FULL-MOON'S LIGHT AND GUNPOWDER'S SMELL

Enos dressed his jeans' jacket on his blue shirt and walked to the General Lee, his hand in Daisy's one, "Your pancakes are great, Daisy."

"Glad you liked breakfast, Enos," Daisy squeezed his hand and looked at him, a knowing smile between them. She entered the car and waited for him on the back seat.

"You'll see, Enos. Folks are eager to see you," sitting behind the wheel, Bo turned to Enos and smiled, "get ready for tons of hugs and pats, buddy."

Enos grinned, "Wow, I feel like a movie star."

By his side, Daisy laughed and pinched his cheek.

The General Lee left the farm, heading to the town.

Cooter put his hat off and smiled at the car entering his garage, "Hey, finally!" He observed Enos coming out the car with Bo and Luke's help, a fleeting shadow crossing his face before he showed again his huge smile, "I'm glad you're back, buddy," he patted Enos' shoulder, "you scared us to death, do you know?"

Enos smiled, giving the Garage a nostalgic look, "Thanks Cooter, I'm glad to be back."

Daisy caught the shadow in Cooter's eyes and Cooter's brief glance at her while Enos looked around, and she wasn't surprised of it: since she stayed by Enos' side during his time at the Hospital, she was used to his paleness and his weak look, but Cooter wasn't.

"Hey, Cooter. Wow! What an engine!" Enos walked to a black Javelin inside the garage, its hood up, admiring its engine.

Cooter put his hat on and slipped his hands into his trousers' pockets, a proud and satisfied smile on his face, "That engine is a masterpiece. My last labor." He stared at Enos, Bo and Luke bending on the Javelin's engine, men talking of engines as usual, and keeping his eyes on his friends he lowered his voice, his surprised and worried words now just for Daisy, "Enos is so pale, isn't he? He looks so…" he stopped, thinking of the right word to say.

"Weak. He looks weak," Daisy anticipated Cooter's word, "Yeah, but trust me, now he is a lot better than the first time I saw him in the I.C.U. Now he is a LOT better," she shook her head and had a big sigh, "so I can't complain about his look, but just being happy he is alive. He is goin' to recover, don't worry," she smiled, she squeezed Cooter's arm and she walked to Enos and her cousins, "Do you want to spend the day 'round that engine?"

Luke glanced at her and then again at the engine, he straightened up, moving his hands from his knees to his hips, and he sighed, "Time to go, Enos. Your reports at the Police Department, you remember it, don't you?"

Enos nodded and walked past Luke, "Yeah, my reports, I remember it."

"Hi buddy, see you later," Bo patted Cooter's shoulder and walked outside the Garage.

Soon after they walked outside the Garage, crossing the street and heading to the Police Department, people in Hazzard's square intercepted them, and a murmur bounced from people to people: "Enos Strate is back!"

Just the street to cross from Cooter's Garage to the Police Department, but the longest crossing ever: at the left side of Cooter's Garage, Lulu Hogg dashed out Rhuebottom General Store along with Mr. and Mrs. Rhuebottom, blocking Enos and the Dukes in the middle of the street.

"Enos!" Lulu opened her arms and ran to Enos (though running wasn't the best way to describe her quick and short steps, the quickest walk allowed by her size), "Oh Enos! I'm so glad you're back. J.D. and Rosco told me you were goin' to leave the Hospital, and I was so eager to meet you. How do you feel?"

Daisy held back a laugh at the image of Lulu Hogg hugging Enos, nearly pushing him to the ground, while Enos stiffened and blushed at the strong hug. Enos was taller than Lulu, overhanging her with his shoulders and head; Lulu's head on his chest and her plump arms around his waist, Enos glanced at Daisy and blushed even more, then he looked at Lulu Hogg, his hands gently touching her elbows in his soft attempt to get free of that hug, so showing his famous shyness and his embarrass about human touch, "Thank Mrs Hogg. I'm really happy to be back. I'm OK, thanks."

When Lulu finally let him go, Mr and Mrs Rhuebottom came closer; Mr Rhuebottom talked for both of them, "Glad to see you back, Enos. We have prayed for you and God has answered our prayer."

Enos shook hands with Mr Rhuebottom, "Thanks Mr Rhuebottom, I really appreciate your caring for me."

Before to realize it, Enos was circled by people coming out from the stores all around Hazzard's square and converging on him: someone patted his shoulders (young men's attitude), someone shook hands with him (older men's attitude), someone simply smiled and looked at him (shy women's attitude) and someone hugged him (some younger and bold women, or some older and caring women), in a general echoing of "Glad to see you back. How do you feel?"

Miss Tizdale from the Post Office, Elton from the WHOGG radio, Mary Ellen from the Hazzard's Bank, Mr Ross from the Barber Shop, Mr and Mrs O'Connor from their Paint Supply, Mr Berley from the Hazzard Emporium, Mrs Jones from the Pharmacy, Mr Russell from The Florist Shop, Maybelle from the Hazzard County Telephone Company; various clients from various shops (the ones from the Barber Shops with the shaving soap still on their faces): Mr Winkle, Daisy's last beau Darcy, Clyde the guardian of the Hazzard Sheriff Impound Yard, and many others.

Daisy smiled, both moved by people affection and amused by Enos' total embarrass and shyness in his repeating "I'm OK, thanks. I appreciate your caring for me": he wasn't the kind of man who liked to be the center of people's attention.

Enos shook hands with him, "Thank you. I appreciate your words. I'm fine."

The man smiled, "You're welcome. Hazzard missed you."

Eyes into eyes: neither suspect nor confusion in Enos Strate's eyes.

He stared at Enos Strate shaking hands with people.

The deputy was tall, muscular, good-looking, polite, sweet and honest, and everybody liked him: enough for hating him. But he hated Enos Strate for something else than his social success and general respect, something more serious.

The man clenched his fists as images of that night surfaced to his mind: he nearly killed the deputy; he looked at him writhing in pain and groaning on the ground, his arms clasped around his belly as he tried to stop the bleeding.

The full-moon lighting the road to Rockdale County (his attempt to muddle the waters), the itching of his ski mask under his nose, the gunpowder's smell: images and feelings of that night.

The man had a deep breath and pushed away those images and feelings, he regained his friendly mask, he glanced at Sheriff Rosco coming out the Police Department and he walked away, "Bye Enos, see you."

"What's happening here?" Rosco walked down the Hazzard Police Department's stairs and stared at the Dukes standing near the small crowd, "You! Dukes! Are you planning a riot against Hazzard Police Department? I'm goin' to arrest your for …"

"Rosco!" Daisy turned to Rosco, she rested her hands on her hips and stared into his eyes, "We aren't planning any riot! You can't arrest us!"

Rosco came closer them, "I'm goin' to arrest you, anyway. You are guilty of ... of ... yeah, you're guilty of public nuisance."

Enos emerged from the crowd, "Hi Sheriff. It isn't a riot against the Police Department but just a welcome back," he had a brief and shy laugh and kept on talking and smiling, "a noisy welcome back but it isn't a case of public nuisance, anyway. You can't arrest the Dukes, Sheriff. They aren't committing any crime."

"Enos! You! Dipstick! Don't protect them!" Rosco raised his fist as many times before, but his angry look turned into surprise and finally into a happy smile, "Enos! You are back!"

Enos nodded, "I'm back, Sheriff."

Daisy looked at Rosco walking to Enos and circling Enos' shoulders with his arm and then walking back to the Police Department's entrance, she glanced at Bo and Luke and she reflected their smile: no matter how much roughly Rosco acted against Enos, everybody knew the Sheriff liked Enos and cared for him.

The Dukes followed Enos and Rosco inside the building, and the small crowd outside dispersed, everybody spreading the good news: Enos Strate was back and he was fine.