CLOSED WINDOW

"WHAT?"

Dukes looked at Enos, his words about resignation shocking them.

"Wait, wait, Enos…," Luke glanced at his family before to go on, "Resignation is a… strong thing to say. I think you should ponder on it."

"Luke's right," Bo's turn to talk to Enos after a brief nod to Luke, "maybe now you're feeling a bit … weak… because of your staying in Hospital," a brief but meaningful glance to the other members of his family, a way to let them know he wasn't going to reveal to Enos what they found in the "Los Angeles Time", obviously, "and… it's normal. You shouldn't talk about resignation, but about… convalescence. Ask Boss to give you some time to rest."

"And if Boss won't give you some time to rest, I'll talk to him," uncle Jesse nodded, "After a convalescence you'll feel better, so take your time to recover before to decide something so… important."

Daisy stood up, walking behind Enos' chair and bending forward, her cheek gently touching Enos' one, "Bo, Luke and uncle Jesse are right, honey. You're a cop, it's your life, it's what you told me just few days ago… about not being yourself anymore if you undressed your uniform. You can't be anybody else but a cop, and you know it. So, stop talking about being a civilian. I really can't see you as a civilian."

"We're used to see you in uniform, and we want to see you as Hazzard's deputy. Beside, don't forget you're the only honest cop here, you're the only one we can trust. We don't want to have another Billy Coogan-like deputy," Luke too stood up, walking by Daisy's side and patting on Enos' shoulder, "if you don't want to be a deputy anymore for yourself, well, do it for your best friends, and for the town too. Folks like you, Enos, and you know it," Luke's thought back to his rage when Enos decided to become a cop, so many years ago, a friend blaming a friend of betrayal: a lot of things happened, since then, and now Luke had a total different idea of the meaning of wearing a uniform and of what duty was, and a new and different respect for his old friend.

His eyes on his dish, Enos listened silently to his friends, "Yeah, you're right but… what if I won't be able to… do my job anymore. I mean… you saw what happened at the pond, and at the Boar's Nest," he shook his head, smiling sadly, "I don't know if a convalescence will be enough, and if…"

"Have a try, "uncle Jesse interrupted him, "don't take such an important decision so suddenly. You needed time to recover, but you went back to work soon after your coming back from L.A., and now you're still weak."

"Maybe you're right, uncle Jesse. Forget about it, I won't talk anymore about resignation. Sorry, I was just… tired, and confused... and…" he shook his head, "forget about it."

Uncle Jesse's sharp eyes stared in Enos' face, trying to find a contact with Enos' elusive eyes, "And… what? What's bothering you, Enos? It isn't just a matter of weakness, is it?"

Bo, Luke and Daisy held their breath; only uncle Jesse had that ability to be at the same time so soft and direct. They knew their uncle's way to push them to open up without let them feel any pressure. Wise and caring uncle Jesse, used to be both a father-like figure for them and, after aunt Lavinia's departure, a mother-like figure too, mixing strength and sweetness, reproach and comfort, carrot and stick.

"It's that… I don't know…" Enos had a pause, his eyes still focused on his dish, but it was pretty clear he wasn't looking at the dish.

Uncle Jesse waited for Enos' words, not pushing him, and Enos kept on talking after that brief but thoughtful pause.

"…it's that, I don't know what's the sense of being a cop," his fingers played with the fork, "bad things happens no matter what I do or I don't. It's pointless. I can't stop… bad things. Everything I do is pointless."

Foggy words, if Dukes hadn't already known what happened to him in L.A., but words now with a strong meaning: Enos was losing his trust in his job, a job that was his life, and losing the trust in the thing that's always been the most important thing for him was the worst thing that could happen to him. And Dukes knew it.

Daisy, Bo and Luke looked scared and saddened at their uncle, aware it was a really tricky and thorny talking: only uncle Jesse could find the right words without let Enos understand they knew everything about what happened to him in L.A. A difficult balance between say and not say. Only uncle Jesse could find the right words to heal Enos' sense of uselessness.

A difficult challenge, and uncle Jesse faced it.

"Enos, you're a honest and straight man, an idealist. I know you since you were a child and I know about your idealism and your efforts to do always the right thing. Anyway, you should understand you can't change the World: the World is violent, corrupted, and … rotten. It's the bitter truth. BUT, though you can't change the World, you can prevent the World changes you, you can prevent the World turns you in a disappointed cop, a disappointed man. A dreaming idealist wants to change the World in something better, whereas the realistic and wise idealist understands that the most important thing is not let the World change him because of disappointment, the most important thing is keep on doing the right thing no matter what: sometimes you'll win, changing things in better, and sometimes you'll… lose, but… it's not a discomfiture. The real discomfiture is to let the World change you, accepting the wrong things and not even try to oppose to them. If any idealist stops to do the right thing, the World would be worse and worse. It's what I've always taught to my nephews: do the right thing, not because doing the right thing has its convenience (sometimes doing the right thing has no convenience but just troubles), but simply 'cause… it's the right thing to do. Protect innocents (family, friends, and strangers too), fight for the truth and for the justice, it's always been Dukes' way to live, and you, as a cop, have a special position in order to reach these goals, 'cause you have weapons more powerful than us. It's why, knowing you, I've always thought of your being a cop as a gift for this County, no matter if your job had pushed you against us, from time to time."

Enos slowly looked up at uncle Jesse, in his eyes surprise (happy surprise for being understood in his confusion and disappointment), sadness (sad awareness of his weakness against the World) and pride (prideful confidence in the meaning of his job).

Uncle Jesse won his challenge, and Daisy sighed in relief, "Everything will be OK, sugar, and we'll help you."

"Thanks," a gentle blush and a shy smile on Enos' face, "Thank you all, I really appreciate it."

Everybody in the kitchen had a deep and relieved sigh.

"And now, sugar, what do think about my apple pie? I know you like it, and I cooked it for you," Daisy walked to the oven, opening it and taking the cake from it, "soup, fried fish, hushpuppies, and… apple pie; I didn't plan to cook it, but I found the time to do it," no mention she cooked it as she was waiting for him, worried for his delay, her way to keep her mind occupied 'till his arrival, vain attempt.

Enos looked at her with a dreamy smile, as many times before, "A perfect ending for a perfect dinner. Thank you."

Daisy laughed, holding him a plate with a piece of cake, "the first piece is for you," looking at him as he ate the first bit and then turning pale as she saw him stopping, his eyes tearful and a strange look on his face: was he breaking down? Was he going to burst out crying? If he had let out his pain it'd have been a good thing for him, but a painful thing for her.

"Daisy, I'm not a cook, nor a gastronomic critic, but… ding dang, Dais, I think you used salt instead of sugar!"

Daisy needed some time to realize Enos' unexpected words, "WHAT?", her cheeks turning red and her ears burning as her cousins and uncle burst out in a sonorous laugh. She turned to her family, Bo with his head backward in his usual open and extroverted laughing, Luke laughing and shaking his head at the same time in his usual more quiet way to show his emotions, and uncle Jesse laughing as he had a lot of fun, one of the funniest moment of his life, his eyes sparkling.

"Hey, stop laughing this way. It isn't… fair!" Daisy gently punched Bo's shoulder then she turned to Enos, "Enos, tell them it isn't fair to…" to find out he too was laughing in his shy way, his funny laugh.

"You're not a cook, Enos, and neither is Daisy."

"BO!" Daisy punched again Bo's shoulder, a stronger punch, but at the end offence and shame yielded to the joyful and funny atmosphere, and her clear laugh added to his family's and Enos' ones.

Quiet atmosphere.

Sank into the couch, Daisy observed Enos and uncle Jesse playing draughts while Bo and Luke read a cars' magazine sitting near her.

She was too much tired to read (she read too much, in that afternoon) or to do anything else, but she enjoyed that pleasant domestic moment, grateful to that family, grateful to her two caring cousins and to her wise uncle. And grateful to the straight man sitting in front of her uncle, an idealist, no better word to describe him, no better word to describe the man she loved, a reason to love him even more.

She smiled and she turned to the window, the rain still ticking on it and forming a web of rivulets.

Rain.

She recalled Enos' arrival at the farm, his scared and confused eyes, and that image was like a lash.

"I suppose the day he was beaten it rained. I bet a violent storm hit L.A. that day, a sudden and violent rain as today." Luke's right: a brief research in the newspapers hidden in her bedroom (in the copy of July 16th, more precisely), while Enos was having a hot bath, to find a confirmation to Luke's supposition.

She was worried about him driving back to the town under that rain, so she stood up and she walked to him. After uncle Jesse's challenge (won), her challenge, now.

She gently rested her hand on Enos' shoulder, "Enos, it's still raining, and roads are dangerous. I'd be more quiet if you're goin' to stay here for the night," her best and sweetest smile as he turned to her and then to the rain outside the window, a shadow crossing his eyes as her heart skipped a beat. A transient shadow followed by surprise, the surprise to find out rain wasn't so scaring, after all.

"I'd like to stay here, Daisy, but it isn't fair to let Bo or Luke sleep on a folding bed, so I'm goin' to stay only if you let me sleep on the couch or on the folding bed."

"Nobody's goin' to stay on the couch or on the folding bed, honey, but you're goin' to stay in the guestroom," she smiled, relieved, challenge partially won.

"But you said it's full of odds and ends… so…"

"I tidied up some days ago, just in case…"

"You really have an obsession for tidy up, Daisy," he smiled amused and grateful, making her laugh.

Challenge won. Daisy walked back to the couch, sinking into it, her eyes still on Enos, a satisfied and loving smile on her face.

Rain kept on knocking at the window, an angry knocking, but nobody wanted to open to it, and Enos, focused on playing draughts, seemed totally unaware of that call, scaring lightning and flashes in the sky turning into harmless and poetic silver between stars.

This chapter needs some final notes:

- I was planning to write of the night of Enos at the farm in a whole chapter, but, as I started to write it, I realized it was too long, so I had to split it into two parts. Besides, the sense of this story is in this chapter, so I couldn't water down this fundamental thing in a long long chapter.

- no L.A. flash-back, at the end. I didn't forget the flash-back (sometimes I'm clumsy but not to this point), but take this chapter and the next one as a sort of "bridge" to the second part of the story, this first part showing you what happened in L.A. (no reason to pull out it) and the second part... did someone say I was planning one or two twists? I'll show something more about L.A. in a different way than flash-backs.

OK, some serious words, now: It's a chapter really meaningful, to me, 'cause in this chapter there's MY idea of World and MY idealism (reflecting Enos' idealism) through uncle Jesse's words. It's the chapter that explains the REAL meaning of this story, it's WHY I'm writing this story. I don't know if you really like it, but, for me, writing a story is not just a matter of "writing a story", but it's my way to "dig up", through characters, my values, emotions, and perspective about life. It's why I write, after all.

Hope you're enjoying the story, and THANK to everyone is reading and reviewing it. I appreciate it :-))