by: Trix

“K.B.!” Rita laughed as Drifter landed safely on the ground, just after jumping over a creek.
Balladeer: Now, everyone called her K.B. once in a while. See, Khas whole name is Khas Brianne Dalton. Pretty ain’t it?

Khas smiled at her friend. “R.J.!”

Balladeer: Okay, lemme clear this up for y’all. Now they call Khas “K.B.”, they call Rita “R.J.” ‘cause her middle name is Janice. They call Violet “V”. And they call Danny, well…all three of them girls have a different name for him. You’ll see what I mean.

“Did you have to jump that creek?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“For the fun of it,” she smiled slyly.

Rita laughed. “Well…next time let me jump.”

Khas laughed and nodded her head. “Not a problem, we’ll just switch seats.”

Their conversation was interrupted by the General Lee coming up behind them on the dirt road.

“Hey K.B,” Bo greeted over the CB.

“Hey Bo. Whatja up too back there?”

“Oh the usual.”

“You should let Luke drove more often…”

Luke grabbed the CB from Bo and said, “Mightly nice of ya to say Khas. How’s about a race?”

“Back to the farm?”

“You bet.”

Bo added, “Yeah, lunch!”

Everyone laughed at the comment.

They raced almost side by side the whole way. Until the boys disappeared of a road. But Khas knew where they were going and hit the gas petal until it hit the floor. No way were they going to win. She slowed down a bit when she got back on the main road but slammed the breaks when another car almost hit them head on. “Khas!”

The other car, an old Plymouth, had come out of the dirt road opposite the one they were on. Khas and Rita got out of the car and so did the other driver. Khas was about to say something, and make sure the woman was okay, but she stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the woman’s face, the face she’d only seen in pictures.

Rita saw the look on Khas’s face and asked, “Khas, are you okay?”

“Khas?” the woman whispered. She was about Khas’s height, an inch or so taller, and had dark brown hair. She had Khas’s skin tone and eyebrows. “Khas Dalton?”

“Who is she, Khas?”

After snapping out of her daze she answered Rita. “She’s my mother.”

Balladeer: Uh oh, here we go.

“Your mother?” Rita said, confused.

Khas nodded.

Shelley looked at her daughter and said, “Khas…I don’t know what to say…”

“How about nothing,” Khas said, not even wanting to have this woman near her.

“Khas…” her mother started, but was interrupted by the General Lee pulling up beside Drifter.

“Khas,” the boys said in unison. “You alright?” Luke asked.

“Been much better.”

“Khas, let me explain…”

“Explain what? That you didn’t want me so you dropped me off at daddy’s and ran off? Or why you never made contact with me?” she said, getting angry.

Luke and Bo looked from Khas to Shelley. “You’re her mother?” Bo asked.

“Yes. Khas let me explain why I left you.”

“No! I don’t want you around me!” And she got back into Drifter, with Rita right behind her.

“Don’t leave her alone Rita,” Luke called to her.

“I won’t,” Rita promised.

Balladeer: Y’all get the feeling those boys ain’t too happy with Miss Shelley?

After Khas peeled away them, the boys looked at each other and then to Shelley. Luke said, “First off, are ya alright?”

Shelley nodded. “And you are the Dukes I presume?”

They nodded back at her. Luke continued. “Why’re you in Hazzard?”

Shelley looked at them as if they’d gone crazy. “To see my daughter.”

“Just like that? Outta the blue? Do you realize…” Bo started to get angry but Luke reined him in.

“Now calm down Bo. Shelley, why are you here, really? Haven’t you hurt Khas enough?”

Shelley said, “I never meant to hurt her. I was nineteen. I couldn’t afford a baby, and I wasn’t gonna raise a baby. Leavin’ her with Gus was the best thing I ever did.”

Bo and Luke couldn’t believe what they were hearing. Bo said, “So you dropped her off without ever thinkin’ twice about it?”

Shelley nodded. “I had no choice. Besides, Gus and Bry loved her so much when they first saw her. I knew she was in good hands. Hands more capable than mine.”

No one said anything for a few moments. Luke broke the silence. “How long are you in town?”

“Just a few days.”

“We’ll see if we can calm Khas down enough to talk to you,” Luke said. “Fer now just let it be.”

Shelley nodded, again. Knowing they were right. She’d never intentionally hurt Khas, but she couldn’t have raised her back then. She just hoped it wasn’t too late to get her back.

“Where can we reach you?” Bo asked.

“I’m staying at a local motel. Here’s the number.” She wrote it down on a piece of paper from her purse and handed it to them.

Bo, who took it, replied, “We’ll call you by tomorrow.”

She gave them a shaky smile. “Thank you.”

Balladeer: Now, they were pretty nice on her, don’t ya think? The question is, can they get Khas to see her mother?

As they drove back to the farm, Bo and Luke talked about the situation.

“This won’t be easy, Luke,” Bo, who was driving, said.

“I know, “ Luke sighed.

“So how’re we gonna go about his exactly?”

Luke thought for a few minutes then said, “I know! Khas has always done the right thing when it counted. And how can she not see her mother and let her explain…”

“…When it’s the right thing to do,” Bo finished, smiling. “Heck cousin! I think we gotta plan.”

“I think we do.”

Meanwhile at the pond, Rita was trying to calm Khas down.

“Khas,” she said calmly, “are ya alright?”

Khas, who had jumped in the water to cool her nerves, replied, “No.”

Her friend’s sharp tone didn’t surprise Rita, for she knew Khas’s temper and moods. And boy was Khas in one dangerous one now. “Khas, are you goin’ to talk to her?”

“No. Why should I?”

“Because she’s yer mother and she deserves to know how you feel.”

Khas thought a moment on that. “Rita, that woman deserted me. Now, I’m glad she did because I wouldn’t change livin’ with my dad and grandfather for anything. But she still deserted me. She never wrote, she never called…heck, she never, even once, sent a birthday card. How am I supposed to forgive that?”

“Khas,” Rita put a hand on her shoulder, “don’t forgive her. Just let her know how things stand.”

“Maybe.”

Balladeer: Maybe them boys don’t have a problem after all.

Bo and Luke beat Khas and Rita back to the farm, as was expected. They told Jesse and Daisy the events of the day. The two Dukes were silent for a moment, then Jesse said, “Now, Khas has always done the right thing when it counted, just as Luke says. But she’s awful stubborn, too. It’s from her granddaddy.”

“What’re you sayin’ Uncle Jesse?” Bo asked.

“I’m sayin’ that if she’s mad enough she won’t talk to her mother, let alone see her.”

“But Khas knows she has too,” Daisy started. “She just doesn’t know if she should.”

“Huh?” Luke replied.

Daisy explained, “Shelley hurt Khas, badly. And Khas doesn’t want to hurt over her mother again. She just wants to avoid that pain.”

“Daisy’s right,” Jesse nodded. “But your plan is a good one, boys. Lets just see if she can do it on her own first.”

Khas didn’t return home until supper time. She had dropped Rita off at home and drove around awhile, thinking about her mother. Rita was right, she should see her mother because she had the right to tell her mother how she felt. How all those years without her made Khas feel like she wasn’t good enough. “I’ll see her tomorrow,” Khas decided as she parked her car at the farm.

She walked in and said, “I’ll be down in a minute, Jesse. I just need to wash up for dinner.”
Jesse smiled at her. “Of course dear. Go ahead.”

Balladeer: Somethin’ tells me Khas won’t be sleeping very good tonight…

The next morning, after a sleepless night, Khas woke up early and did her chores around the farm. She ran into Uncle Jesse on her way to Drifter. “Khas,” Jesse started, “I’m real proud of what yer doin’ here.”

Khas shrugged and said, “Rita was right about one thing: I have a right to tell my mother what she put me through and I have the right to tell her I’m angry.”

Jesse put a hand on her shoulder. “Yes, you do. Just don’t you forget that you should listen to her too.”

Khas replied, “I know. But I’m not promising you that I’ll accept her reason or her apology.”

Jesse nodded. “Just as long as you hear her out.”

“I’ll see sometime this afternoon Jesse.”

“Be yerself, Khas. Let her see that yer daddy and grandaddy did a good job at raisin’ you.”

“I’ll try, Jesse. That I’ll promise you.”

Jesse smiled. “I’ll hold ya to it, Khas.”

Khas’ hand was shaking as she knocked on her mother’s door at the motel. She shut her eyes for a moment and prayed she had the strength to do what she was about to.

When the door opened, Khas stared into her mother’s eyes. “I need to tell you something.”

Shelley shook the surprised look off her face and said, “Of course. Come in.”

Khas sat in a chair by the window and her mother sat on the end of the bed. For a moment Khas was silent, then she said, “I’m very angry at you.”

“I know…”

“Let me finish,” Khas interrupted. “You dropped me off on daddy and grandpa and never wrote, never called, never acknowledged me. How could you do that? How could you just drop me off and never look back?” Khas paused, so she could stop her rising anger. Just be yerself, Khas repeated Jesse’s words in head. “You made me feel so unwanted, so unacceptable. How could you?”

Shelley was not so shy about her tears. They rolled down her cheeks easily as she looked at Khas.

“I deserve an explanation.”

Shelley nodded. “I did want you, Khas. I wanted you so badly. But I was young and careless. I never could have given you the home and love your father and grandfather could. So, one day, I decided that it would be best for you to be with him. I found him in New England and gave my precious angel away to very capable hands.”

Khas listened to her mother. While she understood that Shelley couldn’t raise her at the age she was, she still needed to know one thing. “Why didn’t you stay in touch me?”

“Because I figured that if I did, it would disrupt your life. And I didn’t want that. I wanted to see, hug you but you deserved a better mother than me.”

“Why?” Khas asked again, determined to get an answer.

Shelley took a deep breathe and said the words she had never spoken aloud before. “Guilt. I felt so guilty for leaving you that I couldn’t face you. I couldn’t face the sadness or the rightful anger you had for me. I felt guilty because I caused it. I’m so sorry I hurt you so bad.”

Khas’ emotions got the best of her then. She fought to stop the tear roll down her cheek. “You had no right to hurt me so bad,” she whispered. “But I understand your feelings. Please, do not ask my forgiveness yet. I’m not ready to give it.”

Shelley nodded. She knew Khas was still angry with her but for now, Khas’ understanding would do. “Have you seen the Dalton farm?”

“Yeah. Jesse Duke took me to see it.”

“He’s a good man.”

“Yes, he is.”

All was silent for a few seconds, then Shelley said, “If you’d like, you can join me for dinner tonight.”

Khas said, “I’ll think about it.”

“Call me around six o’clock.”

Khas nodded as she stood. “I’ll talk to you later then.”

Balladeer: Well, that went pretty smoothly. Wonder when the ball’s gonna drop…

Khas managed to get into her car before Rosco approached her. “Good afternoon, Rosco.”

“Hey there, Khas.”

“May I help you?”

“Oh, well…don’t you just get to the point,” Rosco said. “I need you to come to the station with me.”

“What?”

“Just for a moment,” he said before she could start getting angry. “Boss wants a word with you.”

Khas rolled her. “Okay, Rosco. Lets go.”

Khas couldn’t believe she was doing this. Lord knows how many times Boss Hogg had put her behind bars for just living with the Dukes. On the short drive to the police station, Khas realized that she had had such a bad day that seeing Boss Hogg couldn’t make any worse.

So, she walked into Boss Hogg’s office. “You wanted to see me, Boss…”

Boss put down the rib he was eating and said, “Yes. Won’t you have a seat?”

“No thank you. I’m not having a good day and I’d like to make this quick if you don’t mind.”

Boss nodded. “Fine, fine. I just wanted to ask…was that your mother I saw?”

Khas nodded, slowly. “So?”

“Haven’t seen her here for a lot of years…”

Khas interrupted him, her long day mixed with her mood made the accent come out in her voice. “What’s the point Boss? I gotta git home.”

Boss looked at her. “Now you listen missy. No one talks to me like that! Rosco!”

“Yes Boss?”

“Git in here and take Ms. Dalton to a cell.”

“Huh?” Rosco said, confused. Personally, he thought she’d had enough trauma for one day without Boss giving her more.

“Arrest her.”

“Fer what?”

“For raising her voice to me! Now do yer job. Go, go!”

Balladeer: Now, that was underhanded. Though, this is Boss Hogg we’re talking about.

“I get one call, Rosco.”

“Go ahead. Make it fast.”

Khas picked up the phone and dialed Jesse’s number. A woman answered the phone.

“Hello.”

“Daisy?”

“Yes?”

“It’s Khas. I’m in jail.”

“What!?”

“Boss threw me in jail for raising my voice.”

“He what?” Daisy said, shocked.

“Rosco caught up with me when I got to my car, after visiting my mom.”

“Oh, dear. Well, I’ll be right there.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll git Bo and Luke to come over too.”

“Thanks Daisy. Please hurry, I’m not having a good day.”

“We’ll be right there,” Daisy promised.

Balladeer: Poor Khas. I wonder, what Boss really wants her for…