Well This Is Just Swell
Chapter 13: Calling in the Cavalry
Luke pulled the General Lee into the parking lot of the Boar’s Nest, looking around for a place to park. It looked like all the regulars were there: it was happy hour after all. After a few moments of searching he spotted a space between his uncle’s pickup truck and Cooter’s tow truck. Just the people he wanted to speak to. He had come to the conclusion that if Bo were to get a date with Hilery, he’d need all the help he could get.
After parking, he climbed out of the General’s window, patted the car’s roof as if to say good job at losing Rosco on the way there, and headed toward the door. Once inside he was immediately flagged down by his Uncle Jesse. He was seated at one of the tables playing checkers with Cooter.
“Hey Luke,” Cooter greeted as he studied his options on the game board. He didn’t even look up. Jesse, however, was studying his nephew. It was highly unusual for him to show up without Bo.
“I have the General, and Bo’s with Kendra.” Luke said, answering the unasked questions. He took a seat and studied the game board. Cooter didn’t have a whole lot of options on it.
“Are those two dating now?” Cooter asked, finally selecting a game piece and moving it.
“Nah, Kendra’s helping Bo get the courage up to ask a girl out.”
Cooter looked at him, an eyebrow raised. He was a little surprised. Had being shot really destroyed the young man’s confidence? After all, he had asked Kendra to the dance earlier that week. “Is Bo okay?”
“Yeah, he’s fine Cooter. We’ve both agreed to be more serious when it comes to relationships… and as such, there’s really only one woman that Bo has ever been interested in having a serious relationship with.”
Jesse picked up a checker piece and jumped two of Cooter’s pieces, which earned him a dirty look. It caused him to smile. He’d known there was a girl out there that his nephew was serious about, but never knew who she was. “I still don’t understand why he’s never asked her out.”
“He’s afraid of heartbreak, hers and his.” Luke answered. He looked up from watching the game when Daisy came over with a beer for him. Having been nearby, she had been listening to the conversation.
“So, sugar, what can we do to help?”
“Well, it might be a little difficult to get his courage up.” Luke said before taking a sip of his beer.
“Why?” Cooter asked.
“Well Cooter, you see, this is a very special woman… and she’s a little funny when it comes to dating. She just… hasn’t really done it outside a few times… and those few times just didn’t work out. It wasn’t her fault, she just didn’t appreciate how they behaved.”
“It wouldn’t happen to be because the few guys she has gone on a date with decided to try something, would it?” Cooter asked. He had a feeling he knew exactly who Luke was talking about.
“Well… yeah.” Luke admitted after a few moments.
“And it wouldn’t happen to be my baby cousin, would it?”
“Well… I ain’t gonna lie to you Cooter…”
The older man nodded, not too happy about the information he had just been given.
“Cooter, if it makes you feel any better, Bo and I have given up chasin’ women. We’ve agreed, and promised each other, we’d only date one woman at a time. It’s getting too dangerous. It’s also time we both grew up. We ain’t children anymore.”
“Well, it is about time you boys grew up.” Jesse said. “And I’m proud of you both for making that decision.”
Daisy, on the other hand, was a little perplexed. Hilery definitely wasn’t like any of the women Bo had dated in the past. She had only seen the blonde woman in a dress once in her life; she hardly ever wore makeup, and acted more like one of the guys than one of the girls. Daisy had witnessed more than one knockout dragout between Hilery and others… and those others included men and women. She wasn’t easily intimidated.
On the other hand, Hilery and Bo had a lot of the same interests. Both loved hunting, fishing, working on cars, racing, annoying Rosco and Enos, a good fight… they really did have a lot in common.
“I’ll admit I want Hilery to date, and eventually settle down,” Cooter finally conceded. “But Bo is definitely not what I had in mind. He’s the type of guy she would give a black eye to on the first date.”
“True,” Luke replied, then took a sip of his beer. “She is a little rough around the edges when it comes to romance, but I’ve also noticed the dates go no further than the first date. Maybe it’s a test?”
Cooter mulled that over for a few minutes, sipping his coffee. What Luke had said did sound plausible.
“Question is, is Bo prepared to pass that test?” Jesse asked.
“Yes sir, I think he is.” He didn’t mention the conversation that he’d had with Hilery a few nights before. He doubted Bo would be tested, but on the other hand, he understood she would be wary of any attention he gave her, so she might test him to see if he was serious.
Finally Cooter sighed. “Alright, but if he tries anything funny with her…..”
“I know Cooter, you’ll knock his block off.” Luke said.
“It ain’t me he’s gotta worry about,” Cooter said, starting to smile. He had confidence she could take care of herself.
“Alright Luke,” Daisy said, after Cooter agreed. “What can we do to help?”
“First of all, Bo doesn’t know I came to y’all.” Luke told them. “And the biggest thing is, he might chicken out a few times. We have agreed that if he can go six weeks without a date, among other things, he would tell Hilery how he feels. If he can pass the aforementioned test, he has two weeks to let her know.”
All four of them were quiet for a few minutes, thinking, before Luke spoke again. “Daisy, I was thinking you and Kendra could train him on appropriate behavior, romance, and sensitivity -.”
Luke was cut off by Daisy. “Sugar, you could use a little of that yourself.”
He shot her a dirty look before continuing. “Cooter, you could help him woo her by letting him know what things she likes. He knows her pretty well, but there are some things which just don’t come up in conversation. I’m fairly certain he doesn’t know her favorite flowers and stuff like that. I feel that if he’s going to romance her, he needs to make her feel like a woman.” He paused for a moment, “And if you could get her into a dress for the church social, that might help keep his eye on the prize.”
“And what prize would that be?” Cooter asked, crossing his arms.
“Being able to spend the rest of his life with her.” He relaxed after Luke said that. Then the Duke boy turned to Uncle Jesse. “And Uncle Jesse, Bo has always come to me for advice on women… and I feel like it’s my fault he got shot. I’m going to send him to you with any questions he has.”
“Now Luke, you know that wasn’t your fault.” Jesse stated, placing a hand on his nephew’s shoulder.
He nodded, taking a drink of his beer. He knew it wasn’t his fault, but he still felt responsible for what had happened.
“Daisy, maybe you and Kendra could help him plan the first date?”
“Sure thing, Sugar,” Daisy replied. “Lord knows you two don’t have a romantic bone in your bodies.”
“Sure we do!”
“Romance isn’t about trying to get in a girl’s pants Luke, it’s about makin’ her feel special; it’s about making her feel happy; it’s about… making her feel like she’s the most important woman in your life.”
Daisy had him there. He’d never heard it put quite like that. Having it explained to him from the woman’s side, he realized he really didn’t know anything about romance… and neither did Bo. Luke sighed in defeat and grabbed a handful of stale pretzels. It caused Jesse and Cooter to chuckle.
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