by: Essy Jane

Tara managed to pick the two men up and carry them to her car. Her car was a
beautiful jet black mustang. Bo was aching to get his hands on the wheel.
But he knew all too well that he couldn’t steer it. “What about our mode of
transportation?” Bo asked.

“I’ll put you in the shopping cart,” Tara joked. The two men looked at each
other. “Your cousin Jared phoned and said he couldn’t find you two anywhere.
I didn’t have the slightest notation about your looks Larry… but your
brother here, now that’s a different story. So I took the liberty of looking
for him.”

“This doesn’t explain how we’re getting around in a department store.”

“Well, Barry I brought two wheelchairs along in case of the slightest sign
of trouble aroused. And here you two are, without your wheels.” Bo looked
around in the car. He saw no foot pedals whatsoever.

“How do you operate this thing?”

“This is my brother’s car and mine. He’s paralyzed from the waist down like
you two.” Tara pulled over. She pointed to the buttons on the steering
wheel. “Everything is controlled by these buttons. You want to try driving?”

“More than going shopping! I really want to drive. I’ll kiss you if I can
drive. Heck, I’ll kiss the whole world!”

“We better go into a more open area. Does this car have speed, ma’am?” Luke
asked.

“Yeah, the engine is souped up. My brother really wanted a fast car.”

Bo’s eyes had a devilish stream of joy in them. He wanted to get his hands
on a steering wheel. Dukes are born to drive. It’s in their blood and no
amount of shuckin’ and jivin’ could ever change that.

Bo shoved over into the driver’s seat and revved the engine with the button
that controlled the gas. The rubbed his hands together and cracked his
knuckles. Something he picked up from the physical therapy center. “Let’s
see if you have the power of the General,” Bo thought to himself. But
nothing would really replace the orange majesty.

Bo started out slow with some maneuver tricks. Figure eights in the middle
of the field and car on the side, fashionable moves for a man using a
strange car. “Hey Larry, look at the dip in the road,” Bo commented… his
smile almost seemed to be stretching right off his face.

“What is he going to do?” Tara asked.

“You better hold on,” Luke replied. Bo sped up the car and sure enough it
flew. Tara wanted to close her eyes but was amazed at the altitude they were
at.

“I’ve been flying in a plane, in a helicopter, I even went in a balloon. I
have been parasailing. I have been pulled in a kite by a boat. But never in
my days have I flown in a car!” Tara stated.

“Barry, there’s a car trailing us,” Luke said.

Bo looked in his review mirror. Sure enough a red Chevrolet was trailing the
boys. The car raced up beside the mustang. He beeped his horn twice, long
blasts. “He wants to race us.”

“I don’t back down from those. The last one I had was about six months ago.
Besides, the law don’t keep us busy enough here,” Bo stated. Bo pushed his
hand all the way on the gas. He was beating that guy. The Chevrolet jumped
up out of nowhere to land in front of the Mustang. “This guy’s got quite the
driving style. But they don’t call us hot foots for nothing.”

“You tell’em, Bo!”

Bo raced up ever faster. But every move he made the Chevrolet seemed to
know. But suddenly the car slowed down. Smoke was coming out from the
radiator of the Chevrolet. Tara got out of her car. She brought out the two
wheelchairs. Both Bo and Luke raced over to the man fanning the engine.

There was something about him. Bo recognized his face. “I knew I
distinguished Jesse’s driving when I saw you two,” the man stated.

“Dad!” Luke exclaimed. Luke wheeled over and gave his Dad a hug. He suddenly
let go. “Where have you been all these years? I thought you’d come for me
when you found a good home.”

“Well son, I did come for you. Your uncle said that you were out fishing.
You were eight at the time. Kid, you looked so happy that I left you where
you were, never to return. Sent your uncle money for you under a different
name.”

“Dad, I wanted you. I wanted my dad to go fishing with me. Not some total
stranger.”

“You love your Uncle?”

“Yeah.”

“And he treated you good?”

“He sure did. Raised us upright; taught us how to be gentlemen– I’m glad
one of you did. I got to go Dad, but if I’m ever back this way I’ll look you
up.” Luke wheeled over to the car and got in as did everyone else. The
trouble was Luke didn’t want to even speak to his father. But all that would
change with time. Only time can heal deep wounds.

There was a deep silence while they were driving home. “You always told me
your Dad was dead,” Bo stated, not remembering about the witness protection.

“Barry…I know you want to talk about it but frankly I don’t,” Larry
retorted.

Bo stopped the car.

“We’re not leaving here until we talk. I know how you get and it is just
wrong when you get this way.”

“You can’t control my life!”

“I don’t have to. You’re doing quite the bad job of it! You don’t notice the
way you’ve been acting. You’ve felt so sorry for yourself that you can’t see
past the nose on your face. Larry, this can’t go on. I won’t let it! You’re
a man, act like one instead of a cowering baby.”

“You don’t know how hard it is. To think your cousin is dead!”

“I’ll just take a walk. Do you guys want your wheelchairs?” Tara said. Bo
nodded softly. He didn’t want her to have to hear Luke. It might depress the
young girl. She began to take a walk.

“You need to listen to me Larry,” Bo commented.

Luke got into the wheelchair and started off. Bo began to laugh.

“What’s so funny?” Luke questioned.

“You haven’t even tried to move your wheelchair since today, and you think
that you are going to get somewhere?”

“Get off my back, Bo!”

Bo was startled, he hadn’t been called his own name in weeks.

“You think that this is easy. This whole thing comes easy to you. Well guess
what? You don’t know what happened to my Dad or your parents. You don’t know
what happened to my mom.”

“Give me an idea Lukas, you don’t tell me nothing, how can I learn?”

“We were having a little get-together. Your mama was eight months pregnant
with you at the time. I was four years old. I kept asking her ‘when’s my
cousin coming?’ She smiled and patted my head. She told me ‘soon I hope.’ I
really wanted to see you, Bo.”

“I was just too attractive to miss.”

“Well, this was after we found out that Jud had died and…I thought that you
were going to be his replacement.”

“Oooh, I’m sorry Luke.”

“It’s not your fault. Anyway, your mom was having serious pains. So serious
in fact that she fainted on many occasions. Well this time was the worst.
She was ready to go into labor with you.”

“Baby Bo Duke, I’ve been waiting for this part.”

“I don’t know if I should be telling you this.”

“Why not Luke my friend?”

“Uncle Jesse…he made me promise not to tell you.”

“I have the right to know about my birth.”

“Marie Duke, one of the happiest women on earth. She was so gentle and kind.
But that day put tragedy into all our lives especially you. Bo, when she
gave birth to you, she had a very hard time. Uncle Jesse did the best he
could.”

“Why wouldn’t he do his best?”

“Well, your mother held you up in her arms and stared into your eyes. She
said ‘Beauregard, that’s this one’s name. He will be great. One of the best
boys we’ll ever see. Maybe lady’s men just like his Daddy.’ Your Daddy
smiled… Hunter always knew how to smile.”

“Was it just like mine?”

“Oh yeah, better than any I’d ever seen.”

“I must have been a cutie.”

“Anyway, a few minutes later, your mother was found dead. By the time Jesse
got the ambulance over it was too late. He had lost his sister and you lost
your mom.”

Bo froze for a minute. He wondered how this could’ve happened. “D-d-did they
know the cause of her death?”

“She developed a cancer in her stomach that caused her to bleed to death.”

Bo’s eyes filled with tears. He wondered why this happened to his mom. After
all Jesse’s stories about her, he knew how wonderful Marie Hart Duke was.
Now he found out that she gave the greatest sacrifice for her son, Marie
gave her own life. “What happened to Dad?”

“He became depressed. So my Dad, Rocky took him and my mom up to the
mountains while Jesse babysat you and I. There was an avalanche and…everyone
died except for my Dad. But he was upset too. He found a small apartment but
told me ‘This is no place for a boy to grow up in.’”

“So he just left you?”

“Yeah, he left me and said he’d come back but never did! I have to live with
that everyday and the fact that I may never walk again. It’s too much.”

“I know.”

“No you don’t Bo! When I heard you were in critical condition, it almost
killed me. I felt like I was loosing it all. I lost my power to move. I lost
my cousin, the only one that knows me.”

“I was afraid too.” They hugged each other for the longest time. As Tara
came back, she knew that Bo had gotten to him. More so than some really can.