It had been months since Ennis Del Mar had started working on the Duke farm, and he was still as distant as ever. The man was an orphan with no family to call his own, so Luke couldn't really blame him for being so insular. Luke couldn't imagine how he'd feel if he didn't have Uncle Jesse, Bo or Daisy to turn to. It had to be hard. But while Ennis' was desperate for solitude, Luke knew that people were what he needed most, as did the rest of the Duke clan.
Bo and Luke, and yes, even Daisy, had tried every scheme in the book to get Ennis to open up. He declined every invitation to the Boar's Nest for a beer, every town get-together, every family barbeque, and instead returned to his apartment in the middle of the county alone. That wasn't healthy for anyone. Even Daisy's charms seemed to diminish on Ennis. It was so strange, every man in Hazzard county had tried to flirt with Daisy at least once or twice, but Ennis hadn't even tried once. Something must really be wrong if a pretty girl's face doesn't turn a man's head.
That day, Luke, Bo and Ennis worked the fields in the back of the barn. The farm was running like a well oiled engine, all thanks to the added help of Ennis Del Mar. And today, to reward their ranch hand, Bo and Luke had decided they would take Ennis out for a beer at the Boar's Nest. Whether he wanted to go or not. Luke glanced up from his plowing, wiped the sweat from his forehead and nudged his cousin Bo.
"Alright Bo," Luke said, "You think ol' Ennis would be interested in takin' a ride into town with us after work? And then we can," Luke winked, "Show him a good time?"
Bo smiled and nodded his head, "Sure he will, cousin."
It was high time Ennis met some of the folks in Hazzard, and he was going to.
"Uh hey," Bo said looking up, "Ain't that Uncle Jesse over yonder?"
Luke placed his hand over his eyes to block out the sun's glare, "Uh...yeah it is." And next to Uncle Jesse stood a tall stranger, with a thin build, a black hat, and a lopsided grin that almost made him look playful. "But who's that cowboy with him?"
Ennis never looked up.
"Hey, Ennis," Jesse called, "This stranger here's been lookin' for you." He thumbed to the man next to him.
And Luke saw the stranger take off his hat and call out, "Hey Ennis."
And like a rug being pulled from under Ennis' feet, the young ranch hand looked up and froze to earth beneath his boots.
The stranger opened his arms and smiled wider. And Ennis...didn't move, but little by little, like ice cicles melting from the rooftops, Ennis' face began to thaw. A smile creeped onto his thin lips. A glow began to peek through his irises. He dropped his plow, and like a child learning to walk, slowly made his way to the stranger.
"J-Jack Twist?" Ennis said, it sounded more like a statement than a question. Ennis smiled, and wrapped his arms around his old friend.
Jack Twist? Luke thought, The guy who sent that postcard a few months back? Memory of that postcard had fallen away as time went by. Ennis never mentioned it again, of course, that was par the course for him. And Bo and Luke were more interested in getting Ennis out of his damn apartment than worrying about an old letter.
Ennis wrapped his arms around Jack's shoulders and tightened, Ennis buried his face in the other man's shoulder, and heaved his chest so high it would probably touch the stars.
And the two of them stood there and did not move. Ennis only hugged deeper, longer, harder, as if he were terrified that if he let go, Jack would disappear into a puff of smoke.
Luke leaned over to Bo, "Wow...I ain't never seen Ennis do that before."
"Yeah," Bo whispered, "I didn't even know he could hug like that."
Luke shoved his thumbs into his waistband and coughed. Ennis looked up from Jack's chest and cleared his throat...but never took his hands from shoulders. "Hey Ennis," Luke said, "You wanna introduce us to yer friend there?"
Ennis blinked, and then regained his stoic composure. "This here's Jack Twist. I told ya'll 'bout him when that postcard came 'round. You remember?"
"Shoot yeah, that was quite a time ago though," Luke said. So this was the famous Jack Twist, the man from Ennis' mysterious past.
"It's real nice to meet ya' Mr. Twist," Bo said as he held out his hand.
"Shoot friend, you can call my Jack." Jack grabbed Bo's hand in his palm and smiled.
Jack had an open easiness about him, Luke noticed. A warmth that seemed attract others like flies to buttermilk.
"Well," Luke said, "It's always nice to meet a friend of Ennis'." Well actually, it was nice to know the Ennis had friends at all. And Ennis...Ennis still hadn't removed his hands from Jack's shoulders.
"Well now, isn't this nice," Uncle Jesse interjected, in all the hullabaloo Luke had forgotten he was even there. "It's always nice to meet a friend of Ennis'." And Jesse grinned, "Hey Ennis, how 'bout you take the rest of the day off and show your friend around town?" Jesse turned to the boys, "And the boys'll go with you two. You've never been to the Boar's Nest, right? Ya know, Daisy's working her shift up there and she'd be mighty glad to meet this, uh, Jack Twist of yours."
Ennis smiled, "Uh...well."
"That sounds great!" Jack said with a smile, "I've been itchin' to get a beer with this guy the second I got into town." Jack looped his arm around Ennis' neck and pulled the ranch hand in tightly.
"Well now you're talking our language," Luke said. "Let's get outta here."