by: Marty Chrisman
The next afternoon Cyrus had the boys brought back to the house one last time as Jesse had requested. Coy, Vance and Jeb helped to move the matching silver caskets into the living room. They sat one at either side of the room. When they were finished setting them in place, Cyrus opened the top part of the hinged lid so that Bo and Luke could be seen. Jesse had refused to dress them in suits to be buried. He wanted them to look natural. So he had opted to have Cyrus dress them in their best dress jeans with a yellow shirt for Bo and a blue shirt for Luke, their favorite colors.
After Cyrus had left, the three Duke cousins huddled together and looked at Bo and Luke solemnly. Cyrus had done a good job. They looked perfectly natural; there were no visible signs of the terrible injuries that had killed them. If you tried really hard it almost looked like they were just sleeping. Slowly, other family members and friends began drifting into the living room to look at the boys. Coy and Vance moved over to the far corner of the living room where they could talk privately without being overheard.
“I think we best stay around here for awhile.” Vance said quietly
“You got that right, cousin.” Coy agreed “Uncle Jesse and Daisy are gonna need our help around here with Bo and Luke gone.”
“Not only that but they’re gonna need somebody around here to watch out for them too. Make sure they git through this okay.”
“Yeah, I reckon you’re right.” Coy said “Should we say something to Uncle Jesse?”
“Naw, you know Uncle Jesse. He’d tell us that he was okay and that we didn’t need to worry none.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
“I know I am. Come on. Let’s get some coffee. People are gonna start showing up again soon.” The two cousins went into the kitchen to get some coffee and something to eat.
Cooter stood by the kitchen counter drinking a glass of Jesse’s finest. He’d been drinking most of the morning. He knew that the traditions and rituals surrounding funerals were for the living. It was way for them to say their goodbyes to those who had passed on. But Cooter couldn’t help thinking at the moment that it was a pretty morbid ritual. The last thing he wanted to do right now was to look at his two best friends lying in their coffins.
He glanced up and saw Daisy and Jesse coming into the living room. Everyone stopped talking and slowly stepped aside. Jesse had his arm protectively around Daisy’s shoulders as they slowly walked towards the coffins. Daisy faltered and stumbled. She would have fallen if Jesse hadn’t tightened his grasp around her shoulders. The grief on their faces broke everyone’s heart. Daisy tried to be strong for Uncle Jesse but the minute she saw the boys, she burst into hysterical tears. Coy and Vance rushed forward to help Uncle Jesse console her.
Enos Strate watched with tears in his own eyes. He had come to pay his respect to his closest and oldest friends and to the family. He hated to see Daisy so upset but he knew exactly how she felt. And what made it worse for Enos was the fact that he had been there that night. He had seen the accident happen and he’d had to watch as they cut Bo and Luke out of the car. As long as he lived, he would never forget the stricken look on Jesse’s face when he had to tell him that Bo had passed away. And he would never forget his own grief and pain when Cooter told him that Luke had passed away too.