CHAPTER 5

"Daisy, are you OK? You look like…shocked."

Sitting at the kitchen's table, Daisy started when she heard uncle Jesse's voice.

"Daisy…"

She looked up at her uncle: his worried look was a perfect show of her features, she probably had a terrific look.

But her look couldn't be any better, not after her last dream. A nightmare.

The thick fog was entering her bones.

In her black dress she looked at the black tombstone, just few white letters and numbers on it.

ENOS STRATE

1952-19##

BELOVED HUSBAND AND FATHER

Daisy tried to remove the dust covering the last two numbers, but she wasn't able to do it.

Falling on her knees, she covered her mouth with her left hand and she started to cry, a silent crying, her sobs shaking her shoulders.

On her lips she could feel the cold metal of her wedding ring, the same coldness of the tombstone under her knees.

"Mummy…"

Daisy turned to the little girl by her side, her hazel eyes opened wide in surprise and pain: a child shouldn't look at her mother crying that way.

She bent forward and she hugged her little daughter, "Don't worry. Your mummy is goin' to take care of you, and daddy will watch us from the sky."

"Daisy! What's going on?"

Uncle Jesse's voice turned from worried to shocked.

She couldn't stop crying, her left hand pressed on her mouth trying to choke back her sobs; uncle Jesse came closer her and patted gently her back, trying to calm her down.

"Why are you crying? Daisy, please, tell me what's goin' on. You're really strange lately. What's the problem?"

"I"… sob… "had"… sob… "a nightmare." Her voice cracked into sobs.

"A nightmare? Are you crying for a nightmare?" uncle Jesse's voice was now just a whisper, a surprised whisper, "Daisy, it's just a nightmare, it doesn't matter how terrific it was."

The clear and simple truth in uncle Jesse's words was like a slap.

"Am I really crying for a nightmare?" She wiped her tears and she stared at uncle Jesse, "But… it was so… terrific! I was standing in front of Enos' tombstone with our child, and I couldn't help but crying. I felt my heart falling into pieces!"

"Enos' tombstone? Child? Did you dream of Enos' death?"

Daisy nodded, pondering exactly what to say, "See, uncle Jesse, since my nearly wedding with Enos, I've had some dreams about me and him as husband and wife. Some beautiful dreams… but also some nightmares, like this."

Uncle Jesse sat at the kitchen table, by her right side, "How many times?"

Daisy looked up at the ceiling, "Five," then she stared at her uncle, "Five times, since then. Last time I dreamt of him it was at Christmas Eve, two weeks ago, a sweet dream," she shook her head, looking at her hands on the table, "I decided to think of these dreams just as dreams… but this one… it was so vivid and sad I…" she looked at uncle Jesse, her eyes opened in fear, "I'm starting to think I'm going crazy. And what if it's a premonitory dream?"

Uncle Jesse had a deep sigh and rested his left hand on her hands, "Come on, Daisy. You aren't goin' crazy and it's not a premonitory dream. You had five vivid dreams about you and Enos in the last couple of months, and I think we could explain it," his deep and blue eyes looked for Daisy's evasive eyes, "I guess you too have thought of a possible explanation of it."

Daisy stood up, her hands slipping from uncle Jesse's touch; she folded her arms and she rested against the cupboard, her uncle's eyes still on her, waiting for her answer.

"Yeah, you're right. I think that…," she felt her cheeks burning, "I think that day I wanted REALLY to marry him. When he decided to postpone the wedding because of the hives, I confess I was disappointed. So… I think those dreams are the consequence of that disappointment and of my willing to become…" her cheeks were like fire, "… to become his wife."

"You love him. It's what you're saying, isn't it?"

Her eyes fixed on her boots, Daisy nodded, the fire spreading from her face to her ears and down to her neck, "Yeah."

"But it's a GOOD thing!" Uncle Jesse smiled, "Why is it so difficult to you to admit it?"

Daisy forgot about her blushing and looked at her uncle, "Good thing? You, Bo and Luke tried everything, that day, to stop me!"

Uncle Jesse turned serious, half-closing his eyes, "We tried to stop you 'cause we thought you didn't love Enos. We thought you were going to ruin your and Enos' life with a loveless wedding. We aren't against the idea of Enos being your husband: Enos is one of the men we trust the most, and he's for sure much better than the kind of guys you usually dated."

Touched in her pride, Daisy looked down, her blushing spreading because of that new reason.

"Did you talk to Enos 'bout it? That guy won't ask you to marry him 'til you open your heart to him."

Uncle Jesse's words had a clear implicit sense, and Daisy caught it, "Did you think Enos stopped the wedding not because of the hives but 'cause he wasn't sure of my feelings for him?"

"I couldn't accept you asked me to marry you for saving me from goin' to jail, and then for pity. I couldn't accept it for my pride, and I couldn't accept it for my love and my respect for you. I'd never let you sacrifice for me, Daisy."

Daisy tried to recollect Enos' words along her first dreams: her subconscious poking to her conscience.

"Oh Daisy. It was so obvious! What kind of man would call off his wedding with the woman he loves because of the hives? Now, Enos is sometimes weird and naïve, but he isn't stupid and he's really prideful: that day he tried to stop the wedding also before Bo and Luke proved him innocent 'cause he didn't want people thought you were marrying him in order to not testify against him. Do you remember it? So, when you came in the Boar's Nest announcing the wedding was postponed because of the hives, I confess I wasn't surprised."

Another big implicit truth in uncle Jesse's words.

"So, you understood everything, that day."

Uncle Jesse smiled, "I'm older and wiser than you, Daisy. And now, what are you waiting for? Go and talk to him! Make your dreams come true!"

Make your dreams come true.

"But… How? It isn't so simple, uncle Jesse. I should find a calm place and some time in order to talk to Enos, face to face. But he's always busy with his job, and when I tried to talk to him, someone or something stopped me. I need to talk with Enos, a long talk. I want to solve ALL his doubts 'bout my feelings for him. Even if that day I didn't want to hurt him, I think he was really hurt, otherwise he wouldn't have taken that decision."

"So, find a calm place and some time. Ask him out and have a walk, away from everyone. Enos is really protective to you so don't wait for him to touch the topic. He won't talk 'bout the wedding in order to spare you any embarrass: he doesn't want to press you, nor to make you uncomfortable, and, moreover, I think he's also scared by your possible answer, so he prefers not to know instead of knowing you don't love him."

"Yeah, you're totally right. He's so protective and kind he won't talk about the wedding if he thinks he could hurt me, pressing me to an answer. Thinking about it, he's always treated me like a little sister, since we were children," Daisy smiled sweetly, her minds filling with memories of Enos' way to be protective but never invasive, his love hidden into that quiet and discrete protectiveness instead of manifesting through blatant words and gestures.

FLASHBACK

When Enos entered the Boar's Nest, Daisy understood something was wrong.

"An accident."

"Jud?" her mind was soon driven to Jud, Luke's younger, and lost since then, brother.

"No. Luke. He was driving Jud's car."

Daisy's heart skipped a beat, "Is he…?" unable to complete her question.

"He's alive but unconscious. Bo and Jud are with him at Tri-County Hospital."

"Uh… right," Daisy rested the tray on the counter, she briefly put her hand on her forehead, trying to recollect all her confused and scaring thoughts, "OK, call uncle Jesse for me and tell him I'm goin' to the hospital," her hands clasped Enos' arms as she was trying to find back her balance. The last thing she heard as she was running out the Boar's Nest was Enos' voice.

"Drive carefully, Daisy." His usual protectiveness, as a big brother.

Bo and Luke entered the kitchen.

Bo rested the shopping bag on the table while Luke looked at Daisy, "Daisy! Did you cry?"

Daisy blushed, "Yeah," it was pointless to lie to her family, "but don't worry, I'm fine, now, just…"

"You know 'bout Enos, don't you? Did he call you, this morning?"

Daisy turned to Bo, "What are you talking 'bout, Bo?"

Bo glanced at Luke and then he stared at Daisy, "Uh… well, when we met him, this morning, he asked us to give him a ride to the airport. He's goin' to L.A. He's shocked, poor Enos," he shook his head.

"Shocked? Why?" Daisy looked alternatively to Bo and Luke.

"Turk is dead, and Turk's partner too. Enos is goin' to their funeral. He knew Turk very well, and he knew also the cop who died with Turk," Luke folded his arms, looking down, "A tragedy," he shook his head and he found back his self control, "Ok, now we have to go to the airport."

"Wait for me, please," Daisy ran to her bedroom.

Finally at the airport after their silent trip, Enos came out The General Lee, he opened the trunk and he took his bag, "Thanks for the ride. See you in a couple of days."

"See you," Daisy came out the car, her bag in her hands, a bag Enos, lost in his grief, didn't notice since then.

"What are…" Enos stared at her, in confusion.

"I'm coming with you, sugar. Are you really thinking I'm goin' to let you face it all by yourself?"

Enos' eyes opened wide: impossible to change Daisy's mind.