Well This Is Just Swell
Chapter 16: An Early Morning Fishing Trip
Bo Duke took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he leaned back against a tree. It was a beautiful morning, and he wasn’t as tired as he had been for the past two weeks. It felt good not to be so groggy, he thought; his eyes shut as he enjoyed the early morning sunshine.
Luke was with him, only a few feet away. He thought it was good to see his cousin starting to return to being his old self again… but he knew things weren’t going to go back to the way they were before, for either of them.
Bo cracked an eye open when he heard a small splash against the water of Hazzard Pond. Luke had just cast his line. The younger Duke had been the one to suggest the fishing trip even though he still wasn’t able to fish due to his injury. It was a sure sign he was starting to feel better.
They sat, enjoying one another’s company for about an hour before Luke finally spoke. Had Bo not suggested their little trip, he would have gotten him alone later that day anyway. Kendra had let him know about the hard time she’d had getting him to open up.
“So… I spoke with Kendra the other day.” It was a simple statement, but it also told Bo what was coming. He seemed to slump a little bit against the tree.
“Yeah?”
“Said she tried to get you to talk about Hilery, but you gave her a difficult time.”
“Yeah,” Bo said. He’d been dreading this conversation. He didn’t know who else Luke had gone to for help, but he did know he and Kendra were working together. Bo was smarter than he acted sometimes.
Luke glanced at him before turning back to his fishing line. He did have a good question for his cousin, but wasn’t sure how to word it without seeming insensitive. As their uncle had once said, he was about as sensitive as a buzz saw. Finally, he decided to just be blunt. “What do you see in her anyway? She’s the complete opposite of all those girls you used to chase.”
The blond Duke boy sighed and shut his eyes again. “Don’t worry about it.”
“If we’re gonna help you get a date, you gotta let us know,” was the reply.
“Alright, you want to know what I see when I look at Hilery? I see a young woman who is confident and smart. She’s not helpless and can take care of herself; she’s beautiful but doesn’t let her whole world revolve around that. I see a woman who isn’t afraid to hurt someone’s feelings and will tell you how it is… but I also see a woman who’s as afraid as I am of commitment.” Bo took another deep breath when he finished speaking. He was embarrassed, but less than he had been when he’d been speaking with Kendra. It was easier talking to Luke.
“Yeah, I agree on the beautiful part,” the elder cousin said after a few minutes of processing what had been said. “And you’re right, she is all those things; I just never noticed.”
Together they lapsed into silence again as Luke fished and Bo enjoyed the sunlight. It was several minutes before either of them spoke again. “Hil’s birthday is coming up.”
“Yeah, I know,” said Luke. “Not sure when exactly, but I know it’s sometime soon.”
“Wednesday.”
“That soon?”
“Yeah,” Bo replied. “And I don’t know what to get for her. She’s not as easy to shop for as other girls.” He looked down at the grass he was sitting on and began to pick at it with his left hand; the right was still in a sling.
As Luke pondered Bo’s situation he felt a tug on the fishing line. He pulled it in and did what needed to be done to land the fish. “Why not get her somethin’ to play up her features,” he finally suggested. He had unhooked the fish and was ready to cast out again. “What’s your favorite thing about the way she looks?”
“Her smile,” Bo said, once again being more open with his cousin. “When she smiles, it lights up a whole room… and her eyes… they remind me of the pond on a calm day.”
Luke raised an eyebrow and looked at him. Bo seemed like a different person when he spoke of her. He processed the information for a moment, but came to a single conclusion. Hilery only wore makeup once in a blue moon, so it was unlikely Bo would get to enjoy anything he got her in that department. “Is there anything else?”
“Her hair; it reminds me of warm honey.” Bo blushed a little bit as he thought about it. “And it’s so long… you don’t see girls with hair that long very often. When she wears it down, it’s all I can do to keep myself from runnin’ my hands through it.” As he spoke, his voice took on a dreamlike quality… but it didn’t last long. Once Bo remembered where he was and who he was talking to, he turned an even brighter shade of red.
The brunet Duke boy didn’t say a word for several moments. “Why not get her something for her hair then?” he finally suggested. “I’m sure Daisy or Kendra could help you pick somethin’ out.”
“Ya think so?”
“Sure.”
Bo nodded as Luke brought in his line again with another catfish on the end of it. Daisy and Kendra would be a great deal of help in picking something out. Hair accessory aisles were foreign territory to him, although he knew Rhuebottom’s had one, as did the pharmacy and the Hazzard Emporium… but beyond that, he was at a loss. The only things he had ever seen her wear in her hair were scrunchies or rubber bands. He suspected she used bobby pins every once in a while as he’d once seen her use one pick a lock, but he wanted to get her something that would be noticeable… while at the same time he knew she wasn’t a ribbons and bows type of girl.
“Alright, hold it right there you Duke Boys,” Rosco said, coming up behind them. He had seen the Jeep parked nearby and had decided to stop. He was behind in his ticket quota anyway… and one thing he couldn’t resist was heckling them.
“What did we do now Rosco,” Bo asked.
“Nothin’, so long as your fishing licenses aren’t out of date. Khee! I love it, I love it.”
Luke chuckled at the sheriff as he fished in his back pocket for his wallet. Once he had it out, he opened it and retrieved his fishing license. Rosco checked it and made a sour face. It had been renewed two days earlier. When he couldn’t ticket Luke, he turned to Bo. “What about your license?”
“Rosco, I ain’t fishin’. I can’t. In case you forgot, I’ve got a broken wrist and injured shoulder,” he replied, holding up the injured arm and sling.
“Nu… doesn’t matter, you’re with someone who is fishin’, so I need to see that license.”
Irritated, Bo fished in his shirt pocket, where he’d stashed his wallet. With his arm in a sling and wrist in a cast, it was easier to stow it there instead of in his pants pocket. He handed it to Luke, who pulled out Bo’s fishing license and handed it to Rosco.
“He renewed his when I did mine.”
“Now why would he do that when he can’t fish?” Rosco asked, handing it back.
“In case you pulled something like this,” Bo retorted. “Sides, I ain’t gonna be like this the whole season ya know.”
“Nu… don’t you dare get smart with me, boy. I’ll cuff ya and stuff ya!”
“Uh huh, pickin’ on an injured person; so like you Rosco.” Bo grumbled.
“I’m warnin’ ya!”
“Bo,” Luke said, jumping in before things got out of hand. “Did you remember to take your pain medication this morning?” He had a feeling that his cousin hadn’t. He only got grouchy like this when he was either hungry or in pain.
“I didn’t feel like it,” he replied. “Sides, it doesn’t hurt that bad anymore.”
The brunet Duke boy raised an eyebrow. “The doc said you could switch to usin’ Tylenol the other day when you went in.” As he spoke, he fished in his shirt pocket for a bottle of pills he had grabbed on the way out the door earlier that morning. After he got the bottle out, he opened it and shook two pills out before handing them to his cousin. To chase the medication, he poured him a cup of lemonade from the thermos they had with them. Bo took the Tylenol without a fight.
While Bo was swallowing the mild pain relievers Luke turned to Rosco. “Do you really feel it necessary to pick on an injured man?”
“He started it.”
“Rosco…” Luke had to suppress a smile. The sheriff could act so much like a little kid sometimes… and this was one of those times.
“Alright, I’m sorry Bo.”
“I’m sorry too Rosco,” Bo replied.
“Rosco, if you’re that far behind on your ticket quota that you gotta harass Bo while he’s injured, why don’t you go down to Swamp Bottom? There’s all sorts of drag racin’ goin’ on down there. Last night on the way home from the Boar’s Nest we got run off the road around there. It’ll give you a chance to write some legitimate tickets… not to mention I’m sure you’ll be able to do some hot pursuit.” Luke wasn’t trying to get anyone in trouble, and normally wouldn’t have said anything, but he was worried those kids were going to get hurt. Racing was one thing, but racing recklessly was a whole other ballpark.
The sheriff’s face brightened at Luke’s suggestion. He giggled before heading back to his car. He was excited. The past few weeks had been rather dull. He missed chasing the boys around the county. It was something he hadn’t done since Bo had been shot. Chasing some kids who were being reckless wasn’t going to be as much fun, but it would have to do for the time being.
When Rosco was gone the boys looked at each other before starting to laugh. Bo felt some pain from it, but he couldn’t help himself. Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane sure was entertaining… and he had brightened their day.
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