by: Susan Porter
Some of the letters Enos couldn’t send Daisy…
ONE
Daisy,
I got a letter from mama today
telling me that you had run off and gotten married.
She said Uncle Jesse told her you seemed happy. I
hope you are, you deserve the best.
Love,
Enos
Enos,
His name is L.D. and you mama
was right, I am happy. I’ve never been happier. But
I miss uncle Jesse and the boys. How are things in
L.A.?
Oh, I miss you too!
Love,
Daisy
Daisy,
I’ve been promoted to
sergeant. At first I wasn’t sure about taking the
test, I had to study hard, but it was worth it. I
wish you were here to celebrate with me. I guess the
guys will have to do.
Sometimes I miss Hazzard, like
now. Don’t get me wrong, I like L.A. but some of the
things that happen here… I’d give anything to be
rescuing Miss Tizdale’s cat from that oak tree in her
front yard.
Today I busted a fourteen-year-old girl
for trying to sell her baby. It turns out that she
was just the tip of the iceberg. A whole brokerage
where teens are paid to have babies! If I were lucky
enough to have a child…
How are you? Mama said Uncle Jesse hasn’t
heard from you in a while. Is everything all right?
I miss you.
Love,
Enos
Enos,
Congratulations on your
promotion! I am very proud of you. I have always
known that you are a very special man. (I’m trying
real hard to pretend here, Enos.)
Police work in Hazzard is
probably very different from police work in L.A.
Actually, I’m pretty sure life in Hazzard in unlike
anyplace else on earth! I know I’ve never been
anyplace like it.
L.D. likes to travel. I think
I’ve seen more of the south in one month than I ever
have. Last weekend we were at a rodeo in Arizona and
this weekend we’ll be in Mississippi! Life with a
musician certainly is interesting.
I miss Hazzard all the time.
No matter where I go the night sky is never so
beautiful as it is in Hazzard.
I haven’t talked to Uncle
Jesse in a few weeks. There’s never any time for home
or family. (Yes, my marriage really went bad that
soon)
Do you remember that time the
alien got stuck in Hazzard and everyone was seeing
UFO’s in Skunk Hollow? We’re going to Roswell, New
Mexico in a few weeks and I was wondering, do you
think anyone would believe we’d actually spent the day
with an alien we called Little Cousin?
Miss you!
Love,
Daisy
P.S. At this rate, honey, it’ll take me years to
answer all your letters!
Daisy,
I’ve been on stake out for
twelve hours! If I don’t get relieved soon I’ll fall
asleep behind the wheel!
I’ve been alone for about six
hours, my partner’s wife went into labor and he had to
leave. He’s her labor coach. This is his first and
he’s very excited about it. He’s been talking about
this for six months.
Have you ever been stuck in a
car for twelve hours? It’s no fun. I’m sitting here
watching an empty house on the off chance someone will
return. No one has been here in a week; somehow I
don’t think that’s going to change. If I were wanted
for murder I wouldn’t be coming home!
Sometimes I lay in bed at
night, close my eyes and I’m back in Hazzard, chasing
Bo and Luke. I spent a lot of time in Hazzard Pond,
didn’t I?
I miss you Daisy. I know that
you’re a married woman now but I’ve loved you since we
were children and that’s going to be a hard one to get
over.
Sometimes I think I should
have married you when I had the chance, hives and all!
Then I wouldn’t be so lonely at night. To be able to
hold you, tell you everyday how much I love you…
I miss you sweetheart.
Love,
Enos
Enos,
Well, after six months my
marriage is over! I woke up this morning to find my
husband and his things gone! He even stuck me with
the hotel bill! I guess it’s back to Hazzard with my
tail tucked between my legs.
Uncle Jesse was so happy to
hear from me. Bo left a month ago for the
professional racing circuit and Luke has decided to
leave home to become a fire jumper for the forestry
service. It will be so nice to breathe fresh Hazzard
air again!
Sometimes I wonder what would
have happened if you and I had gotten married. Where
would we be? L.A.? Hazzard? I know one thing for
sure; we wouldn’t be on a Greyhound bus, flat broke
and going nowhere! (Sorry about that!)
I miss you, Enos Strate. It’s
hard to think of Hazzard without you.
Love,
Daisy
Daisy,
Ignore that last letter, too
much coffee not enough sleep.
Believe it or not in hour
sixteen the stake out paid off! Sometimes I’m amazed
at what the criminal mind comes up with. Compared to
some of these guys, Boss is an amateur.
It was almost dawn when I saw
him, scaling the roof of the house next door trying to
sneak in to see his wife. He fell through the
skylight and broke his arm but when I told him to
freeze he tried to run! He nearly lost me when his
wife tripped me but the shard of glass in his foot
made running sort of impossible.
I went ocean fishing
yesterday. It’s a lost different than fishing for
bass in Hazzard Pond. I don’t think I ever worked so
hard to land a fish in my life!
I saw Bo on television Sunday.
A driver on the pro circuit! No jumps like he did in
the General though. I hope he wins next time out.
How is your marriage going?
Any possibility of a little Daisy in the future?
Love,
Enos
Enos,
My divorce became final today.
Once again I am Miss Daisy Duke.
I’ve been spending a lot of
time in Hazzard Swamp lately, thinking, and I’ve come
to a decision. I’ve decided to go to Duke University
and study ecology.
I know that if you were here
you’d tell me to go for it. You’ve always believed in
me. It’s something I’ve always loved about you.
It won’t be easy, I know.
I’ll have to work my way through school. And I’ve
have to leave home, and Uncle Jesse, again.
I know that Uncle Jesse is sad
but he’ll never say anything. He’s always said that I
am the hope for the future. I hope I don’t let him
down.
I sure could use some of your
encouraging words about now.
Am I doing the right thing?
It would be so easy to stay in Hazzard, where it’s
safe…
Daisy looked up from the letter she was
writing as the phone rang. Bo reached it first.
“Duke farm… hey, Enos!”
Daisy’s face lit up and Bo chuckled.
“Yeah, she’s here, hold on.” He held the phone out to
Daisy. “It’s lover boy!” He teased.
Daisy rolled her eyes. “Enos.”
“Hey, honey, did I wake you up?”
“No, I’m just doing some reading?” She
slit open another envelope.
“New text book?”
“Old love letters.”
She laughed at his groan. “How many have
you read?”
“A few. I’m even writing a few of my
own.”
“Oh, are you going to mail them?”
“I don’t know. Why don’t you come home
and read them for yourself?”
“You know I’d like nothing more than to be
with you. I just can’t right now.”
“I miss you, Enos. When are you coming
home?”
“Soon. I miss you too, sweetheart.”
“I love you.” She whispered tearfully,
hoping he wouldn’t hear the pain in her voice.
Enos clutched the phone, hating that he
couldn’t be with her. “I love you, honey. I promise
I’ll be home soon. Bye, sweetheart.”
Daisy’s heart sank. “Bye.”
TWO
Daisy,
I just got off the phone with
mama; she says that you’re back in Hazzard and that
you look wonderful. Seems fresh Hazzard air agrees
with you. She went on and on about how pale and sad
you looked when Uncle Jesse brought you home and how
you slowly blossomed into your old self. I wish I
could have been there to see it. To hear your voice
again…
I know I could pick up the
phone and call you. It’s not like the number to the
farm has changed in thirty years.
I’ve been very busy. The
newest member of the SWAT team. More training, harder
work. I’ll be on call twenty-four hours a day. It’s
a lot of responsibility.
That’s part of the reason I
left Hazzard. Boss was never going to change and it’s
hard to grow when you’re biggest job is painting lines
on dirt roads.
Chasing the General over the
years certainly improved my driving skills. I’m
something of a legend around here. I don’t understand
why, it’s just good country driving. An academy
instructor has even asked me if I would be willing to
show off some of my moves. Think Bo and Luke could
teach them a few? Actually, I seem to remember you
having a few moves of your own.
I’ve got some vacation saved
up so I think I’ll make a trip home. I’ll let you
know when I’m coming.
Love,
Enos
Enos,
I can’t believe I missed you!
You came home just as midterms started or believe me,
I would have been home so fast your head would have
spun!
Next time, I promise.
Daisy
Daisy,
It’s true what they say, you
can’t go home again. Nothing in Hazzard is the same.
The day after I came home, Boss died. He left his
entire estate to Rosco. Can you imagine, Boss Rosco?
I visited Uncle Jesse a few
times. He’s still Uncle Jesse. Some things never
change.
The biggest change though, is
Cooter. He’s talking about going into politics.
Crazy Cooter, a politician. Who knows, he might make
a pretty good congressman.
Two years. That’s how long
it’s been since I’ve heard your voice, seen your face.
Felt your touch. I thought that if I left Hazzard,
if I didn’t have to see you every day, I could forget
you. Maybe I wasn’t really in love with you but just
thought I was. I wanted to go on with my life. To
see if there was someone out there I couldn’t see
because I was blinded by you.
I built my whole existence around you and
me. Talk about the impossible dream! I had plans for
us. I ever thought of names for our children. A
house, white picked fence… I remember this one night;
we were on our way home from a movie in Capital City,
and you asked me to drive by the old Sullivan place.
I’ve never seen that look on your face. You were
totally enraptured. I stopped and you started telling
me exactly what you would do in each room. To this
day I remember every detail.
I am in love with you, Daisy Duke. I can’t
deny that anymore. However, I know that you could
never feel the same way about me. I can face that
now, I think, and I know that, in order to move on I
have to stop writing these letters I never mail.
Goodbye, Daisy. I love you.
Enos
Swallowing tears, Daisy put down the
letter and picked up her bedside phone. She had only
gotten about half way through the letter, obviously he
had begun writing again, but this one broke her heart.
“Hi, this is Enos. I’m not home right now
but if you leave your name and number I’ll get back to
you.”
“Enos,” she took a deep breath, “I love
you.”
Enos hit the rewind button for the fifth
time, forcing himself to feel the pain. She had read
“the letter”. He had tried to forget her, for almost
two years he had. However, something had happened
that mad him need her again.
Daisy,
For two years I have made
myself not write to you. It’s been a struggle but I
think I would have gone on if not for something
strange.
Three women have been killed
in three weeks. Their connection? They were each
named Daisy. No other known connection, just their
first names. I panicked. I even called Uncle Jesse
to make sure you were okay.
I hope you’ll forgive me but I
called the Duke campus police and had them check on
you. Once officer even faxed me photos of you. You
are still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.
Anyway, the women, I was the
second connection. I’ve always kept your picture on
my desk. A few years back, four I think, I arrested a
guy for cutting up his wife and her lover when he
found them together. He swore he would get even with
me for helping put him in prison.
He escaped the night before
the first murder. He didn’t remember your face-only
your name. He wanted to get to me through you. I
guess he did that because here I go, writing letters
I’ll never mail.
I still love you. I guess I
always will.
Love,
Enos
Enos,
Today I received my bachelor’s
degree! Uncle Jesse and the boys were here. They
were all so proud of me. The only face missing was
yours.
It’s been so long, Enos.
Sometimes I wonder if I would recognize you anymore.
(We are pretending here) It’s
been so long since I heard from you; I thought you had
forgotten me, moved on with your life.
I’ve tried to honor your
request and haven’t written you. At times that hasn’t
been easy. I’ve read your letters over and over until
I can practically recite them word for word.
I guess I’ve always known that
you were in love with me. I never realized just how
deep that love was, though. Thank you for looking out
for me.
I miss you so much, Enos.
Love,
Daisy
Daisy,
Ten years. It’s been ten years since I
last saw you. I can’t believe it’s really been that
long, time certainly flies.
I’m coming home, honey. Not for the
homecoming but for you. I have to know if you can
love me that way I love you.
There are so many things I want to say to
you. I finally have the nerve to say them.
Love,
Enos
Daisy leaned back on the porch swing and swung back
and forth. Closing her eyes she remembered her date
with Enos two years before.
Enos flexed his hand, his knuckled slightly bruised
from the fight. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Just a few bruises.”
Daisy took his hand and kissed the knuckles, feeling
Enos shudder. Something fluttered deep with in her
and she realized, she was in love. With Enos Strate.
She always had been.
Startled by this realization, Daisy stepped back.
“Daisy, honey, are you okay?”
They stood together beneath the old oak tree that had
once held the boys tree house. “Daisy?”
“Oh, Enos.” She breathed as their mouths melted
together.
She touched her lips, remembering the warm passion of
their first real kiss. “Enos…”
Enos stood in the shadows, watching the play of
emotion cross daisy’s face. He heard his own name
escape her lips in a harsh, passionate whisper. He
tightened involuntarily, wondering if she would always
have this effect on him. And he on her. He had
caused that look somehow, that flush on her cheeks was
his. He wanted to see that look for the rest of his
life.
Quietly he mounted the porch steps to stand in front
of her. The tablet on her lap, his name, drew his
attention from her face. Her final letter.
Enos,
I can’t wait to see you, hold you, known
that I never have to let you go again. I love you so
much more than I ever thought possible. Come home,
Enos. Let me love you.
Daisy
Taking the tablet from her, Enos gathered his wife in
his arms, hoping he would never have to leave her
again.
THE END