by: Kim

Several days later after the accident, Daisy had finished the laundry and was putting the boy’s clothes away. After she put Bo’s clothes away into his drawer, she opened Luke’s drawer only to discover the pack of cigarettes under his shirts. Daisy knew that if anyone were smoking on the property, someone would get a whipping. She knew that she had to show her uncle what she had found. When Daisy went to her uncle to show him the cigarettes, Jesse asked her where she had found them. She said, “I found them hidden in one of Luke’s drawers when I was putting his clothes away.” When Jesse realized that Luke had been smoking and could have caused the fire that almost killed his cousin. He told Daisy that he would have to deal with Luke regarding the cigarettes.

When Luke arrived from visiting his cousin, Jesse was sitting in the front room and said to Luke ” BOY, GET IN THIS ROOM THIS MINUTE AND I WANT TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT SOMETHING. Luke was afraid of what was going to happen by the tone of his uncle’s voice. Jesse said, “DAISY FOUND THESE IN YOUR DRESSER DRAWER WHEN SHE WAS PUTTING YOUR CLOTHES AWAY. NOW I WANT TO KNOW WHY YOU HAVE THIS IN THE HOUSE. I WANT TO KNOW WHERE YOU GOT THESE FROM THIS INSTANT.” Luke answered,” I got them from a friend the other day at school.” Jesse answered loudly, “YOU GOT THEM FROM A FRIEND AND WERE YOU SMOKING.” Luke answered, “Yes, Uncle Jesse.” Jesse yelled, ” HOW COULD YOU BE SO STUPID TO BE SMOKING ON THE FARM. YOU KNOW THAT IF WE HAVE A FIRE, WE WOULD NOT ONLY LOSE THE BARN, BUT ALSO THE FARMHOUSE. WHAT WERE YOU THINKING, LUKE.” Luke was shocked by the anger from his uncle’s shouting said, “I am sorry for bringing the cigarettes home.” Jesse answered,” LUKE, YOU SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER THAN TO SMOKE, HOW STUPID AND CARELESS CAN YOU BE TO BE SMOKING IN OR NEAR THE BARN. YOU COULD HAVE KILLED YOUR COUSIN. WHEN COOTER AND I HEARD BO CALLING FOR HELP, I HAD NO WAY OF SAVING HIM AND WHEN COOTER PULLED HIM OUT OF THE FIRE HE WAS BADLY BURNED WHEN THE HAYLOFT COLLASPED BECAUSE YOU SMOKE THE CIGARETTE AND CARELESSLY DROPPED IT. HOW COULD YOU SMOKE IN THE BARN AND SO DAMM CARE LESS? WHERE HAS THE LITTLE BOY THAT I WOULD READ BEDTIME STORIES WITH HIS LITTLE COUSIN GO OR WHAT HAPPEN TO THE THINGS I TAUGHT YOU THAT A PERSON CAN BE SO CARELESS WHEN PLAYING WITH MATCHES. YOU COULD HAVE BURNED DOWN THE FARMHOUSE AS WELL AND WHERE WOULD WE LIVE NOW IF THAT HAD HAPPEN TO US OR WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPEN TO COUSIN. HE COULD HAVE DIED DUE TO YOUR CARELESSNESS. Luke answered, “Yes Uncle Jesse, I am sorry for hiding the cigarettes from you.” Then Jesse replied,” DO YOU KNOW THAT SMOKING IS A FIFTHLY HABIT THAT CAN CAUSE HEALTH PROBLEMS FOR YEARS. HOW COULD YOU GO FROM BEING A WELL-BEHAVED YOUNG MAN TO A YOUNG MAN THAT IS TURNING DOWN THE WRONG PATH? WHY DID YOU START THE FIRE, LUKE AND WHY WOULD YOU BURN DOWN THE BARN KNOWING YOUR COUSIN IS INSIDE.” Jesse comes up to Luke, grabbing him by both of his shoulders, shaking him and saying, ” LUKE, YOU CAN’T BE THAT DAMM STUPID TO START THAT FIRE AND NOT KNOW WHAT A FIRE CAN DESTROY. TELL ME THE TRUTH ON WHY YOU STARTED THE FIRE AND DON’T LIE TO ME.” Luke, who was so shook up about what Jesse had said to him, ” But Uncle Jesse I did not set the fire. I had gone into town to pick up the supplies when the fire occurred. How could I be there to start it.” Jesse replied,” DO I HAVE TO GET THE STRAP AND GIVE YOU A WHIPPING YOU WOULD NEVER FORGET. I HOPE YOU HAD BETTER NOT START TO LIE TO ME ABOUT NOT STARTING THE FIRE. ” Then Luke answered his uncle, “But I told you already that I didn’t start the fire.” Finally Jesse got so angry with Luke that he slapped Luke on the left side of his face. Shocked by his uncle slapping him, Luke began to believe that Jesse thought he was stupid and he no longer loved him. Luke was upset because he never remembered his uncle call any of the kids stupid. Jesse say, “Luke go to your room and don’t come out till I am ready to let you out.” During the next few days, Luke stopped talking to his uncle, but only talked to him when spoken to. Luke did not tell Bo about the fight that he had with his uncle because he did not want to upset him.
A week later, Bo’s burns began to heal, so he was ready to come home, but he would need plastic surgery to remove the area of skin that was burned by the fire. Luke kept his promise to his uncle that he would visit and help take care of Bo once he came home. When Bo came home from the hospital, Luke helped his cousin while he healed. One day when Bo was getting ready for school, he was having a hard time gripping the buttons on his shirt. Every time he had the button almost in the hole, it would slip out of his hands because he could not grip them very well. After several times, he was about to give up when Luke came in to see what was taking his cousin so long to get ready because they were going to miss the bus. Luke said,” Bo, do you need some help with your shirt.” Bo replied,” Yes, Luke can you help me, please.” Luke went over to where Bo was sitting on his bed and finished buttoning his shirt and Luke told him, “Let’s go Bo.”

When they arrived at school, Luke told Bo that he had to go to class and he will be there to eat lunch with him. Bo said,” Okay Luke I will see you later at lunchtime.” After Luke left, some of the students knew the situation of Bo’s accident, but had often tease him for several years, began to tease him again. Several students came up to Bo and said,” Hey Bo, with your looks you can star in a freak show. Bo, you know that Halloween has been over for three months, you can take off your mask now.” That is when one student started to grab at Bo’s face where it had been burned and it caused Bo to scream while another student push him down onto the ground and it forced him to fall down with his hands hitting the ground hard. Then Bo managed to get up and run to his first class. This continued through out the day till lunchtime. When Bo met his cousin at lunchtime, he noticed that Luke was very quiet and he noticed some bruising on his left cheek. He asked, “Luke, what happen to your face?” At the same time he was asking the question, he moved his hand up to his cousin’s face and Luke suddenly slapped his hand very hard. Bo cried, ” Ouch, Luke that hurt.” Then Luke realized what he had done and said, ” I’m so sorry Bo, please forgive me, I did not mean to slapped your hand, it’s just that you spooked me that’s all.” Then Bo says to Luke, “I know Luke, don’t worry I still love you and forgive you.”