by: Essy Jane

As Bo walked into the house he had a giant grin on his face. He looked at Daisy and placed her hand in his. Bo spun Daisy around the room just to see how fast he could do it. He stopped and released his hand from hers and walked out of the room. “What’s with him?” Daisy asked.

“He’s got the love bug,” Uncle Jesse replied.

“Who is it this time?”

“Her name is Essy.”

“Essy who?”

“I ain’t saying anything.”

“Why not, Uncle Jesse.”

“Well A, I think the boys have to work for this one and B, because it will keep them quiet for a while.” Daisy laughed. Uncle Jesse always knew what he was doing. Those boys needed some quiet time. They had been saving Hazzard all week. It was about time they got a break.

“You know, Bo looks like a feather floating in the wind.”

“I can believe that.”

Later that night…

Bo flipped through the old photo albums anxiously. He had no patience for anything. He had as much patience as a rattle snake around its prey. Finding out who Essy was or where her family line was located was the most important thing right now.

Finally there was a picture. It was Uncle Jesse and a girl on his shoulders. Her smile was just as beautiful as Essy’s. Her hair was fluttering in the wind as the picture was taken. Bo wiped the finger print off of the album with his shirt. He tapped the picture a few times and smiled. Yep, he knew this was the one. Uncle Jesse hovered over his nephew.

“Who is this Uncle Jesse?” Bo questioned.

Uncle Jesse blushed at sight of the picture. He didn’t think Bo would figure it out so fast. Jesse held up the picture and smiled. It had been a long time since he had seen that one. He touched the girl’s hair and wiped a tear from his aged eyes.

“This is a picture of someone dear to my heart. Emma, you’re so young here,” Jesse replied. He took a deep breath and let it out slow. Bo stared at his uncle as a smile became plastered on his face.

“No way…Emma Tisdale? She’s so…” Bo began.

“Radiant? Sweet looking?”

“Yeah how did you…?”

“I had the same fascination with her as you do with Essy.”

“You? No way, you always seem to avoid Miss Tizdale.”

“Well that’s because she gives me too much attention.”

“You, shy of women?”

“Ever since your Aunt died I have been. Bo, your Aunt has always been a special lady to me.”

“She always will be too.”

“Anyway, Emma was way shorter than Essy-Jane though. Essy’s got her father’s genes.”

“That can’t be Emma…she’s so—“

“Young?”

“That’s not what I meant. I can’t keep my eyes off of her.”

“Emma is one of those you can’t forget. I loved her a lot but even more so I loved your Aunt. Choosing between them was the hardest thing I have ever done.”

“I bet.”

“Essy is gonna have some problems with you two. Bo’s in love with her and Luke’s in love with the car.” Uncle Jesse grinned.

“Essy-Jane Tizdale…That name is like magic.”

“Essy-Jane Anne Tizdale.”

“Man, what a long name,” Luke said.

“Don’t make fun of it. She may be my wife one day,” Bo grumbled.

“You have more of a chance being married to a Davenport then marrying a Tizdale.”

“Don’t be so sure, Emma is still hung up on me,” Uncle Jesse cut in. He laughed a little bit and looked at his boys. This was going to be an interesting moment. Luke and Bo both looking at the same girl for the same reason; this could be trouble y’all. It was nightfall and there was no way Bo or Luke would be doing any girl huntin’ tonight. Bo and Luke got into their pyjama bottoms. They both lay down just thinking.

“So what’s tomorrow gonna be like for us?” Luke asked softly. He yawned and rolled onto his side looking at Bo.

“It’s Hazzard, why ask? I know one thing…I am picking up the mail tomorrow,” Bo replied.

“That’ll mean we’ll have to go shopping with Daisy…she wanted us to help her pick out a dress for the big dance in two weeks…you know, the spring fling?”

“If I didn’t know about that I wouldn’t be in Hazzard.”

“So have you asked anyone?”

“Nope.” Luke was shocked. Usually he had a date three weeks in advance.

“No? How can you not have a date?”

“Hard to choose.”

“What do you mean?”

“Nine girls have asked me.”

“Nine! Bo, you have got to bring one girl not nine.” Bo thought for a moment. He liked a lot of girls but he like didn’t know how to choose. He really liked a lot of them they were the same country girls he had always known. He wanted someone tall with red hair. Someone with a new personality, someone like…Essy. However, Miss Tizdale wasn’t exactly keen on her girl going out to a place with a lot of boys knowingly.

“I don’t know Luke…who would you choose?”

“I ain’t your keeper Bo, you need to learn how to find your own gals.”

“It’s so hard to choose. Put a man in front of beautiful women and you can’t seem to say no to any of them.”

“What did you do, put them on a waiting list?”

“No, they would have been mad.”

“What did you say then?”

“I told them to let me think about it.” Luke rolled his eyes. He looked at his cousin. “Well what would have you done?”

“Gone out with one.”

“Which one would you go with, Luke? A soaring blonde, a sturdy brunette…”

“How about Essy-Jane, you could take her couldn’t you Bo?”

“I would be afraid to ask. She seems so…so…”

“Independent, yeah I see that in her face.”

“She seems wise.”

“Essy is an intelligent woman and I could see how that would intimidate you to have someone at a higher intellectual level than you.”

“Just what are you implying?”

“Well, you don’t have all the brains she does. Essy is pretty witty and you are like cranberry jelly around her. I can understand why you ain’t able to communicate. You don’t want to sound like an idiot.” Bo snarled at his cousin. He wasn’t stupid. She was smart, just as smart as Bo, that’s what scared him.

You see, Bo tried to hide his smarts to avoid being sent to college. He knew that his dear Uncle couldn’t afford it. Besides that, half the jobs he could get with his knowledge weren’t available due to his record. Essy had a chance that Bo would never and that would haunt him for the rest of his life.

“Luke…I wish you wouldn’t assume things. I am smart,” Growled Bo.

“Yeah I know you are smart, just not in the way I am smart. You have talents too,” Luke commented. Bo knew this wasn’t gonna go where he wanted it to. He decided to end the conversation by rolling over. Luke knew that he had upset his cousin. “Bo, for what it is worth you’re an amazing person.”

“Go to sleep Luke…the more you say the worse I feel.”

“Okay Bo, I am sorry.”

“Yeah and sometimes sorry don’t cut it.”

“Now just a minute Bo, I didn’t mean anything by it at all.”

“Well let’s see, you basically said I was too stupid for her is that it? Just because I don’t think of all the plans or work on everything you want me to doesn’t mean that I ain’t smart. End of discussion, goodnight.”

“Bo…”

“I said goodnight, Luke.”