by: Marty Chrisman

Jessie Duke scattered the grain on the ground, as the anxious hens clucked loudly, anxious to be fed. Jessie was the patriarch of the Duke Family. Jessie was in his early sixties with shaggy white hair and full white beard. In spite of his age and the wrinkles on his face, Jessie was still as spry and active as ever. He was dressed in his usual attire, a pair of faded bib overalls and a red hunting cap.

The Duke family had lived on this land and in Hazzard County for five generations. Jessie lived on the farm with his niece, Daisy, and his two nephews, Bo and Luke. The three cousins had lived with Jessie since they were little things. Luke was the first one to come to live with Jessie and his wife, Martha. He had only been two years old when his parents were killed in a fire. Bo had come next, two years later, after his parents were killed in a car accident. He had only been 4 months old. Daisy had been the last one to come to live on the farm. She had come 4 years after Bo and was six years old at the time. Her father had been killed in a mining accident when she was a baby and her mother had recently died from cancer. Jessie and Martha, who had never been blessed with children of their own, had taken them in and loved as if they were their own. When  Martha died, after over 35 years of marriage, Jessie would have gone crazy if it hadn’t been for them kids.

For years Jessie had supported his family by supplementing the meager income from the farm by making and selling the best moonshine in three counties. Making moonshine was a Duke family tradition, a trade he had taught the boys at a young age. As they grew older, the boys had helped more and more with the “family business”, finally helping deliver the shine to their loyal customers. When the boys were busted making a run and were looking at some serious time in prison, Jessie made a deal with the U.S. of A government. He would never make or transport moonshine again if his boys could come home instead of going to prison. The government agreed and Jessie had kept his word. He had never made another drop of shine since then. (Although he still kept a few jugs around for use in an emergency. Ya see, shine is not only good for drinking but also very good at numbing pain and sterilizing deep wounds.)

Jessie glanced up from feeding the chickens as a black car pulled into the dirt driveway from the main road. Now Jessie knew every car in Hazzard County. And he knew that this was a car he had never seen before. He watched as the car pulled up beside his battered white pickup and the driver turned off the engine. The car door opened and a young woman in her mid twenties stepped out from behind the wheel. She was dressed casually in a pair of denim jeans and a plaid shirt. Her golden brown hair hung down the middle of her back in a single braid. Even from the distance that separated them, Jessie sensed something familiar about the young woman.

As she walked towards him and he got a closer look at that gorgeous face and those eyes, eyes that had seemed so out of place in the face of a little child but eyes that fit perfectly in the face of the young woman before him, Jessie realized with a start who she was.

“Kelly!” he cried out with a huge grin on his face.

“Hi, Uncle Jessie” Kelly said, a nervous edge creeping into her voice. She smiled bravely, not sure what to expect.

Jessie didn’t hesitate. He sat down the bucket of chicken feed and pulled her into his arms, giving her a huge bear hug. “Welcome home, child.” He said in a quiet, soothing voice. For years the Dukes had been afraid that Kelly was dead, just like her mother, and buried somewhere in the woods that had surrounded the shack where she had lived with her parents. It had been over ten years since she had disappeared, the same night that both of her parents had died. Jessie stepped back; placing his hands on her shoulders “Well, let me take a look at you.” He grinned broadly “You definitely have grown up.” Kelly laughed. Jessie always did have a way with words. “Well, let’s go inside so we can visit.” He put a hand on Kelly’s elbow, leading her into the house.

Kelly stepped through the back door and into the kitchen of the three bedroom farmhouse. Nothing had changed. Everything was exactly the way she remembered it. It still felt like home. She sat down at the kitchen table while Jessie got a pitcher of lemonade out of the refrigerator and two glasses out of the cabinet above the kitchen sink. “So,” Jessie said, as he poured a glass of lemonade and sat it on the table in front of her “You just here for a visit or are you home to stay?”

“To stay, I guess. I bought a place over on Cripple Creek Road.” Kelly told him

“So you’re the one who bought that place. Everybody in Hazzard has been wondering who bought it and when they was fixing on moving in.”

“I didn’t know for sure myself until a few weeks ago that I was really coming back.” Kelly explained tentatively. “And I didn’t really want anybody knowing right away.”

Jessie nodded, understanding just as he always had. Jessie didn’t push. Whatever story Kelly had to tell, she would tell it her own way and in her own time when she was ready. “Well, I know them kids of mine are sure gonna be tickled to see you.”  He told her with a chuckle.

“You mean they’re not all married by now with a house full of kids?” Kelly asked with a laugh

“Not them young ‘uns” Jessie scoffed “Daisy’s got more beaus then she can count and I don’t know when them two boys are ever gonna settle down.”

“Sounds like not much has changed around here.”

“Not much ever changes in Hazzard.” Jessie agreed with a chuckle “Everybody just gets a little older that’s all.”

“I think that’s one of the things I missed the most.” Kelly told him “Being able to count on some things staying the same.”

“As far as I’m concerned, you’re still a part of this family.” Jessie told her, instinctively knowing that was what she needed to hear. “And you always till be. No matter what.”

Kelly lowered her gaze and took a sip of her lemonade. She felt the tears burning in her eyes and she didn’t want Jessie to see them. She knew that he would never ask her probing questions that she wasn’t ready to answer yet. That had never been Jessie’s way.

“Can you stay for awhile?’ Jessie asked her “The kids should be back soon.”

“I can’t I have some things I need to do.” Kelly told him, shoving back her chair and rising to her feet. It was a little white lie but she knew if she didn’t leave she was gonna bust out bawling like a little kid. And she wasn’t sure if she was up to seeing Daisy and the boys right yet.

“Well, then you’ll just have to come back for supper and I won’t take no for an answer.” Jessie told her firmly. He smiled gleefully “Be a nice surprise for them young ‘uns to have some unexpected company tonight”

Jessie walked Kelly back outside, standing on the back porch and watching as she climbed into her car and drove away. He wondered what it was going to be like in Hazzard now that she was back. He had a feeling that she was definitely going to stir things up. He smiled faintly as he walked back into the house, as for Jessie, he felt like his family was finally complete again.