Garrett Duke

Concert

Garrett watches the local mechanic from afar in the old hot garage. Standing in the shadows with this his arms folded across his chest, agitated that he was forced to take his beloved car to his brother's and cousin's best friend. It felt like he was taking his baby to the enemy. The mechanic slowly stands up from looking under the hood. "Well," he drawls as he wipes his greasy hands onto a greasy rag as he turns around to face Garrett, "looks like I'll have to order a part for him." Garrett rolls his hardened eyes at the mechanic and forcefully inhales. "Tell me something I already don't know," he angrily states, "I told you that when I called you and you said that you didn't have the part I asked you for." Cooter shakes his head in frustration. "And I told you," he forcefully says, "that I wanted to check to see it's the correct part that is needed so I don't order and pay for the wrong part only to have to order and pay for another one." Garrett stares at him for a long moment until Cooter steps back and looks away with unease. "As if I don't know what's wrong with my OWN car. Or anything about working on cars," Garrett snaps at Cooter, "I may not be one of your friends at the farm with an ugly orange car, but I do know a thing about cars. Probably more than them!" "I. . .I'm not saying you don't," Cooter stammers, "I just thought it wouldn't hurt to check." Garrett sarcastically laughs. "What you mean," he pauses dramatically, "is that you wanted to check what I got to tell your boys what they're up against. Well, you can tell them," Garrett takes an intimidating step towards Cooter who takes a step back and bumps into the tools hanging on the wall, "that my driving ability is just as perfect and powerful as Spitting Cobra here is." Garrett angrily spits on the floor. "We both know you wouldn't be second guessing their mechanical skills with that orange car. Don't be questioning mine!" Cooter shakes his head. "I don't know what you mean," he states before looking out the open garage door as if looking for help. Seeing none he looks back at Garrett who closes the hood of the car, "I'm a mechanic. That's all. I just wanted to get the right part for you." "Well good," Garrett gives Cooter an evil smile as he digs his keys out from his jean pocket, "get the damn part fast and let me know when it comes in. I'll come pay you for it and pick it up and put it in my car. Myself." Cooter silently nods as Garrett throws open the door and gets in behind the steering wheel before slamming the door shut, the loud noise echoing off the weak wooden walls of the garage. After a long moment, Cooter inhales deeply before stepping closer to the closed door and shakes his head at Garrett. "You know what," he boldly states with a smile, "I can't do that." His smile broadens as he sees anger rush deeply in Garrett's eyes. "You want to come in here all hot headed and yell at me, well you do you." He throws his hands up in defeat. "I hope you feel better getting all that out of your system. But." he goes quiet momentarily in disbelief of himself standing up to Garrett's well known anger. "I don't have to take it. I won't take it. Nor will Bo, Luke, Daisy, or Jesse. They don't deserve it. I don't deserve it. So," he pauses and points outside of his shadowy garage, "you can take your ugly and rude self and car out of my garage and find your part somewhere else. Because you won't find it or get it here." Garrett stares at him in disbelief as he takes a cigarette out and lights it before blowing smoke into Cooter's face. "You're pretty proud of yourself right now, aren't you?" Garrett gives Cooter a cold smile, "Well. Unlike Bo and Luke, I'm not on probation. I'm not limited to your trashy garage. I just thought I'd come to you to support local business. Ya know?" Garrett shrugs as he exhales more smoke into Cooter's face, "But I'll be glad to take my money elsewhere and support someone who gives a damn." "Get out. Now!" Cooter yells, "Or I'll get Sheriff Coltrane here to slap his cuffs on you and you'll be joining your BROTHER on probation for some real charges!" "It's funny," Garrett states starting his car, "how you and your boys dislike the sheriff when it's convenient, but the second things don't go your way, it's I'm going to the sheriff." Garrett sarcastically laughs as he backs out into the bright summer sun before pulling out into the road and driving back to his apartment. Cue Roger

Well y'all there's nothing like waiting to the last race of the regular season to win a spot into the Chase...which I hope is what Chase is doing. Daytona is Saturday night. The last race of the regular season. Next week the Chase starts. Chase HAS To WIN IT to get into the CHASE. Or he'll be on the outside looking in. I definitely wouldn't save my chances for Daytona to win to get in with all the big wrecks and all...and we all know how lousy Chase's luck has been this season. How did we get to the end of the regular season so quickly? Shouldn't it be the Daytona 500...and not the regular Daytona race? LOL. At least at the Daytona 500 there was hope...now that hope is dimming out pretty quick. But if there is one thing being a die hard Cubs fan has taught me...is to never give up hope. But I'm not holding my breath. Win or lose, Chase will be my favorite driver that is currently driving. I'm loyal like that. Even Jeff Gordon had a season where he wasn't able to make the Chase. Now that was a lousy year! LOL. But as y'all know, he's always will be my favorite NASCAR driver.

Daisy watches her uncle eat silently for a long moment as she is over come with worry and sadness for her uncle. He has been working so hard and so long lately and has been stressing and worrying over the bills that keep piling up and the money that they don't have. A shiver runs down her body as she hears her uncle's soft voice filled with fear, sadness, and tears, in her head, as he had told her the other day that he doesn't know if they will even be able to pay next month's mortgage and that they might as well as start packing now. She can't imagine a life outside of the Duke farm and doesn't want to and yet she doesn't have a choice. Worse yet, is seeing her strong and proud uncle living in fear of losing the farm he has worked so hard to keep and to make it continue to thrive and know how much this is silently eating him up. The loud pur of the her cousin's beloved race car, breaks her line of thought. She silently sighs, knowing that the boys don't know how close they are to losing the farm and how much it will hurt them when the truth has to come out. As Jesse looks up, Daisy steps to the window and states, "They're here." Cue Roger

Meanwhile across town, Garrett Duke sits in his small apartment, staring at an old magazine he had somehow managed to keep through his move from Atlanta. Only making him to think back to when life was great and where he felt like he belonged. Knew he belonged. He was accepted. His gang was more than just friends. They were his family. Yet here is stuck in this small hicktown where he stands out from everyone else. He can't escape everyone's judgmental stares and the silence that follows him around when he enters the room. Suddenly a knock brings him out of his thoughts and he stares grudgingly at the door. "Yo Garrett," his neighbor across the hall shouts out to remind him he has one friend who seems to get him and accepts him. One. "you gotta open up and see this!" Garrett rolls his eyes. He may be a friend, but he's always so positive and excited, which gets on his nerves. Garrett slowly stands up to walk across the the small hallway and over to his locked door. "Um. I'm not sure I know who you are," he states dryly, "or if I can trust you." "Trust me?" his neighbor's excited voice cracks, "Who bailed you out of jail a year ago when you moved in? It wasn't your family or your supposed friends back home." He once again throws in his face as a constant reminder of how much he owes him. "It was me. I got you out of jail and out of trouble. And you can't trust me? I guess I should have thought twice before trusting you enough to spend my money and time on you." "Relax," Garrett states as he opens the door, "it was a joke. What's got you all excited for?" "Lookie what's in the paper today!" he shoves the Hazzard daily newspaper into Garrett's chest before he walks past him, welcoming himself into his apartment before Garrett slams the door behind him. Holding the paper and turning around to face him, he points to the paper. "Well...look at it Mr. Serious." Garrett rolls his eyes again before he reluctantly looks down at the front page where the short fat commissioner's picture takes half of the front page of the commissioner smugly standing next to an old race car, his trademark cigar clenched in his mouth. Above the picture in thick black bold letters read: Commissioner J.D. Hogg's Annual Car Race is Back! And Bigger and Badder than Ever Before! Winner takes $1,000 Home with the Gold Trophy! $75 Entry fee! "Why you so excited about this?" Garrett slowly asks, "You know something is in it for him and that dimwitted sheriff of his." "You seriously have to ask me that? You got the winning car right outside!" his neighbor shouts excitedly, pointing out the wind, "Think of what you would do with all that money! Heck forget the money," he laughs, "think of the glory rights when you beat your brother and cousin in that ugly orange car!" Garrett raises a gray eye up at that thought. He was sent to Hazzard to find his long lost twin brother his parents had abandoned in hopes of it changing his ways and to keep him out of jail. Or death. Whatever came first. According to his mother. But it has only built resentment and anger within him at everyone. Especially at everyone ranting and raving about the orange car that can't be stopped. Is so much better than every other car. "Or are you afraid of losing to them?" his neighbor jabs at him. "I won't lose to them. Or to anyone," Garrett angrily corrects him as he throws the paper down on his old scratched wooden table. "So you say," his neighbor shrugs as he plops down on Garrett's old torn couch, locking his fingers behind his head, "but no one around here has ever beat them two. Or that car." "Only because I haven't raced them or that ugly car," Garrett snaps back him before slowly sitting down on a wooden kitchen table chair. "Well...this is your time to prove yoself, Garrett," he intentionally uses Garrett's street language on him with a big confident smile, "to the town. To your family. To yourself." Garrett sarcastically laughs. "I don't have to prove nothing to myself. I already know that I'm better than anyone. My car is better than any other car," he dryly states shaking his head. "But Roy." "Roy's in the house!" Roy grins wildly at Garrett. "Don't remind me," Garrett rolls his stormy gray eyes at him. "Well what's your but Roy about?" Roy questions confidently. "Why are you so excited about this?" Garrett slowly questions as he grabs a cigarette off the table and points at the paper with the cigarette before lighting it, "Why you want me to enter it? Why not you?" Roy laughs hysterically for a moment before calming down to wave the smoke away from his face. "Well bro," he throws the street language at Garrett, "you know I can't drive worth nothing for starters. I don't have a fast car. Nor the money to get a race car. But you," Roy points at Garrett with a broad smile, "got that nice looking Mustang sitting out back that could leave any other car in the dust." Garrett shrugs it off before smashing out his cigarette out in a can. "Yeah maybe so," he dryly responds, "but why you so excited about me entering this so called race? What's in it for you?" "Hey now. I'm your friend...we support each other," Roy smiles mockingly, "plus, I want to be part of Hazzard history when that orange car has found some decent competition out on the race track! As for me," he shrugs, "I'll be riding shot gun...along for the ride!" Garrett slowly nods at the idea. "Well," he finally states, "I got nothing better to do while I'm stuck in your hicktown...I might as well as show them what I got!" "Dang right!" Roys states energetically, "Show them what you are made of!" Cue Roger

Bo's older cousin, Luke, silently glares at him for a long moment before looking at the poster himself. Luke: "Well before you go putting your cart before the horse, hotshot, in order to win the race you first have to enter the race. Where you going to get the money for this so called race? Ya know Uncle Jesse's already stressing over money and Daisy's stressing over how to get food. How you going to get the money to enter that there race?" Cue Roger Duke

I totally agree with you Roger.

beds

Skunk

Insect (I really liked it better when we were talking about cats and dogs...LOL)

I beg to differ. Denver and Jimmie were pretty good looking in their day. Not sure about Sorrel. I haven't seen any early day pictures of him. (I say this as Garrett's author, who is female, and not Garrett. Garrett just likes their acting abilities and who they represent. LOL)

I like the end of Carnival of Thrills....but I hate the boys fighting and not getting along.

That would be fun :).

That sounds like a great story, Roger!

He totally would! The boys would love him!

It looked like it for real. I didn't think a mouse could bleed that much. LOL

Funny you should mention mice...I'm house sitting for my parents dog and cats and just found half of a mouse (I'll leave it at that...LOL) it's not exactly what I signed up for. HA. Small

Cats (Dogs and cats make me happy. Was going to say dogs, but we just had dog...LOL)

That's a great explanation! I love it!

He's only got two races to get his way into the Chase...talk about waiting to the last minute.

walk

Michael McDowell got to kiss the bricks at Indy yesterday. Chase Elliott came in second. Oh sooooo close, Chase!

Race

I was going to say that I don't think Uncle Jesse could make a bad batch of shine if he tried.

It's got to change sometime...