Author's Note: This is a story I wrote about the Dukes and their first years at the farm. I tried to keep it with them from the point where they got to the farm, and carry on throughout a couple of years. It's a growing and learning experience for all of them. There are also notes at the end of each chapter, a credit of sorts to a father from his son.
Warning: The warning is placed here for vinsmouse, who wanted a spew warning here, claiming it might be a bad idea to drink while reading the funnier parts. So please keep in mind that drinking any kind of beverage while reading this, might be hazzard'ous to the health of your screen.
Disclaimer: The Duke Boys are not mine, I don't own the Duke boys, nor the General Lee. I promise that once I'm through with them, there will be nothing broken that a trip to Cooter's garage can't fix….
Learning To Love…
Chapter 44 …..Special Birthday Party
Jesse found it impossible not to smile as he watched Bo, the little boy had been taking careful inventory of Luke's things. Not about to miss the opportunity, but wanting his cousin more than his toys. He was also fearful that he would somehow break something. He had asked Jesse to fetch down the model car from the high shelf, but all he had done with it was to carefully push it around the room a few times before asking Jesse to return it to it's place. He had briefly looked through Luke's car magazines, tried to play with Luke's favorite cars, and of course made good use of his cap gun.
Jesse had assured him he was allowed to also use the powder strips to the gun, and Bo had used up three of them running around the yard, trying to get the bad boys. Then as he needed a breath of air, Bo settled down with Luke's collection of baseball cards to see how many he had.
Then he came over to Jesse who was taking a break on the porch with Luke's knew knife in one hand, and a piece of wood from the chopping block in the other.
"Uncle Jesse, can ya teach me to use a knife?" he pleaded.
"Sure Bo," Jesse settled down on the porch step beside him, showing him how he wanted Bo to hold the knife, and how to spread his legs a little so he wouldn't cut his legs. Telling him that as long as he remembered how sharp the knife was, and to keep in mind what he was doing he'd do fine.
"But Uncle Jesse, Luke does that," Bo objected as he was told never to turn the knife around to carve towards himself.
"Yes, he does, but Luke has been doing this for some time now, he's got a better idea of what he's doing," Jesse explained. "See here Bo, yer gonna find, that when ya learn to do something's, ya need to do other things different for it to work out, an' some of them won't be as safe as others, but ya have to if ya wanna get the job done. Now Luke, he's been cutting himself a few times there by mistake, an' he knows how it feels, an' he's got a pretty good idea of how to not cut himself, even when he's doing them things. You don't yet, so ya need to be really careful, then when ya have learned it better, an' have a knife of yer own, then ya can try them things as well."
"Okay," Bo nodded. It wasn't the first time Luke was allowed to take shortcuts Bo wasn't allowed to try himself. So he did his best while keeping the knife pointed away from him the whole time. Letting the sharp edge do the work, rather than trying to force it, just like his uncle told him. The end result was a slightly lumpy shape.
"I made a car," Bo beamed as he sheeted the knife.
"Looks mighty nice to," Jesse encouraged. "A brand new car to play with."
"Nu uh," Bo shook his head. "Gonna give it to Luke, to say thanks cause he let me play with all his things."
"Oh, I bet he's gonna like that," Jesse smiled. "There was no doubt about it, Bo was a lovable little boy, and most grateful.
"Is he coming home soon?" Bo asked, looking up at him.
"Yeah, shouldn't be long now," Jesse nodded. "Why don't ya put that away now?"
"Okay," Bo carried the knife back inside and put it back in it's place. Returning outside he came just in time to see the bus pull up and Daisy, Luke and Cooter get off.
"Happy birthday there, little kid," Cooter laughed as Bo came running.
"Yeah, I'm lots bigger now," Bo declared, right before Cooter proved that he wasn't too big to be tossed up in the air, and slung over Cooter's shoulder.
"Have ya been having fun today?" Luke asked him. "What did you play with?"
"A lot of yer things," Bo declared. "An' I was real careful, really Luke."
"I know Bo, now come on, we need to get ready before the others come by here," Luke reminded him. Getting ready meant dressing up somewhat, neatly, but nothing that couldn't get dirty during play. Then they helped Jesse set the outside picnic table nicely, while Daisy helped Jesse make sandwiches and other food. Cooter's mother had been over during the day with the cake, as well as some cookies, she had also left Cooter's present for Bo, so Luke shared his plan with his uncle.
Then Brody and Enos came, having been given a ride by Enos mother who was also going to pick them up later.
Cooter immediately started distracting Bo while Luke took off with all the presents, hiding them in different spots. They hid Brody's in the haystack, Enos under the pickup. He put an empty bucket over Cooter's, and his own in his soap box racer.
"Okay Bo, wanna play a game?" he asked as they got back to where Cooter was pinning Bo to the ground.
"What game?" Bo wanted to know as he got back up to his feet.
"We are gonna be some real big bandits, an' yer gonna fight us fer the treasures," Luke explained.
"What kind of treasures?" Bo beamed.
"Kind we got from robbing the overland stagecoach," Luke explained. "Think ya can take us?"
"If I can borrow yer cap gun I can," Bo declared.
"Run an' get it then, but not the hat," Luke cautioned him. After all, the present Luke had hid was a cowboy hat.
Bo returned quickly with the gun, and the boys spread out, each of them taking position by their hiding places so that Bo had to defeat them. It didn't take him long to defeat Enos, and then he stood over him.
"Hand over what ya took," Bo demanded with the gun in his hand.
"Here it is, please don't shoot me," Enos pleaded, handing over a wrapped box.
"A real treasure?" Bo asked with big eyes.
"Yer birthday present is the treasure," Enos explained.
"Thanks Enos," Bo hugged him, and put the present in a safe place, next to his uncle, before setting off after Brody. Having realized there was something real at stake, Bo fought with a new determination. He quickly overtook Brody, and made his two prisoners help him in the fight against Cooter. Then only Luke was left, and Luke was a really hard one to fight.
Bo just couldn't outsmart him, but with the help of the others, he was able to overpower them. Cooter was good for that, he tackled Luke and took him to the ground.
"Do you have a present for me as well?" Bo asked as he was straddling Luke.
"What are ya gonna do if I don't?" Luke wanted to know.
"Tickle ya," Bo decided. "Or tell Uncle Jesse that ya was being mean."
"Do ya really think he's gonna buy that?" Luke grinned.
"Not sure," Bo admitted. "I could bite ya," he suggested.
"No thanks, ya already got in a good punch," Luke wiped a trickle of blood from a slightly mangled lip. It was by mistake, but Bo had got a good hit in.
"Do ya have a present as well?" Bo repeated, he didn't think Luke would lead him along without having something for him.
"Yeah Bo, I've got a present for ya," Luke laughed, wanna find it or do ya wanna look for it?"
"I'm hungry, if you take it out, then we can go eat," Bo pointed out to him.
"Good point, little cousin," Luke grinned, fetching it out from where he had hidden it.
"Thanks Luke," Bo beamed, holding the quite large box close.
"So we go eat now, come on little birthday boy," Luke scooped him up box and all, and carried him to the table. The other boys following after him, with Bo whooping at them.
"Ready to eat now boys?" Jesse asked as they came over to the table.
"Bo's got to see what he got first," Luke explained. Setting his cousin at the table while Cooter put the boxes in front of him.
"Gonna open them like I beat ya," Bo grinned as he started with Enos box. Uncovering a pencil set for school, it had pens, crayons, a ruler and an eraser, all with pictures of cars on them, as well as the plastic cowboy set. Enos mother was sensible and wanted him to get something useful, while Enos opted for something to play with.
"Do ya like it? Ma said ya'd need it since yer gonna be in school later," Enos explained to him.
"They's got cars on them, if I have to write things, I reckon that's a good way to do it," Bo decided. He was well aware that Enos mother was very strict about what a young boy needed. "Thanks Enos."
"Mine now then," Brody grinned, handing it over to him.
Having higher hopes Bo ripped of the paper and found a brightly painted Indian war tomahawk in wood. It was made out of wood, painted and had feathers and other small decorations on it, just like a real one. Bo was thrilled since it meant he could play the games of cowboys and Indians much better, though he was worried that he shouldn't really use such a pretty tomahawk. He was worried he'd brake it if he did.
"Don't worry about it," Brody assured him. "My pa was with me when we bought it, an' he said it'd hold fer playing. He knows the fella that makes them, an' he said that if it did break, he could probably fix it."
"It's really great," Bo beamed.
"Open this now," Cooter urged him, handing him the box where he had put both items.
"Look, the speedy thing," Bo beamed as he had torn off the paper and unwrapped the speedometer.
"Yeah, figured now ya can play with it whenever ya want to," Cooter grinned ruffling his hair.
"A race car?" Bo asked, holding up the car to admire it.
"Yeah, an' if ya turn this here thing, an' then let it go, it runs by itself," Cooter pointed out. "It's real neat."
"Wow, that's real nice of it," Bo giggled. "Gonna see what was in yours now Luke."
Luke had been stuffing all the wrapping paper that was on the grass in an empty box, but now he looked up. Grinning himself as Bo pulled out the hat.
"Luke," Bo explained. "It's a cowboy hat."
"That's might good," Luke chuckled. "It was a cowboy hat I put in there, so I'm sure happy that it hasn't turned into something else."
"I got my own cowboy hat now?" Bo asked him.
"Sure, I mean, we couldn't always keep taking turns could we?"
"I love it," Bo threw his arms around his neck. "Love all of it."
"Lovable little fella huh?" Cooter grinned as he got his share off the hugging.
"Oh yeah," Luke grinned. "Come on now, time to go see if we can eat now."
"I wanna ride piggyback Luke," Bo declared. "I'm a cowboy, so I's got to ride."
Luke grinned, he wore the hat on his blonde locks, and with the padding in the sweat band, it was just right for him. Then he had tucked the tomahawk into his belt, but now he took it out to wave it around. The rest he carefully held in his arm.
"I'll carry that for ya," Brody offered, taking the toys while Cooter lifted Bo up in the air so that he could get up on Luke's back.
"Pony express to the birthday table," Luke grinned, trying to neigh like a horse before trotting off towards the table. Bo was waving the tomahawk in the air, and Luke didn't even say anything when Bo accidentally clipped him with it, he just smiled, it was Bo's day after all.
"Can we eat now?" asked Daisy hopefully where she was seated at the table.
"Yes," Jesse chuckled, urging Bo to put all his birthday gifts aside while they ate. He had a rule about no toys at the table, and a birthday didn't suspend that rule.
"What is that?" Daisy asked, pointing to the speedometer.
"It's to see how fast ya go," Bo explained to him. Spinning the part on the backside to let her see how the needle moved.
"Funny," Daisy grinned. "How fast does it go?"
"As fast as I can spin it," Bo assure her.
Jesse cleared his throat and the children quieted down while he said the blessing. Smiling at them he served them, Bo first, and Luke last, not that the kids were immature enough to make a fuss if they were made to wait, but he was after all one of the hosts.
"Can we have cake now, please Uncle Jesse?" Bo pleaded, while still wearing parts of his last sandwich around his mouth.
"I'll just bring it out Bo," Jesse promised him.
"I can get it," Luke quickly got to his feet, wanting to be helpful.
"Alright Luke, it's on the counter," he couldn't say that he minded the chance to just sit down.
"Oh, that looks so yummy," Bo piped up. "I want a big piece Uncle Jesse."
"Well Bo, I kinda figured yer big enough to cut yer own piece this time," Jesse smiled at his baffled expression. "Just keep in mind ya can't take anymore than that everyone gets what they want. Yer the host, so ya need to think of yer guests."
"Okay," Bo cut himself a piece, just a little bigger than what Jesse would've cut him. Then he passed it on to Daisy who was next to him, and Jesse let the boys serve themselves. His children were growing up, they didn't need him to cut the cake for them anymore, they were growing up…
"Can I have more?" Of course it was Bo who asked though, Jesse mused. Enos was sitting there with an empty plate and a longing look in his eyes, Brody was cleaning his plate off, and Luke would be done in the next few seconds.
"Well Bo, if yer gonna be a good host, yer gonna have to let yer guests take more themselves, then you can," he instructed.
"Okay, y'all want more?" Bo looked around, frowning as everyone nodded. "Uncle Jesse, there is gonna be more for me to, ain't it?" he asked worriedly.
"Sure it is," Cooter stepped in before Jesse could. "There's seven of us, so all we do is make sure there is 7 even bits, then we each get one."
"Can ya do that Cooter?" Bo turned big eyes to him, seeing hope for a fair share of the cake.
"Sure," Cooter reached for it, marking out the pieces before cutting them. There was another one that was growing up Jesse thought to himself. Before he would never have expected Cooter to show that kind of maturity, but with the younger boys he often did. He was looking out for them.
Still the party ended as the boys wore themselves out in play. Bo was starting to look sleepy as Enos mother came to pick the boys up, Bo insisting on hugging them goodbye before they left.
"Wanna open yer presents now?" Jesse asked, watching the little boy jump up and down, clapping his hands.
"I take that as a yes, come on then here," Bo was wearing his hat again, and when he unwrapped the cap gun, and saw the stick horse, he was smiling and Jesse swore he had tears in his eyes. The stick horse was named Trigger so fast it made his head spin, and he hugged the garage Luke presented him with for his cars. The stuffed bear Daisy gave him was sure to be in his bed that night, and as Jesse tucked him in there it was. The stick horse was next to the bed, and so was the cowboy hat and the cap gun. Bo was reaching out his arm and petting the stick horse.
"Ready to go to sleep now cowboy?" Jesse asked sitting down on his bed as he said goodnight.
"Yeah," Bo nodded sleepily. "Uncle Jesse, this was my best birthday ever…"
"I hope yer gonna get other good birthdays," Jesse smiled. "You're a good boy Bo, and now ya need to sleep, so shut them little blue eyes an' sleep."
"Kay," Bo wrapped his arms around the two bears in his bed and turned to his side, closing his eyes and falling asleep.
In credit to the man who was never really there for birthday parties…
TBC
Please review, the Cricket is hungry…