by: Marty Chrisman

Luke carefully balanced himself on his good leg as he slowly made his way down the aisle of the bus, using the crutch under his arm to help him walk. It was dark outside but he could see a light on in Cooter’s garage across the street. He grinned. He knew that Cooter would be glad to give him a ride out to the farm. He hadn’t told anyone he was coming home on the bus. He wanted to surprise them.

He paused at the bottom of the steps while the driver pulled his duffle bag out from the storage compartment under the bus. “Just sit it by the bench.” Luke told him “Nobody will bother it this time of night.”

“You sure about that?” the driver asked looking at the young Marine with a slight frown on his face.

“I’m sure.” Luke told him. The driver did as Luke instructed and then climbed back on the bus. Slowly, Luke began to make his way across the street towards the garage. He still couldn’t put much weight on his injured leg even though it was healing nicely. He paused in the open door of the garage and glanced around looking for his childhood friend, the local mechanic, Cooter Davenport. He grinned when he saw a pair of legs sticking out from underneath the old sedan parked in the middle of the garage.

“Hey, Cooter.” He said

“OWW!” Cooter’s voice said from underneath the car as he jumped at the sound of the strangely familiar voice and banged his head on the undercarriage of the car. He shoved himself out from beneath the car, his eyes widening in shocked surprise when he saw the young man standing in the doorway of the garage. Shoving himself to his feet, he blinked to make sure he wasn’t seeing things and stammered “L..L..Luke?”

“Yeah, last time I checked.” Luke told him with a grin “What’s the matter with you? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“I’m looking at a one.” Cooter said in a disbelieving voice “Do you know that you’re supposed to be dead?”

“What are you talking about?” Luke asked in a startled voice

“Uncle Jesse got a letter from the Marines…..they said you were listed as missing in action and presumed dead.”

“Didn’t they anyone let him know when I was found in that prison camp? They told me at the hospital that they did!”

“No….nobody told him anything about that.”

“God…Cooter…I gotta get out to the farm. Can you give me a ride?”

“I’d be glad to… I just hope Uncle Jesse’s got a strong heart or you’re gonna give him a heart attack. Why didn’t you call and tell somebody that you were coming in on the bus tonight?”

“I wanted to surprise them.”

“Well, you’re sure gonna do that, buddyroo…..cause you sure gave me a quiver in my liver.” Cooter told him with a crooked smile.

“I swear to god, Cooter….I thought he knew I was okay and that I’d be coming home soon….” Luke said a trace of anger creeping into his voice as he thought about the torment his family had been put through needlessly by the military screwup. “I guess I should have called when I got back into the states to make sure the military had notified him. Leave it to them to screw things up.”

“Well, let’s get you home.” Cooter said, wiping his hands off on a rag he pulled out of his back pocket.

“My bags over by the bench in front of the bus stop.” Luke told him

“I’ll get it. Can you get into the truck by yourself?” Cooter said

“I can manage.” Luke said as he followed Cooter outside. As Cooter went across the street to fetch his duffle bag, Luke pulled open the door on the old tow truck and hoisted himself inside, carefully positioning his injured leg so it wouldn’t get jarred around too much on the ride to the farm.

Cooter threw the duffle bag behind the seat and climbed under the wheel. Turning on the engine and lights, he pulled into the street. He stole a glance at the oldest Duke cousin as he headed towards the outskirts of town. He looked tired and pale and it was obvious that he’d lost a lot of weight. Cooter was really glad that he was alive and well, the Duke family had been devastated believing that he was dead. Bo, especially, had been seriously depressed. Everybody was worried about him. Well, he’d sure perk up right quick now.

It was just past ten o’clock when they pulled up in the barnyard behind the Duke farm. There was a light on in the living room when they pulled up and the kitchen light came on as Cooter parked the truck. Jesse Duke opened the back door that opened into the kitchen of the old farm house and peered out into the darkness with a frown wondering what Cooter was doing stopping by so late at night. Cooter climbed out from under the wheel and walked away to the other side of the truck. Jesse watched as he opened the door and reached up to help another man from the cab of the truck.

Jesse’s heart started pounding in his chest like it was going to burst as he saw the young man’s dark hair and that crooked smile that Jesse knew so well. ‘LUKE!” Jesse yelled, running down the back steps and to the young man as he started to walk towards the porch, gathering him into his arms for a heartfelt hug. There were tears in his eyes as he stepped back and looked into his oldest nephew’s face “Luke, my boy…” he said in a broken voice “You’re home….you’re alive…..”

“Yes, sir.” Luke said with a lopsided grin. Before he could say anything more, two more figures came running out of the house. Luke immediately found himself being tackled by his two cousins, Daisy and Bo. Daisy was trying to kiss him while Bo was hugging him so tightly that he thought his ribs were going to break. They were both trying to talk at the same time and Luke was having trouble concentrating on both of them at the same time. “Okay…okay…” he said with a soft chuckle “I’m glad to see y’all too.”

“They said you was dead.” Bo said, his voice cracking with emotion as the tears streamed down his face without shame “They told us you were dead.”

“It was a mistake.” Luke said “They were supposed to notify you when I told them who I was in the hospital.”

“Well, them dang fools never did.” Jesse said gruffly, his voice edged with anger at what his family had gone through thinking all this time that Luke was dead. Noticing the crutch under Luke’s arm, he frowned “Are you okay, Luke?”

“I’m just fine, Uncle Jesse.” Luke reassured him “I got bit by a snake over there that’s all.” He told him, deciding to leave out most of the details for now, including the fact that he’d been in a prison camp. He didn’t want anything to ruin this homecoming.

He turned his attention to his two cousins, noting how much they had each grown and changed while he had been gone. Especially Bo. He’d been sixteen the last time Luke had seen him two years ago and he was just starting to fill out and loose his youthful awkwardness. Now he was a strapping young man over three inches taller than Luke. But he still had the same infectious smile that Luke loved. And Daisy had grown into a very beautiful young woman with a figure that could make a man sit up and take notice.

“Well, I gotta get back to town.” Cooter said, politely excusing himself so the Duke family could have their private reunion with Luke. “I’ll see y’all later. Stop by the Boars Nest tomorrow night, Luke…the beers on me.”

Luke nodded “Thanks for the ride, Cooter.” He said as he turned to follow his family into the house, One arm around Daisy’s waist while Bo stood on Luke’s other side with his arm around his older cousin’s waist as if he was afraid to let him go. Luke was finally home. Back in Hazzard where he belonged with the rest of his life ahead of him. And he couldn’t have been happier.

 

THE END