IN THE BEGINNING: BO'S STORY

By BeeBeeGee

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AUTHOR'S NOTES: Did you ever get to wondering how Bo, Luke, and Daisy came to live with Uncle Jesse? If so, come on and join me on this journey into the past.

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The old Buick coughed and sputtered its way along the road. The driver had no cause to worry about the police vehicle poorly hidden along the side of the road. The Buick could barely reach the speed limit, even when the gas pedal was depressed all the way to the floor.

The young boy in the front passenger seat dutifully announced, "Cop." Whenever he and his Mama were on the road, it was eight-year-old Bo's job to be on the lookout for road dangers such as stray animals, or the aforementioned cop.

His Mama Arlene gently patted his arm. "Thanks, Hon, I got it." She smiled, disappointed when the boy did not smile back. Bo grimaced, easing the sling around his broken right arm. Arlene raised her hand to run it through her son's tangled hair. "That arm botherin' you?"

Bo sighed. Should he tell the truth, or tell his Mama what she wanted to hear? As always, he opted for the latter. "It's okay, Mama, I'm fine." In truth, he was not 'fine'. He had not been fine ever since Mama's friend Cephus had moved in with them. Cephus was the sort of man who believed that children should be seen and not heard. If Bo got to be too loud, or if the young boy broke any of the many house rules, Cephus invariably responded physically. That was how Bo came to have his arm in a cast. When his Mama had taken Bo to the clinic to have the arm set, the boy had dutifully lied. The doctor had asked him how he came to have a broken arm. Bo lied and said, "I fell," just like his Mama had asked him to. It didn't matter. The doctor didn't believe him.

Earlier …

Bo listened as his Mama argued with the doctor. "You got no right to keep me from my boy!"

"Ma'am, I have every right, especially when I believe that his arm didn't get broken from falling. The bruises on his arm and the nature of the fracture itself tell me that somebody, not something broke that boy's arm. I'm calling Social Services, and if you don't calm down, I'm calling the police!"

Bo had heard enough. Whenever the police or Social Services was mentioned, that meant him and his Mama had to get going, and fast. The doctor was so busy arguing with Mama that he didn't notice the door open behind him, allowing Bo to hear every word of their conversation. The young boy ducked down so that the folks in the outer office couldn't see him over the countertop. He crab-walked low, a task made all the more difficult by the cast upon his arm. He used the wall for support, sidling along toward the doorway and freedom.

Arlene winked, letting Bo know that she saw him. She raised her tone of voice, making sure that all eyes in the clinic would be on her in order to cover Bo's escape. "You got no right! He's my son! I'll sue you and this whole damn clinic!" Judging that she'd given Bo enough time to make it out to the parking lot, she concluded, "You haven't heard the last of me!" She turned and marched out the door.

Bo had managed to pull himself into the back seat of the car, where he huddled along the floorboards so that he couldn't easily be seen through the windows. He heard someone coming. Fearing that it was the police looking for him, the young boy grabbed an old blanket from the seat. Despite the heat of the day, he pulled the blanket over and around his body to hide himself from prying eyes.

Bo froze in place when he heard the car door open and close. He held his breath and prayed silently, 'Let it be Mama, let it be Mama!' To his great relief, his Mama's voice announced that he was safe. He slumped tiredly against the floorboards.

His Mama didn't physically acknowledge that she knew Bo was in the back of the car. She could not afford the gesture lest it alert anyone who might be watching from the hospital clinic. As she put the car in gear, Arlene declared, "Thank you, Jesus! I see you, Bo. I just need you to stay down for two shakes of a lamb's tail, until we're clear of this place. I know we been settled in Tennessee for a while now, but it's time to be movin' on."

True to her word, Arlene headed back to their rented mobile home just long enough to engage in a frenzy of packing. Bo helped as best he could, but there was only so much he could do with one arm in a cast. Both Bo and Arlene were relieved that Mama's boyfriend Cephus was not at the home. The day had been bad enough without having to deal with 'Uncle' Cephus again. Bo kept jumping at every least little noise, afraid that the man had returned, or that the police or Social Services had sent someone to their home.

Bo knew his Mama was just as worried. "Oh, Bo, we gotta hurry!" She shoved a plastic bag in his direction and ordered, "Just throw the rest of your things into this here trash bag. We got to get goin'!" Despite their frequent moves, neither Bo nor his Mama owned a suitcase between them. They' d gotten pretty good at moving over the years. They just took whatever boxes and bags were handy, and packed as much as would comfortably fit into their latest wreck of a car.

Once they'd shoved as much as they could into the car, Arlene tucked Bo into the seat beside her and fastened his seatbelt. Despite the fact the Bo felt too old to be treated like a baby, he was comforted by the gesture, and moreso when she paused to bestow a gentle kiss to his head before settling herself into the car. They took off down the road, the dust from their passing quickly hiding their former home from sight. Even though he suspected that the answer was "No," for his own peace of mind Bo had to ask: "Do you know where we're going?"

His Mama was quiet for so long that Bo figured she wasn't going to answer his question. He was surprised when she finally spoke. "You know, I believe that I do. I think we're gonna take us a trip back into the past."

His Mama's words started to make sense two days later when they passed a sign announcing: 'You are now entering Hazzard County.' Bo remembered his Mama talking about her high school days in Hazzard. Like Bo and his Mama, Arlene and her own mother had never settled in one place for very long. Much to Arlene's delight, Hazzard County had been a little bit different. Arlene had spent almost four years living in Hazzard County. Had she not left town the month before graduation, she might have even managed to graduate.

Arlene's mood lightened as she drove the once-familiar roads. "Oh, Bo, not a thing has changed around here! I suppose if you live here, that's awful boring, but for me it just helps me to remember the good times. I fell in love for the first time right here in Hazzard; and the second time, and the third. There's a fella here name 'a Jesse Duke who just might be able to help us out."

Bo was not surprised. His Mama had a great number of men friends. It was the ones she moved in with that tended to be the problem. Bo had more 'Uncles' than he cared to remember. He was not looking forward to meeting another one. Bo yawned, the stress of the last few days catching up with him. Somewhere in the middle of his Mama's recitation of history, the young boy fell asleep.

Arlene was relieved when she pulled up in front of the Duke residence and saw the familiar man standing out front. She hopped out of the front seat and paused to stretch her road-weary muscles, deliberately giving Jesse a good view of her trim figure. As desperate as she was, Arlene would take any advantage she could get. She was pleased when Jesse walked toward her, a delighted smile upon his face

"Arlene? Is that you?"

Arlene stepped forward, closing the distance between them. She enveloped Jesse in a big hug which he cautiously returned. "Jesse, it is so good to see you!"

Jesse gently pushed her away to a more comfortable distance. "Arlene, what are you doing here?"

Before Arlene could answer, a dark-haired boy of about twelve came around the corner of the house, dragging a girl who couldn't have been more than six. The boy sounded as if he were desperately trying to hold on to his patience. He pushed the girl in front of him, stating, "Go on, you tell Uncle Jesse what you been doin'."

The young girl hesitated, nervously sucking on a fingernail. Jesse squatted down so that he did not tower over the child. He asked, "Daisy, you got something you want to tell me?"

Thus encouraged, the girl declared, "Luke won't let me have any fun!"

Jesse looked up toward the boy in question then back over at Daisy. "Well, that doesn't sound like Luke. What exactly were you doing?"

Daisy shrugged. "Just playing dress-up."

Luke waved his hands in the air, tired of waiting for his cousin to tell the rest of the story. "She was trying to put doll clothes on the pups! Speckles heard 'em crying, so that got her all riled up and barkin' and running around in circles so she tripped me up on account of I couldn't see her 'cause I was carrying a load of lumber." Luke held up his hand so that his thumb and index finger nearly touched as he continued, "I came this close to hitting one of the pups by accident when I dropped the wood."

Daisy confidently replied, "But you didn't hit him, and you wouldn't ever."

Luke was more upset than angry. "I wouldn't hit him on purpose, but I nearly did by accident. You leave them pups alone!"

Daisy shook her head. "They're my pups, too!"

Jesse stood up. "The pups belong to all of us." Before Daisy could say "I told you so," Jesse added, "That doesn't mean you can treat them like your dolls. Speckles is a smart mother. What you did made her babies fuss and got her all upset, and it sounds like that's what made Luke drop the wood. From now on, doll clothes only go on dolls. Okay?"

Daisy knew that Luke had a tendency to try to be the boss of her, so she didn't always listen to what he said. Now that Uncle Jesse had basically said the same thing, Daisy regretted her actions. She turned to each of her family members in turn as she said, "I'm sorry, Luke. I'm sorry, Uncle Jesse."

Uncle Jesse's little chat had given Luke a chance to calm down. He sighed. "That's okay, Daisy. How about you get the rest of them clothes off of the pups while I go pick up that lumber I dropped?"

Luke turned to Arlene and smiled. The lady was impressed with how different the boy looked when he smiled. She smiled in return, thinking, "That boy's gonna be a heart-breaker when he gets to be full grown."

Luke took Daisy by the hand and said, "In case you haven't noticed, Uncle Jesse's tryin' to visit with a lady friend."

Daisy smiled and waved her free hand in greeting. "Hi!"

Arlene gave a friendly "Hi" in return while Jesse performed introductions. "Daisy, Luke, this is Miss. . . It is 'Miss', isn't it?" Arlene nodded and Jesse continued, "Miss Arlene. Arlene, this here is Luke and Daisy." Everyone exchanged "Hi"s then Jesse encouraged the children to return to their appointed tasks. "Now, I believe Luke and Daisy got some things they need to be doing."

Daisy seemed to want to stay put and watch the adults, but Luke pulled her along with him as they walked back around the house.

Arlene commented, "Jesse, you are so good with those kids. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you was their Pa."

Jesse nodded. "I suppose, in a way, I am. I'm the only family they got left. As long as I live and breathe, they'll always have a home."

Arlene looped her arm through Jesse's. "God, Jesse, why didn't I ever marry you?" She laughed at Jesse's dismayed expression as he was unable to answer her question. "That's okay, I know why. I guess I didn't have the greatest reputation when I lived in Hazzard."

Jesse blushed. "No, it wasn't that. Believe me, I was, well, like any man I didn't mind a pretty lady payin' attention. It's just that, not only am I older than you, I respected the fact that you were under age at the time."

Arlene nodded. "Can't fault a man for respectin' a woman. Wish there were more like you out there. But, there ain't, and I guess that's why I'm here."

Their conversation was interrupted by the slamming of a car door. Until that moment, Jesse hadn't realized that Arlene had a passenger in her car. Bo had slumped down in the seat as he slept so that he was not easily seen. He would have been more than happy to continue sleeping, had not his body decided to make him aware of the need to pee. He looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings. His Mama was talking to a stranger. He figured he wouldn't make a very favorable impression if he just peed at the side of the road, so he approached. "Hey y'all, is there a bathroom around here I could use?"

Jesse nodded. "Sure. Follow me. By the way, my name is Jesse. I suppose you can call me Uncle Jesse."

Bo sighed. Just what he didn't need: another Uncle. Nevertheless, he politely supplied his own name. "And I guess you can call me Bo."

Bo was impressed that the ramshackle home actually had indoor plumbing. He had been expecting to be led out back to an outhouse. Arlene followed them into the house. When Bo returned from the bathroom, he found his Mama and Uncle Jesse seated comfortably around the kitchen table. Uncle Jesse pulled out a chair for Bo, offering, "Have a seat, young fella."

Bo was grateful that Uncle Jesse spared him from maneuvering the chair one-handed. "Thank you."

Jesse nodded. "You're welcome."

Pleasantries dispensed with, Arlene got down to the business of the reason for her visit. "Jesse, I know we ain't seen each other in a while, and I expect it's kind of strange me and Bo just showing up on your doorstep. The thing of it is, no one knows to look for us here in Hazzard, and that's the way I like it. I know you ain't asked about Bo's arm, and I appreciate that." Arlene paused, thinking over her next words.

Jesse stated, "I figured if you or Bo want to tell me about it, that's okay, and if you want to tell me that it's none of my business, that's okay, too."

Arlene twisted her hands together, her body language and tone of voice reflecting her agitation. "Some know-it-all doctor figures Bo hurtin' his arm means I ain't a fit mother. He started makin' noise about calling in the police or Social Services, and that's when I figured it was time for me and Bo to be movin' on. I know with two young 'uns of your own I got no right to ask this, but I'm begging you. . ." She leaned forward to place a hand on Jesse's arm. Her eyes filled with tears as she continued, "I'm begging you, please let us stay here until I can figure out what to do next." A lone tear traveled down her cheek as she added, "Please."

Jesse was not about to turn away a lady in distress. He nodded. "You and Bo are welcome to stay as long as you need to."

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Author's notes: My muses told me a while ago what happened to Bo's Mama, and how Luke and Daisy came to live with Uncle Jesse. It seems that there are folks out there who'd also like to hear the story, so I've decided to share. Good Lord willin' and the creek don't rise, the next part should be posted this weekend.

TBC