Garrett Duke

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...

He's had some rotten luck this season.

Yes it must. I guess Chris Buesher ended up winning the race today. Every time they race at Michigan, I think of Jeff Gordon. That was his favorite race track.

Yeah I've been failing at it. They are racing at Michigan this weekend. Chase Elliott wrecked out in the first segment...and it is now postponed until tomorrow (Monday) due to rain. Boo. LOL