And now, please, follow me along this third, and final, part of the story (the last two chapters were a sort of fluffy and funny bridge between the L.A. part and this final part). Sit down and have a good read :-)
TONIGHT, ON THE DUKES... Daisy and Enos are making plans...
CHAPTER 16
"Here's the cup, Miss Smith," Daisy handed the cup to the middle aged woman then she looked at her cooking. With a sweet melancholy, she recalled aunt Lavinia and Miss Smith cooking in that same kitchen, whereas she, Bo and Luke had fun with the small children of the orphanage.
"I heard you had a bad flu."
Daisy nodded and stretched her arms above her head, a proof her muscles finally stopped aching, "Yeah, I spent a whole week at the farm with high fever and headache. But now I'm fine," she smiled at the woman by her side, "May I help you? I'm not here to watch you work, Miss Smith."
"Thanks darling. Please, peel the potatoes," Miss Smith pointed at a bucket full of potatoes on the table: cooking for all the children of the orphanage was like cooking for an army.
"OK," Daisy sat at the kitchen table and started her task, happy to be helpful, while Miss Smith kept on cooking in front of the stove.
"And what 'bout your wedding's preparations?" Miss Smith winked, "Yesterday I met Lulu and she's really excited to be your bridesmaid."
Daisy laughed, "I know. I asked her to be my bridesmaid also the first time…" she shook her head, amused, "… the first time Enos and I tried to get married, and she was so disappointed when we postponed the wedding. So, now, she's even happier."
"'Bout that postponing," Miss Smith glanced at Daisy and smiled, "what 'bout the hives?"
"Doc Appleby has found a cure for it. Just some pills Enos should take in case of hives… 'til his system gets used to happiness."
Both women burst out laughing as they glanced outside the window, at the uniformed man standing in the middle of a circle of children sitting and staring at him as he talked of road safety: really difficult task in Hazzard, where rules of road seemed forgotten by most part of drivers (Hazzard Law too). Among the children of the orphanage, also children of nearby farms and town, in that monthly meeting Daisy usually organized with Mr. Winkle, and since Mr. Winkle was in Valdosta visiting one of her daughters, Daisy asked Enos to help her.
"I know about Enos' colleagues in L.A.," a shadow of sadness crossed Miss Smith's brown eyes, "and I know it's the reason why you and Enos decided to wait before to get married. Jesse and I talked 'bout it some days ago, when he came here to bring some ol' toys for the children."
"Yeah," Daisy lowered her head, "Enos is having a bad time. He's trying to get over it, but he needs time. He wouldn't enjoy the wedding the way he deserves, so better waiting 'til he feels a bit better."
"It's exactly what your uncle told me," Miss Smith had a deep sigh and pushed away that sad talk, "You know, he's really happy you and Enos are goin' to get married," she laughed before to keep on talking, "I teased him 'bout to become a great-uncle and, when I touched this topic, he blushed."
Daisy blushed a bit, keeping her head down in order to hide the soft red on her cheeks while her mind tried to exactly remember the day uncle Jesse went to the orphanage to bring those toys, and she finally remembered it: it was nearly one week before, the morning after uncle Jesse caught Enos and her sleeping in her bed at the farm. She choked back a laugh remembering that morning: Enos' sleeping on the couch, his waking up and then having breakfast with them, Bo and Luke looking at her and Enos with an amused smile and from time to time choking back a laugh, uncle Jesse coughing in order to stop them, Enos stiffening and moving like a robot, and her keeping from hitting her cousins with the frying pan.
"Is everything OK?" hearing Daisy's chocked laugh, Miss Smith turned to her.
"Uh… yeah," Daisy recomposed herself and changed the subject, "Anyway, before to get married, Enos and I have to do a lot of things. For starters, we should find a home where to live, 'cause we can't live in his room at the Boarding House, neither at the farm."
"Are you looking for a farm?"
Daisy nodded, "Yeah," a dreamy smile on her face, "I think we're goin' to buy Mr. Ruebottom's ol' farm. He's been abandoned ten years ago, after Mr. Ruebottom's death, and now Mr. Ruebottom's son wants to sell it, since he doesn't live in Hazzard anymore. He left Hazzard before his father's death, and he isn't planning to come back."
"Mr. Ruebottom's farm! Yeah! I forgot 'bout that ol' farm. And it's also near your farm, isn't it?" Miss Smith turned to Daisy and smiled, "So your uncle can help you with your future children," she winked.
Daisy lowered again her head, blushing and smiling, "Yeah."
FLASHBACK – SOME DAYS BEFORE
"Oh Enos! It's so…" Daisy stared at the old farm, decaying but still showing its original beauty, "… so beautiful."
"Well, it was beautiful, but now there's a lot work to do," Enos took her hand and walked to the farm, "but since it's been abandoned years ago, its price is low. I've talked with Mr. Jones for the restoration's works, and I think it could be a good deal. I'm goin' to help Mr. Jones with it, in order to save some money: I'm goin' to work early in the morning and late in the evening, before and after my shifts at the Police Department."
"You can't load everything on your back, sugar. I also am goin' to help you to buy it, with my job at the Boar's Nest, and uncle Jesse, Bo and Luke too are goin' to help you and Mr. Jones with the restoration's works," she glanced at him and then she stared at the farm.
"Thanks but…" he stopped and turned to her, "Daisy, I want to show uncle Jesse, Bo and Luke I'm able to take care of you, all by myself."
Daisy knew that tone and that look: pride.
She sighed, "I know you're perfectly able to take care of me, Enos, and also uncle Jesse, Bo and Luke know it. They trust and respect you, there's no need you show anything to them, but if you want to do it all by yourself, OK." It was pointless to go against Enos' pride, Daisy knew it, the same way she knew that uncle Jesse, Bo and Luke were going to find a way to help Enos without hurting his pride. "And now, come on, I want to see the farm," she laughed amused and she ran to the farm, dragging him with her.
It was a beautiful country home with porches all around it.
They walked along the short stairway leading to the porch, the wood creaking under their feet (not a sinister creaking but the normal and calming creaking of wood), and, before to enter the farm, Daisy turned and looked at the landscape from that porch, a mix of hay fields and woodlands; she had a deep breath, inhaling the fresh and pure air, and she turned again to the door.
Inside, she admired the small but comfortable kitchen, living room and bathroom at the floor plan, and, at the loft above, three bedrooms and a wide bath.
It was an old farm, but Daisy could imagine how it was going to change after Mr. Jones's works.
In the bedroom that was going to be their bedroom, Daisy wrapped her arms around Enos' neck and she kissed him.
"Are you dreaming of that farm, Daisy?"
Miss Smith's voice woke Daisy up from her fancy, she started and she smiled, "In effect… yeah, I was dreaming of it," she felt her cheeks burning and she tried to focus Miss Smith's attention on something else, "Look, children seem really interested in Enos' words 'bout road safety. I have never seen them so interested, I think I should ask Enos to have these meetings more often."
"Darling, I think children, especially little girls, are more interested in Enos in itself than in road safety," Miss Smith had a brief and genuine laugh, "look at the little girls and the way they're looking at Enos. Whereas little boys are interested in everything 'bout cars and also 'bout Enos' talking of patrol cars, wrecks, ponds and so on: Enos can be really funny."
"Oh, I know it pretty well," Daisy stared at Enos talking at the children with his usual kind grin and his famous shyness (he was able to blush and laugh nervously also in front of a public of small children, the little ones 6 year old and the older ones 12 year old, more or less), then she moved her eyes to that small audience: little boys were laughing at Enos' candid humor, and little girls were looking at him with a dreaming smile on their faces.
"It seems little girls are in love with Enos," Daisy laughed amused, "he has a great success with little girls."
"And not just with little girls," Miss Smith turned to the stove and kept on cooking, "one of the most desired bachelor of Hazzard County."
"Really?" Daisy shrugged, "I've always thought of Bo and Luke as the most desired bachelors of Hazzard County."
"They are! But also Enos has always had his fans among girls, and a lot of girls in Hazzard have always thought of you as a really lucky woman, and I confess that I heard someone ranting 'bout your rejecting your chance. Everybody knows Enos fell for you since the third grade, and it's why girls have never showed their affection for him in a blatant way (they know Enos can't love them); so, every time you flirted with someone else, some girls, well… I can't find the best way to say it… OK, some girls really hated you."
Daisy lowered her head, thoughtfully, "They should have been happy, instead, 'cause they could … have their chance with Enos, finally," a bitter taste in her mouth when the image of Joy, the woman she met in L.A., surfaced to her mind, jealousy's bitter taste.
"No woman can have a chance with Enos but you, and everybody knows it, darling, though from time to time some girl tried to have her chance with him… Mary Ellen, for example."
Daisy recalled her brief career as deputy by Enos' side, after losing her job at the Boar's Nest, and she recalled the test in order to become a deputy: at that time she barely noticed how Mary Ellen, a slim and petite brunette who was trying to become a deputy, like her, took advantage of any possible occasion in order to get her hands on Enos (wrapping her arms around him while he was teaching personal defense, or kissing him after passing the shooting test). At that time she thought of Enos simply as a friend, a close friend, enjoying his affection and admiration for her, something that inflated her vanity; at that time, looking at Mary Ellen and her clumsy attempts to have a chance with Enos, she smiled amused and with a sense of superiority, knowing Enos loved just her; at that time she didn't feel jealousy but just a childish vanity.
Daisy smiled sadly, both happy of Miss Smith's words and aware of her old vanity and immaturity, "And I won't miss this chance, this time."
"Good… and…" Miss Smith's words were interrupted by frantic noises, laughs and shouts from outside.
When Daisy and Miss Smith came out the kitchen, they stared surprised at the children running here and there and trying to catch chickens.
Miss Smith's voice dominated that chaos, "Why is the hen-house open?"
A small girl, 4 year old, ran and hid herself behind Enos.
"You, Lucy, little brat!" Miss Smith put her hands on her hips.
Clara, Miss Smith's young assistant, stopped near the older woman, panting after a long run, her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath, "Sorry Miss Smith!" apologizing for not having been able to take care of the small children while the older ones were having their lesson of road safety.
Daisy looked at Enos, two chickens in his arms and chickens' feathers swirling around him, then she moved her eyes to the little girl hiding behind his legs, her little hands grasping his trousers and her little head with brown long pigtails peeping out.
Looking at Enos' both confused and amused face, Daisy burst out laughing, bending forward, her hands on her knees.
All around them, children running after scared and squawking chickens in that sunny winter day.
Some notes about this chapter:
1) Mr. Winkle: he's a character from "The Haunting of J.D. Hogg". He's the ventriloquist the Dukes hire to trick Boss; at the beginning of the episode he helps Daisy with her teaching road safety to young girls.
2) Mary Ellen: in the episode "Officer Daisy Duke" you can see two other girls, beside Daisy, trying to be hired as deputy; one of them seems too much attracted to Enos, LOL, and, if I've got it right, her name is Mary Ellen.
3) Miss Smith and Clara are OCs, BUT Hazzard's orphanage is named and showed several times along the show, and I've always liked how the Dukes were really fond of the orphanage; also in one of the episodes of "Enos", the series, there's a referring to the Hazzard's orphanage: read the next chapter ;-)