"Let there be spaces in your togetherness"

Kahalil Gibran

HANG ON ME

Erika inhaled the air's scent, a winter air with a pitch of spring, as she kept on throwing small stones into the pond: since she was a child she liked to throw stones into lakes, pond, sea, whatever made of water, trying to make stones hopping on water. Her father taught her that way of throwing stones: first, find flat and smooth stones; second, throw the stone with a particular movement of her arm in order that the stone hit the water tangential, starting to hop on. More hops, the more the throwing was good.

Satisfied by her last throwing, Erika sat under an oak, observing the landscape and thinking of how many times his father looked at that same landscape, so many years before. Did he improve that particular way of throwing stones into ponds and lakes when he stayed in that place, in that County full of ponds, lakes and rivers?

Thinking of her father, her heart stirred. She took from her bag an envelope, and from the envelope some pictures, pictures Josh sent to her after her insistence, pictures hidden into her father's locker for so many years.

She looked, again, at those pictures: his father with that woman (both young, really young: she supposed pictures from the time his father stayed in that County), that woman alone (in her younger years), a single picture of Enos Strate (the day of his swearing-in-ceremony) and two newspaper's cuttings about him. She focused on the second newspaper's cutting; she stared at the young cop, his look prideful and a faint smile on his face: a look she knew pretty well, her father look.

A week passed since her arrival to Hazzard, and she was waiting Enos came back home from the Hospital: she promised to wait for his coming back instead that go to the Hospital, as she wanted to, eager to talk to him.

She sighed: Dukes. After Daisy Duke's stopping her in the middle of the street, Jesse Duke's visiting her at the Hotel just to know what she wanted to from Enos, to ask her to wait his coming back before to talk to him, and to invite her to Dukes' farm in order to have her talk with Enos. That family was a sort of defensive barrage for Enos Strate, and, thinking back of her talk with that middle-aged man, she knew why.

Interesting but not satisfactory information from Jesse Duke: that man avoided to talk 'bout her father.

"Your father was an ATF's agent, and I and my family were moonshiners."

Jesse Duke's only words about Andrew Salinger; he also avoided to talk about the car wreck that almost killed her father, and now Erika remembered his sad look and tight features as she asked him about that wreck.

He talked to her about Enos: his honesty, his sweetness, his rough past and his grief; a passionate defense to convince her to be soft with him, to explain her Enos wasn't responsible of her father's death, and he was facing his grief the same way she was facing her one.

She let Jesse Duke's words settle into her heart, and she had to admit her attitude to the man she previously thought of as "the deputy", "the cop" or "that woman's son" changed, since now she thought of him simply as "Enos", thanks to Jesse Duke's talking 'bout him in a so human, passionate and sweet way.

If Daisy Duke's defense (angry and aggressive) failed, Jesse Duke's one won.

"You're really hungry, aren't you?"

Daisy smiled, looking at Enos eating vanilla's pudding.

"Uncle Jesse's pudding is fantastic, Dais. I can't stop eating it, I'd eat it every day"

"Sugar, are you telling me my pudding is not so good?", Daisy laughed, in her tone her usual sweet teasing.

"You know, Daisy, I love everything of you, but…. yeah, uncle Jesse's pudding is the best", he smiled, "Besides, it's the first time after… my mother's death", his smile faded, "I finally enjoy food's taste. Maybe it's thanks this pudding, or maybe thanks time's going by"

"Oh, Enos", she sat by his side, resting her hand on his shoulder, "Tomorrow you're goin' to come back to the farm, and I promise you a lot of pudding, and everything you'd like to eat". She kissed gently his lips, vanilla's lips, happy there was no more that oxygen's mask to block her, happy to feel his fresh skin under her touch, no more fever, and happy to have him back at the farm. But her happiness couldn't be complete, and it was time to tell him who was waiting for him.

"Enos", she took his right hand in her one, squeezing it gently, "I need to talk to you 'bout… an important thing". She sighed, averting her eyes from his inquisitive and surprise look, focusing on his hand in hers, "There's someone who wants to meet you, to talk to you. Her name is…", she sighed again, "Erika Salinger"

Enos' hand slipped off her one, "What? When? Andrew Salinger's daughter? Or wife? When did she arrive in Hazzard? Did you see her? Did you talk to her?"

"She's Andrew Salinger's daughter, and she arrived the day John Fitzroy hit you. I met her the day after, and I told her not to bother you. If you don't want to talk to her, I and uncle Jesse will find a way to convince her to go away".

Silence.

Daisy, her eyes still focused on her hand (now empty), looked up at him to find a disappointed and sad look: a soft moving of his lips, a knitting of his brows and a gentle bending of his head, the same of Erika (and, for sure, of Andrew Salinger). Daisy realized her mistake, her stupid mistake: she was hurting his pride.

He looked away from her, "Daisy, why are you treating me as a child? It's something I have to solve all by myself. I appreciate your and uncle Jesse's help, but… you can't hide such kind of things in order to protect me. You can't take decisions 'bout things so personal, so … MINE. You knew 'bout it since… then, and are you telling me it… now?", he finally glanced at her, briefly, and Daisy's noticed his tears, "I don't want your PITY! I'm stronger and more mature you, and everybody, think"

"He can't keep on thinking you care of him as a friend, a close friend but a friend, a friend… you somehow have pity of". Miss Kate's words. Again that point? Was Enos still at THAT point?

"Enos, it's not PITY, it's LOVE! I want to stay by your side and, yeah, to protect you, not 'cause I think you're weak but 'cause I love you. You were here, in Hospital, burning with fever, how to tell you 'bout Erika Salinger? I had to wait. I'm sorry"

"It's HIS decision, not your one; it's something too much important 'bout his life and identity".

She remembered uncle Jesse's words, and she regretted her attempt to convince Erika Salinger to go away, now realizing she couldn't avoid Enos faced HIS past and real identity, but she could only stay by his side, supporting him.

"I'm really sorry, Enos. I can't help but being worried 'cause of everything's happening to you. I hate to see you suffer, you don't deserve all this pain, and it's why I've tried to protect you… over-protect you, OK, against any possible other pain".

"Ok, I understand you, I'm sorry for my words", he took her hand in his one, restoring their previous touch, his voice soft and docile, as usual, "now, please, tell me everything you know 'bout Erika Salinger. What did she tell you? What did she know 'bout her father and my mother? Did she suspect I could be… her brother? Did she hate me because of my mother? Did she know my mother kill her father?"

Feverish questions showing his obsessions, and Erika's obsessions too: Daisy didn't agree with uncle Jesse's idea of "Erika as a gift for him".

She answered his questions, and she noticed he was somehow relieved to know Erika already knew he could be his brother and how, exactly, her father died. She told him Erika didn't seem to hate him but she wanted only to know everything about her father and his mother, the same way he did.

Sitting in his bed, his back against the pillows, he closed his eyes and he bent down to her, resting his head on her shoulder, and Daisy relaxed a bit: he was still hanging on her, a positive thing but also a clear sign of his pain and confusion.

She didn't know what he was thinking of, his eyes still closed and his head on her shoulder, in the room only silence.

"Did he like the pudding?", uncle Jesse glanced at Daisy, keeping on doing the dishes.

"He loves your pudding, you know", Daisy smiled, wiping plates by her uncle's side.

"Did you tell him 'bout Erika?"

The sound of water splashing into the sink filled for a while the silent kitchen.

"Yeah, he was surprised, obviously, but he seems eager to meet her and to talk to her. He asked me a lot of things 'bout her", Daisy shrugged, "I hope she isn't goin' to shock him or to confuse him even more. I'm really worried".

"Daisy, it's something we can't stop. We don't have to stop it. I convinced Erika to meet Enos here at the farm. We're goin' to be by his side, there's nothing else we can do".

Daisy sighed, "OK, but it doesn't mean that I'm goin' to stay quiet if that woman upsets him, or if she tries to attack him some way or another".

Uncle Jesse shook his head, smiling, "Not catfights at the farm, Daisy, please. First, I'm sure Erika doesn't want to hurt Enos, not on purpose, at least; second, I think Enos' pride wouldn't accept so easily your … ehm… acting like a tiger protecting his puppy. Even if he hangs on us and if he's finally showed us his pain, instead of running away as usual, it doesn't mean his pride is gone".

Uncle Jesse got it, as usual.

"You're right, BUT… I can't help but being so over-protective, and he'd get used to it, putting aside his pride, finally", she wiped her hands and she walked away, heading to her bedroom, an heavy drowsiness and a pesky nausea overwhelming her. She wondered if she needed the anti-acid Doc Appleby gave Enos some months ago: gastritis because of the stress, poor Enos, and poor her.

"Good night, uncle Jesse"

Finally in her room, she got undressed and she slipped under the blankets, falling asleep immediately.