"If I know what love is, its because of you."

Hermann Hesse

SITTING AT THE KITCHEN'S TABLE

Sitting at the kitchen's table, uncle Jesse looked at Daisy and Enos entering the kitchen.

"We have to talk", a sort of order to sit down, and his niece and Enos obeyed him.

"How do you feel, Enos?", a way to relax Enos, and a simple honest interest for his condition.

"I'm… fine, full of bruises in every part of my body… I mean… EVERY part, but… I'm fine, after all", a shy smile and Enos' usual fidgeting as he glanced at uncle Jesse.

"Bo and Luke told me that…", a brief pause to find the right words, a way to talk about "the baby" (how he knew 'bout it) and about Enos' sort of trance, "… you were really angry to John, so angry and… out of control… they had to stop you". Out of control: uncle Jesse pondered on those words, but there was no other way to describe what his nephews told him, adding shock to shock.

Enos became pale, and uncle Jesse wondered how to talk about that topic in the softest way, and that difficult topic would have brought to an even more difficult topic.

"I… don't remember. The last thing I remember is John punching Daisy, then… I don't remember anything else 'till Luke stopped me", Enos looked down at his hands on the table, probably forcing his mind to recall the fight, but a deep sigh showed his inability to remember.

"So, you don't remember anything, 'cause seeing Daisy hurt by John drove you mad", uncle Jesse nodded, understanding the rage of a man who saw his woman hit by someone else; his woman … and the baby. Enos' rage wasn't surprising, scaring (since Enos was usually calm and peaceful) but not surprising.

"John was hurting Daisy…", uncle Jesse's eyes moved from Daisy to Enos and from Enos to Daisy, stopping finally on Enos, a piercing look, "… and the baby".

Enos, his eyes still on his hands, looked up at uncle Jesse, shocked, and Daisy held her breath. Both Enos and Daisy were speechless.

"It's what you shouted when you ran to Daisy: don't hurt Daisy and the baby. You probably don't remember it, but Bo and Luke heard you… and they remember it. Now, I think it's pretty clear what baby you were talkin' bout, Enos", in uncle Jesse's voice both discomfort (about the topic) and disappointment (about his niece hiding something like that to him).

Daisy shook gently her head, a gesture of disbelief (about talking with her uncle of such a thing) and sadness (about her uncle's disappointment, a disappointment she could perfectly feel), and she covered her eyes with her hand, "Oh my God", trying to find the right words, a vain attempt, "Uncle Jesse… I'm sorry if I disappointed you, but…", and Daisy understood it was pointless to try to explain something so complicated and embarrassing.

Enos took a deep breath, he closed briefly his eyes then he stared into uncle Jesse's eyes, "Uncle Jesse, I'm sorry you knew about the baby this way. I respect you as a father, you know, so I understand your shock and rage. But… I LOVE Daisy more than my own life, I'd do anything for her. It's why I want to marry her. I know that… we've inverted the normal order of things, but I'd have married Daisy anyhow, baby or not. Because of the baby we're … accelerating things, I know. I only want to be a good husband for Daisy… and a good father for the baby, or I hope so", he looked down at his hands, a touch of red on his cheeks.

Daisy's right hand reached Enos' left one, squeezing it, in her eyes surprise and devotion.

Uncle Jesse looked at the couple in front of him, silently, pondering on the best words to say.

The silence was so deep to seem unreal, as if the world outside the farm had been destroyed and the only survivors of that apocalypse had been the two men and the woman inside that kitchen.

The sound of uncle Jesse's voice was like an explosion after that unreal silence, even if a soft voice, "I can't deny the news about the baby shocked me, and I can't deny I'd have preferred a wedding before a pregnancy. And I'm disappointed because you hid such a thing to me. Daisy, I thought you'd have told me something like that, honestly"

"It's my fault, uncle Jesse. Daisy wanted to tell you 'bout it… after telling me (since I'm the father of the baby), but… I was away from Hazzard, so she couldn't tell me about the baby. If I hadn't run away that way, she'd have told me about the baby, and then we'd have told you about it and about the wedding, in a different way", again, surprisingly, Enos found the courage to face uncle Jesse, his eyes firmly on the older man, "I'm sorry you found out about the baby this way. And I'm sorry if we decided to hide it since the wedding. Daisy decided to tell it after the wedding 'cause…", he blushed, "she knew I was scared to tell you… and Bo and Luke… 'bout it before a normal wedding. I messed things up with my running away…. and then with my fear of your reaction".

"Fear? Of me, Bo and Luke?", uncle Jesse's eyes opened wide, "Enos, I'm really strict about such a thing, I know, but… I know you love Daisy, and you've always shown your respect for her. I'm glad Daisy finally understood her love for you, and I'm sure you're goin' to be a good husband for her. Obviously, I'm shocked because of the news. I'm happy you and Daisy are goin' to be a family, but… well… everything's so quick I'm a bit surprised and… yeah… I'd have preferred to know things in a different way"

"So, you respect me despite… it, don't you?", Enos squeezed Daisy's hand, his eyes now down, his cheeks more and more red.

Uncle Jesse understood: Enos feared to lose his respect, to lose the respect of someone he respected as a father. The Dukes' patriarch shook his head: Enos lacked in self-confidence, it was his worst fault; despite Daisy and her love he kept on thinking of himself as someone who needed to win people's affection with all his efforts, day by day, risking to lose people's affection all in a sudden. Enos didn't think of himself as someone worth of respect and love, and uncle Jesse knew how much his past was responsible of it, and not only his past but also his recent knowing about Andrew Salinger.

"Enos, I know you since you were a child, and I know you're a honest and caring man, someone my family can trust. I respect you, I've always respected you. How did you think I could lose my respect for you because of what's happened? You've already showed me I can trust you along these years. Everybody can make a mistake along his life, more mistakes: Bo, Luke and Daisy too can make a mistake, they've already made some mistakes and they'll keep on making mistakes, but I don't stop loving them because of it; besides, this baby is NOT a mistake, a surprise for sure, but not a mistake".

Enos glanced at him, a thankful look.

Uncle Jesse kept on talking, "I'm not angry because of the baby, surprised but not angry. I'm disappointed because of your hiding it to me. Daisy, when did you find out about the baby?", his eyes on his niece.

"Few after Enos ran away. I wanted to tell Enos, before everybody else, since he's the father of the baby. Enos knew it only yesterday, uncle Jesse, and it was my idea to tell you after the wedding. Enos and I would have married, anyhow, baby or not, maybe not now because of… the recent mourning", Daisy rested her left hand on Enos' hand already intertwined to her right one, "but we'd have married, probably along this spring. I love Enos, and I can't wait to become his wife… and the mother of his baby", her eyes became sparkling and a touch of red lightened her face as Enos looked at her with one of his sweetest smiles.

Uncle Jesse nodded, "It's what I wanted to hear from you, Daisy. And I hope you'll be always honest and sincere to me, in the future, even if I know Enos will be the most important man in your life by now and I accept it. I can't interfere in your family, and I know there'll be things you'll talk to Enos before than to me, and it's right since he'll be your husband"

"Oh uncle Jesse, you'll always be important to me, you and Enos will have different roles in my life, it' true, but you'll always be important to me"

"Ok", uncle Jesse stood up, satisfied and deeply moved of those words, "and now it's time to talk to Bo and Luke. They're waiting outside the farm, wondering how I'd have tanned your hide", he looked at Enos becoming pale and at Daisy blushing, and he laughed walking outside the kitchen.

After uncle Jesse's leaving, Enos rested his forehead against the table, "Possum on a gum bush, I'm still alive", his calm joking in order to relax and to show his relief.

Daisy laughed, "Oh Enos, did you really think uncle Jesse would have killed you?", then she became serious, stop joking and coming to the point, "or… did you really think uncle Jesse would have lost his respect for you? For God's sake, Enos, when will you learn to respect yourself and to trust your worth?"

His forehead still against the table, Enos turned his face to her, "I've never been used to be judged worth of respect and love", a sad smile on his face, and Daisy understood he was talking about his mother's leaving when he was only 5 years old, Thomas Strate's attitude toward him, his life with his uncle and aunt, and Andrew Salinger's indifference: his total lack in self confidence wasn't surprising.

Daisy touched gently his nape, "Well, it's time to get used to be loved, sugar, 'cause I love you, and the baby too is goin' to love you, 'cause you're goin' to be a GREAT daddy. I'm sure about it: today you showed me how much you love me and the baby, you protected us"

Enos closed his eyes and he let her left hand caress his nape, enjoying her touch and pondering on her words, his left hand still in her right one, "If I know what love is, its because of you and your family, Dais".

Daisy's hand trembled at his words, in her trembling her strong emotion.

When uncle Jesse, Bo and Luke entered the house, they looked at Enos and Daisy still sitting at the kitchen's table, Daisy still caressing Enos' nape: their Daisy was going to become a wife and a mother, and in their heart there was a mix of surprise, jealousy (especially from uncle Jesse and Luke, since Daisy was for them "their little Daisy", despite she wasn't a child any more) and joy, the joy slowly replacing the surprise and the jealousy.

Joy mixed with expectation: there was a wedding to organize, a wedding that would have canalized a lot of attention because rumors about Rose Strate and Andrew Salinger were still a major topic in town, and, before those rumors, Enos' and Daisy's previous postponed wedding was another major topic for months.

And their expectation would have mixed with disappointment and worrisome if Dukes had known those rumors were adding to new rumors: as Bo and Luke, John Fitzroy too heard Enos' words about "the baby", and, as Bo and Luke, he came to the same conclusion, now sharing this conclusion, pulpy news, with his family and friends visiting him in jail.

Other fire spreading in town.

Thanks again to any of you who's reading this story, despite the slowness (few action in it, I know). I hope you're enjoying this strange "slice of life"-kind of story, and I hope you enjoyed Jesse Duke's talking in this chapter (I hope he's in character, 'cause, as I've said, I'm not very used to write of uncle Jesse and the boys, LOL). I hope you've found DOH's characters (all of them) and spirit (family, friendship, respect, caring) along the story despite some topics (somehow tricky, hard and sad topics).

OK, this story is coming to the end, I think just a couple of chapters to the Epilogue ;-)). And after this story... I don't know: maybe a pause, or some one-shots... or maybe a new idea is goin' to hit me all in a sudden (as many times in the past: every time I say "I don't have any idea for a new story", SBAM, LOL). Let me know if you've liked this story or if you want something totally different from me.