Life's About Changes

[B.L. Davenport]

Note: Thank you Dixie Davenport for letting me borrow Dixie and Luther…This is a standalone and not connected to or meant to foreshadow other stories with Dixie in them.

Balladeer: Well lookie there, looks like Hazzard is getting a couple new residents.

BL Davenport with a red duffle on her shoulder, followed a middle aged woman and her father Clyde Davenport up the boarding house stairs. “This is my largest room, it’s got a small kitchen,bathroom,livingroom and 2 small bedrooms. I hope you and your daughter like it, Mr. Davenport,” Harriet Crump said. “Thank you,Mrs Crump, I’m sure we will like it just fine,” Clyde replied. The boarding house wasn’t his first choice in living arrangements but after losing his wife, BL’s mother a few months ago it was the best he could do quickly. He had, had to get BL somewhere she might be happy again.  Her older brother LB had been all for it, his little sister always so bright and happy was becoming a stranger.  “I’ll leave you to get settled, Harriet, said , shutting the door on her way out. “Which bedroom do you want?” Clyde asked BL as they looked in each room. “Don’t matter, the right one,” BL replied halfheartedly. 

After getting settled Clyde suggested, “how about we walk down to the garage, see what your cousins are upto?” “Ok,” BL replied with more enthusiasm. She hoped her cousin Dixie,Cooter’s sister who was visiting for the summer, was around and maybe Daisy, Bo and Luke Duke would be there too.

Balladeer: Looks like BL’s gettin’ her wish, looks like everybody’s here.

At the garage, BL seen the guys looking under a tarp at something and was about to ask them where Daisy and Dixie were at, when Daisy came over and hugged her, “I can’t believe it, I’ll finally have another girl around. Dixie told me, you moved to Hazzard.” “Yeah, me and Daddy are staying at the boarding house, just until he can find us a house,” BL replied. “Hey can ya’ll come to the house for a sleepover? Dad won’t mind,” Dixie said. “Dad won’t mind what?,” Luther Davenport asked, from inside the garage. “BL and Daisy spending the night at the farm," Dixie replied, giving Luther puppy dog eyes and a sweet smile. “Yeah sure they can,” Luther replied, he knew how hard a time BL was having right now and he could see that being with Dixie and Daisy was doing her good. The three boys fixed the tarp back and came over to where the girls were, Cooter giving BL’s ponytail a playful tug said “hey squirt.” BL scowled “don’t call me squirt.” “Hey BL,” Bo and Luke said at the same time. “Hey ya’ll,” BL replied. Jesse Duke pulled into the lot, parking his white pickup, beside the open bay door. Getting out, joining Clyde at the soda machine, the two men shaking hands, “I’m sorry about your wife passing. How are you and the young'uns holding up?” Jesse asked, knowing himself just how hard it was to lose the love of your life. “Thank you Jesse. We’re gettin by, LB is staying busy at his job in Central City. Me and BL just moved to the boarding house here in town little while ago.” Clyde said. Clearing his throat he continued “she needed away, poor kid was barely eating and she didn’t care about nothing anymore. That’s the first time I’ve seen her look happy in weeks,” Clyde waved his hand toward the group of youngsters. 

Daisy ran up to Jesse “BL’s moving to Hazzard Uncle Jesse!” Daisy said. “I know, Clyde told me,” Jesse replied to his excited niece.  Dixie wants me to spend the night at her house with them, can I? Daisy asked. “Yes, as long as it's ok with her Daddy,” Jesse said. “He said it was ok,” Daisy replied. The boys were inside the garage now, making their own plans for the night, since it seemed the girls were taking over the Davenport farm, they decided to stay at the garage in the rooms upstairs.

At the Davenport farm the girls had cooked themselves a small frozen pizza for each of them and taken them to Dixie’s room to eat while they listened to the Oak Ridge Boys playing at The Grand Ole Opry, on the radio. “Dixie, I just got a wrecker call out on Crabapple Lane, I’ll be back in a little while,” Luther called up the stairs. Dixie took Daisy and BL’s empty paper plates “I’ll take these to the kitchen, be back in a sec” “Ok Dad,” Dixie said on her way to the kitchen.

At the garage the guys were looking at car magazines and eating corn dogs, they had pooled their money and Bo had run over to the Busy Bee Cafe. “Mmm this is some machine Cooter said, showing Bo and Luke a picture of a Ford Mustang. The cousins nodded yes in agreement.

Back at the Davenport farm the girls were listening to records and playing monopoly. “Collect $50 from each player,” BL read the chance card. “I passed GO, so I get another $200 from the bank,” BL said. “Get out of jail free,” Dixie read her community chest, laying it beside her property cards.

Balladeer: They’re gonna want a lifetime supply ofthem cards one of these days, I bet.

Daisy got doubles when she rolled the dice “I get to roll again,” Daisy said, giving the dice another roll, landing on free parking, collecting the money in the pot. The game was still going when Luther came back around midnight, taking a shower then going to his room going to bed. Sleeping wasn’t easy with the girls making so much noise next door “hold it down ladies, I have to work tomorrow!” Luther called through the wall.

“Sorry Dad,” Dixie called back. Finishing their monopoly game, the girls went to bed.

Balladeer:Looks like a night with the girls is just what BL needed.

At the garage Saturday morning Clyde pulled his truck into the parking lot, seeing the girls at the desk he said, “come give me a hand girls, I brought breakfast”. All three girls met him at the truck “ what’d you bring?” BL asked as he turned to get something from the seat. “Doughnuts and coffee and hot chocolate for you girls,” Clyde replied, handing each a box of doughnuts. After breakfast Luke and Bo took the girls back to the Duke farm with them and the Davenport men got to work at the garage.

A few days later found Clyde at the Hazzard Realtors office after getting off work at his job in Central City. He was looking for a small place out away from town, for him and BL. “I’d like to take these 3 property listings with me, if I may. I want to look over them some more before deciding if I want a tour for myself and my daughter,” Clyde said. Of course Mr Davenport, I’ll make you a copy,” replied Sally Sue Jefferson, walking over to the copy machine.

A week later Sally Sue, Clyde and BL gathered on the front porch of one of the listings, Sally Sue unlocked the door saying, “it was built in the mid 1900’s. Have a look around if you have any questions. I'll be in the kitchen, working on some paperwork.” Clyde and BL spent the next 45 minutes exploring the small but comfortable 3 bedroom, one story house.Coming to the kitchen, Clyde asked “when can I sign the papers?” Sally Sue shuffled through the paperwork in front of her “now if you like, I have them right here,” Sally Sue replied. Clyde sat down at the card table to read the terms of the sale, BL leaned over his shoulder. Taking the pen from his pocket, Clyde signed on the line, handing the papers back to Sally Sue. “Thank you Mr. Davenport,” Sally Sue said. 

“C’mon lets go tell your Uncle and cousins about the house,” Clyde said as he walked toward his pickup. “Daddy can I invite Dixie and Daisy to stay the night, next weekend? Dixie has to go back to her Mama in a couple weeks, in time for school to start,” BL said on the way to the garage.”Sure baby, I was going to ask Luther,Cooter,Jesse and the boys if they’d help us move in and then stay for supper. I’m planning on grilling,” Clyde replied.

At the garage Clyde went over to where his brother and nephew were elbow deep in a patrol car. “Hey Uncle Clyde,” Cooter greeted. “Clyde,” Luther acknowledged more than greeted. BL had disappeared into the office with Dixie. “Hey Dix, think Uncle Luther will let you stay the night with me next Saturday night?” BL asked. “Probably,” Dixie replied. Outside, Clyde told his nephew and brother about the house, “can ya’ll give me and LB a hand, movin next Saturday? I figure we can do it just as good and cheaper with the pickups, instead of renting a big truck or hiring movers.”

Moving day at 7am Clyde’s pickup pulled into the drive at his house in Central City followed by Luther in his blue pickup, behind him was Cooter in his green pickup, and Jesse,Bo,Luke and Daisy in Jesse’s white pickup. LB was coming out of the house, headed to his black pickup with a big box “thought I was gonna have to move all this by myself”. Everybody gave him a look as they went in the house to pack stuff so it could be moved. 

In BL’s room the girls had a white trash bag each, so they could keep good stuff going to the orphanage separate from stuff that was garbage. Daisy was going through the closet “does this go or keep?” Daisy asked, holding up a jumper. BL looked up from where she knelt by the wooden toy box, she was too old for toys now, so was giving them to the orphanage; “it goes, I don’t really wear it,” BL replied. Dixie was bagging the stuffed animals. Everybody worked until noon, when Luke ran up town to get them all some lunch from the Whistle Stop Cafe. As soon as they finished lunch, the 5 pickups headed out back to Hazzard with the last loads. At the new house once everything was unloaded, Clyde got his grill off the back porch and got it lit, promising supper would be ready when Luther, Jesse and the boys got back from doing their evening chores. When the others got back the corn on the cob, baked beans, pork chops and the baked/grilled potatoes were almost ready. “Just in time, the potatoes will be done in about 8 minutes,” Clyde said. Dixie and Daisy took their sleeping bags in the house to BL’s room. When they came back out, everybody fixed their plates and then sat down at the picnic table, except the girls who opted to sit on the porch steps and hold their plates on their laps.  “Mighty good pork chops, Clyde,” Jesse said. The others at the table agreed. Everybody was enjoying the good food and good company but it was getting late, the 4 boys headed out to the Davenport farm. Luther stayed to help cleanup, which wasn’t bad because everything was disposable. Jesse got in his pickup cranking it he said “Clyde, Luther ya’ll and the kids come to Sunday lunch tomorrow, we’re having fried chicken with all the fixin’s.” “Thank ya Jesse we will,” Luther spoke for all the Davenports. Clyde usually would have raised a fuss at Luther for speaking for him but he didn’t have his kitchen,ready to use yet. 

After everybody left, the girls got ready for bed but wasn’t sleepy so they were talking, “are ya’ll ready to go back to school?” BL asked. “I am kinda, I’m hopin’ Larry notices me,” Daisy said. Larry was the boy she’d had a crush on since 6th grade. “I’m not, I’m nervous about being in the highschool,” BL said. “It'll be ok honey, I was nervous my first day of 7th grade too “ Daisy replied. “I want to join 4-H, why don’t you join too BL, it’ll be fun,” Daisy added. “Wish I was going to be with ya’ll but I have to go home next week and my friends probably wouldn’t do it with me,” Dixie sighed. “Maybe your Mom will let you stay with Uncle Luther, it’d cut out those long distance phone calls,” BL grinned, saying hopefully. “Maybe,” Dixie replied but she had her doubts that her Mom would say yes. 

Next morning instead of breakfast and then going to church, Clyde decided to take the girls out for breakfast since everything he needed to cook with was still packed, “how about we go out for breakfast, girls? Clyde asked, poking his head in BL’s room. His suggestion was met with yes and that’d be great! On the way Clyde listened to the girls chatter but wasn’t really paying attention to ‘what’ they were saying, he was thinking about how right the decision to move to Hazzard had been. Dixie broke into his thoughts, “do you think Mama will let me move here with Daddy now? She’s always said I was too little but I ain’t little nomore.” Clyde looked over at his niece replying “I don’t know sugar, you’ll just have to talk to your Mama and see.” After breakfast they went back home for the girls to get their sleeping bags before going to the Duke farm for lunch, even though Daisy’s bed was big enough for all 3 girls they were sleeping in sleeping bags on Daisy’s bedroom floor.

At the Duke farm, Jesse Duke was frying the last of the chicken while the biscuits browned when Clyde and the girls arrived. “You girls can put your sleeping bags in Daisy’s room, then I need your help Daisy,” Jesse said. “Ok, just a minute, Uncle Jesse” Daisy replied. Luther and Cooter’s pickups drove up as Daisy and the Davenport girls was putting ice in glasses and about to start carrying lunch outside to the picnic table. The boys went toward the barn, while Luther came in the house, sitting at the table with Clyde, “afternoon Jesse,Clyde” Luther said.

BALLADEER: Mmm don’t that look GOood!

After a lunch of fried chicken, biscuits, white gravy, green beans, fried potatoes and peach cobbler for dessert, Jesse and the Davenport brothers sat on the front porch talking while the boys headed out for a night of camping. LB was the only one not in school still but he’d taken the day off work to spend with his cousin and friends. Luther had given Cooter the day off, because it was the last week of summer break. The girls cleaned up the kitchen and went to Daisy’s room. That night the girls were in their sleeping bags talking into the wee hours, Jesse got up to go to the bathroom and heard them talking quietly. He looked in on them incase something was wrong or one of them was sick “you girl alright?”Jesse asked. “No sir, we was just talking, '' Daisy replied. “It’s late, nomore talking now, good night” Jesse said firmly but gently so he didn’t sound mad. “Yes sir” Daisy said, all three said “good night Uncle Jesse.

Thursday afternoon about 2 o’clock Luther headed across the garage parking lot, whistling a tune. He was enrolling Dixie at Hazzard County High while Cooter was renting his locker. It had been no easy feat to convince his wife to let Dixie transer to Hazzard. She didn’t want her little ‘lady’ raised by ‘wolves’, which was what she’d said Dixie being raised by men would be like but thanks to wise words from Jesse and deep respect for his opinion she had agreed, ‘c’mon you two, let’s run over to the school while things are slow here,” Luther said. At the school Daisy and BL were going up the front steps,

BALLADEER: That girl’s full of surprises….

 when Dixie tapped them each on the shoulder “guess who’s staying in town?,” Dixie said. “Dixie!,” BL and Daisy said together, hugging her.