisy, what's so funny, now?" he asked, a little concerned because she had begun to cackle.
Then, he looked in her lap at a plastic bag that held about four hundred or so small, flat, square packages in a variety of colors. Apparently, the little pixie had managed to elude Cletus's eagle-eye for at least a year's worth of prevention, and Miss Emma was hell-bent on Daisy finishing college.
Balladeer: Well, like folks around here say, 'Don't that bring the cream to the top?' Now, ya'll wuddin' thinkin' ole' Rosco could hold me, were ya'? Like all the heavies that find themselves in Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane's jail…I escaped. So, ya'll buckle up, 'cause La La Land'll never be the same when those two get ta' town.*
**The End?**
References:
* Although the name of a recent movie, Los Angeles started being referred to as La La Land in the 1970s, and more specifically to Hollywood.
