He'll San Francisco
Chapter Four
By A Shot of Amber
Just remember this story is set in the summer of 1967. Also please remember to read and review or send all comments, questions, suggestions, and flames to Thank you!
San Francisco
Chapter Four
We arrived in camp around dusk, maybe around 8pm that night just like Tim had predicted. By this time Rei and Serena were awake and looking around excitedly. All around us small camp fires burned with people sitting around them talking and smoking. Some women were dancing to the music of make shift bands, their skirts fluttering around their thin bodies. Tents had been pitched from what looked like army cloth because of the black lettering that designated it to the U.S Army.
" Isn't it beautiful?" Serena whispered looking out my window with me. I could hardly call it beautiful. It looked dirty with the dust rising from the ground and the clouds of smoke rising from the fires. It looked exactly what I thought a hippie camp would look like but Serena still seemed excited. She was clutching my arm tightly in her happiness. I knew I would be an outsider in this camp but she seemed to have forgotten as we pulled up next to another van like ours with a giant red peace sign on the door and a beat up old school bus behind it.
" Well girls, we've made it," Tim sighed turning off the engine.
I looked out the window at the camp we had pulled up to. A fire was burning in a small hole in the ground and around it sat two men and a girl who was reading from a book. Sitting in the van a girl with long brown hair was weaving a wreath of flowers together while another girl danced in the night. She looked a lot like Serena with the long blond hair but hers was longer and she was dressed differently. They could have been twins though with their identical hair and blue eyes.
Serena was the first to alight from the van, she pushed past me and threw open the door so she could jump down. Instantly everyone stopped what they were doing as she ran up to them.
" Moon!" The brown haired girl cried setting down her wreath and climbing out of the van to run over to the girl. They both hugged, crying joyfully of not seeing each other in so long. The others were appearing to. A rather clean cut looking boy dressed in blue jeans a ripped t shirt. The other man was older with a shaggy brown hair that fell into his eyes. He also wore blue jeans and the regulation green army t-shirt that I would be wearing this fall. Somewhere in the pile of clothes near to the fire lay his army fatigue jacket. I knew he had one. It would fit him so well. The girl with the long brown hair was tall, she wasn't very attractive but she was tall, about as tall as me and thin. She had stick like arms that protruded from the sleeves of her green dress. To me she was probably the mother of the group with her looks and the air of serenity around her. Then there was the other girl, a blond girl with a wild exuberant look about her like Serena. She came running over from where she had been dancing and swooped Serena up into a hug. Together the two of them looked alike, both with long stick straight blond hair except the girl's hair was longer and she wore a different dress, an off white dress with a long brown vest that reached to her ankles and was done up with embroidery.
" Moon your here!" The blond girl cried letting go of Serena and looking her over. " You look thinner, did New York treat you good?"
" It treated me very well, I ate enough to look like Twiggy. What do you think? Can I pass for a real hippie now?"
The blond girl laughed and nodded. " You sure can!" Then her eye caught me standing by the van with my feet shuffling in the dust and my hands in my pockets. "Who's that?" The others looked up to to see me standing there and once again I was embarrassed to be seen in my new clothes like I was an imposter in their sacred circle.
" That is Darien. He's going to join us on our trip to San Francisco," Rei replied.
" His father wants to make him into a baby killer but we are going to change that and make him one of us," Serena added letting go of the blond girl and walking over to me. She grabbed my arm and led me to the group. " Everyone this is Darien. We picked him up to join us on our mission to end this war. Darien this is the group." She began to point to each person as she gave me their name. " This is Mina but we call her Arapohdite," she said pointing to the blond girl she had just been hugging.
Arapohdite smiled and winked at me. " If your baby killer then I can't trust you but if you are willing to join us on our trip then you have my heart."
Serena grinned and moved on to the tall brunette girl standing behind Arapohdite. " This is our resident mother Lita also known as Flower since she loves flowers."
Lita smiled at me and nodded her head but did not say anything.
" This is Ken who we call Coyote and Chad also known as Dancing Wolf because he can be silent like the wolf and he likes to dance." Chad and Ken looked me over once then smiled as if I had passed their test. " And last we have River," she pointed to a slender girl with short hair who was holding a book in her hand and was dressed in a soft blue tie dye dress with a blue head band around her forehead. She stepped forward and held out her hand to me which I shook.
" It is very nice to meet you," she said softly stepping back into the crowd and almost disappearing again. I could tell that she would be the quiet member of the group.
" And of course you know our wonderful leader and Fire who rode with us down here." Serena smiled up at me as she finished introducing the group. " These our the people we will be riding with on our trip to San Francisco." She turned back to the group. " Everyone we need to give Darien a name so he can truly be one of us!"
" Moon its not that easy to choose a name for someone who is so new to us. Give it time and a name will come to him," Tim gently interrupted. " In the mean time we will enjoy the night and welcome our newest member into the arms of our clan." Tim looked at me, a smile showing under his beard. " For now though we are hungry and could use some food. It has been awhile since we last ate."
Lita suddenly sprang into action and turned with a swirl of her skirt turned back to the van where the food obviously was. Serena led me towards the fire and directed me to sit down on the mats that had been placed in a circle around it. I did sit and she sat next to me while Rei moved away to talk to Chad who obviously looked happy at her arrival. Mina helped Lita get the food while Tim and Ken sat once again at the fire. Ami had set down her book and was pulling plates out cardboard box.
" We are not true hippies," Ken, Coyote, said as I watched Ami pull out three tin plates. " We do bath and wear different clothes for different days and we do eat off plates and use silverware but that is where the normal world ends."
Lita picked up where Ken left off. " We live under the stars. Tonight we'll sleep on blankets spread under the stars and tomorrow we will be off, headed farther west towards California." She took the plates from Ami and began piling food on them. " I'm guessing you are not used to this way of life."
I looked over at Serena who was watching Lita with hooded eyes but when she didn't say anything I spoke up instead. " No, I'm not really a part of this sort of lifestyle. I met Serena and the others when they came to the ice cream place where I was hanging out with my friends."
" He was a soul yearning to escape," Serena added. " His father wants to turn him into a baby killer. In fact he is going to be a baby killer. He has to report for basic training in a few weeks in California."
Tim and Ken both looked up from their side conversation while Mina bit her bottom lip as she knelt to hand me a plate of food. The others were silent until Lita spoke up. " I'm sorry that the food is not hot but knowing Tim I figured you were to hungry to care." With that my being a future baby killer was forgotten as Mina handed Serena her plate then backed away back towards where Lita stood.
I didn't say anything to bring back the conversation but instead looked down at my plate of food. On it was a couple chicken legs obviously baked over a fire, a cob of corn, and diced potatoes. I was suddenly ravenously hungry as I remembered our scant meal on the road of hard bread and peanut butter. Serena must have been hungry to because she was already eating. I too began to eat, taking the silverware Ami handed me and starting in on the potatoes. Lita picked up her wreath of flowers and sat with Mina next to her inside the van and went back to work. Rei soon joined us and took up her own plate of food while Chad wondered off, probably towards one of the many other fires burning all around us. When I had finished my last chicken leg Lita got up and took my plate away from me.
" We'll wash these in the river tomorrow when daylight comes back."
I nodded and watched her place the empty plate in the van before turning back to me. She seemed to be studying me critically but suddenly she smiled. " I see that you are wearing a string of love beads. Who gave them to you?"
My gaze flew down to the love beads around my neck but Serena spoke for me. "I did," she replied giving Lita the hint of a smile. Lita smiled back, a new understanding in her eyes but before she could reply music was coming from behind us. It came closer as we all turned to look. Chad was running back towards with others streaming forward behind him.
" Hey guys I brought the music!" He called as four men carrying instruments made of wood came up behind him and set up in the grass. Mina clapped her hands together and jumped out of the van while Lita set down her flowers and followed her into the grass where the others were mingling in groups. The musicians began to play their instruments and quite before I knew it everyone was dancing. Mina had grabbed Serena's hand and pulled her into the dark night away from the campfire where together they danced with the hypnotizing sound of the music. I was left alone by the campfire with Tim and Rei who obviously did not dance. But I didn't really see them; my mind was completely on watching Serena and the way her skirt twirled around her legs as she danced. Her blond hair flew away from her body as she turned first one way then the other all the time her hands raised to the sky. She must have seen me though because she suddenly stopped dancing and beckoned me to come forward. At first I shook my head but she beckoned again and smiled in this knowing seductive way. Entranced really by that smile I found myself getting up and walking into the dark to join her.
" Have you ever danced?" She asked taking my hands and placing them on her hips.
" Sure I've danced but not the way you are dancing right now," I replied my voice slightly shaky at the feel of her body underneath my hands. She just smiled again in that seductive way and moved her hips under my hands. " Let go of your inner inhibitions and just dance. Let go of everything and feel like your flying. There are no words to the music, just the beat so let the beat move you." She bent backwards till her long hair touched the ground and swung herself in a circle taking me with her. " Get it?" She asked rising again.
" Yea," I replied not wanting to let go of her. She smiled again and together we began to dance. I would let go of her waist only to take her hand and spin her around and sometimes bring her close to me. It was one of the wildest things I had ever done, to dance with a girl like this under the stars with only the fire light to break the dark. It was also one of the best things I had ever done. We must have danced all night but in truth it was only for a few hours. Finally around 2am by my watch the musicians packed up and went back to their camp. Everyone was still in high moods but sleep was fast catching up on them. Many people said goodnight and followed the musicians through the dark to their own campfires. Soon all that was left was Serena and I. Lita had disappeared to set out blankets, Mina and Ami were already asleep. Serena was looking at the others leaving her, from the slump of her shoulders I could tell she was tired. Her hand in mine was limp. When the last musician disappeared she turned to me.
" Lets go to bed." Even her voice sounded tired. I nodded my head and together we went back to the campfire where Lita sat banking the flames, the others were asleep in various places, Tim was lying on a mat near to the fire, Ami and Ken were asleep in the van. A little farther away Mina and the others lie on a pile of spread out blankets still dressed in their clothes. Serena led me over to them and let go of my hand so she could lie down. I did the same lying down next to her. We were facing each other on our sides. She reached over and took my hand from where it lay on the blanket, interlacing it with her own.
" Are you happy that you came out here?"
I nodded the best I could. " Yea I am."
She smiled. " I'm glad to hear that. I never want you to leave us." Then she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. My eyes were still open and looking at her. I knew that in a few weeks I would be leaving her, I still had my duty and obligation to the United States Army even if I felt a stronger pull towards this girl with the long blond hair and love beads around her neck.
" Wake up Darien."
It was my mother. I was late for school and she was trying to wake me, except I didn't want to get up. I was much too comfortable lying in my bed with the covers over my face.
" Darien wake up." She shook me gently on my shoulder. Go figure she would keep trying. She was always a stickler for making me get up for school. I rolled over onto my back and opened my eyes to a blue sky and white clouds and crouching next to me, Lita dressed in her green dress with a set of beads around her neck. The skin around her eyes crinkled into a smile.
" Good your awake. I was wondering if I had to pour a bucket of water over your head just to get you up."
I blinked once and rubbed my face with both hands. " Yea I'm awake. What's do you want?"
" I wanted you to help me with breakfast. The others are still asleep." She rose to her feet and looked down at me. " Well almost everyone is asleep. Tim is out in the prairie somewhere meditating."
I got up also. Serena still lay next to me asleep, her back to me on the plaid blanket which we lay on. Lita smiled and turned towards the fire which had burned out in the night. I followed her rubbing the sleep from my eyes and easing my aching joints, protesting in pain from sleeping on the hard ground.
" I need you to rebuild the fire for me. It burned out in the night. I would do it but I need to prepare the porridge and I figured you would be needed to do your fair share of work around here so here's your chance." She pointed to the fire then walked over to the van and climbed in to rummage through the boxes in there. I went over to the pile of wood by the back wheel and gathered some small sticks and a few larger logs and carried them over to the fire. I hadn't been a Boy Scout for nothing. Within minutes I had a bright fire burning as Lita climbed out of the van holding a box in her hands. She looked over at the fire and smiled.
" Let me guess, you were a Boy Scout?"
I grinned and stood up. " You guessed right."
" I was a Girl Scout myself. Maybe that's why I get along so good in nature, the girl scouts taught me how."
" Was Serena a Girl Scout?" I asked trying to casually bring her into the conversation.
Lita looked up from the box which she was unpacking and studied me, looking for a hidden meaning. She must have found it because she went back to unpacking while she spoke. " You really seem to have some kind of hold on Moon. This is the first time I've ever known someone of her soul to bring an outsider into our camp. Granted she's only been with us a short time, but from what I've known of her, she hates people of your type because they remind her of her family back home." Lita stood up and placed a frying pan next to the fire.
" If she hates me then why did she bring me?"
Lita shook her head. " No Darien, she doesn't hate you. She hates the type of people you represent. Let me guess your going to be a baby killer?"
" If you mean am I going into the army then your right. I'm due in a few weeks," I replied feeling a little testy.
" I thought so, Moon did mention it last night but I wanted to be sure so I woke you up early so we could talk." She spread out a clean blanket for me to sit on then went back to the van to get some food stuff. When she came back I was sitting on the blanket with my legs crossed looking into the fire. She set down another box containing food and began to rustle through it.
" You know you have some kind of power over Moon."
" What do you mean?" I asked feeling slightly suspicious.
" I mean that I've never seen her so happy before. She seems to glow when she's in your company. Last night I sat and talked with our leader, Tim, and he told me of how you joined the group through Serena's invitation. It makes me think that the feeling between you two is mutual. Especially since you joined a group of people you don't know and are probably against everything your father supports."
She had me there. Dad was completely against the hippies and everything they stood for. He was proud of the war in Vietnam and disgusted by the disgraceful patriotism of today's youth.
" Yet you threw off your father's teachings and joined a group of people with alien ways and ideas completely different from your own and I don't think its because you wanted to be a part of them or you would have joined long before this." Her eyes seemed to wander away from the eggs she was cracking to the place where everyone lay sleeping in blankets. My eyes followed hers to the sleeping profile of Serena lying with her face towards us, her head cradled in one arm. " She must mean a lot to you for you to leave the comfort of your home to travel with a bunch of strangers to San Francisco."
" How can she mean so much to me if I don't even know her?" I asked turning back to Lita who had resumed cracking eggs into a bowl.
" You don't need to completely know a person to fall in love with them." She dropped the last egg shell into a bowl and picked up a fork to beat the eggs while I let those last words sink in. Was I in love with Serena? I had definite affection for her and yea if something ever happened to her I would want to protect her but wouldn't I do that for all the women here? If something happened to Lita or Rei wouldn't I protect them too? I would but I didn't have the affection for them that I had for Serena. Serena was one in a million and the only girl I had ever known to make me feel that she needs to be protected by me as more then a friend but as a personal savior, but I knew. I wasn't in love with her.
" Darien don't let my words get to you like that. I was just speaking my mind and making sure I was right but if I was wrong then I am wrong. Stop running around in circles about this." She got up and poured the beaten eggs into the frying pan. " Instead why don't you help me make breakfast. I have nine hungry people to feed and could really use some help. You'll never understand how hard it is to make food for an army of people until you make it alone."
I smiled and pushed my thought's of Serena into the back of my head. " What do you need me to do?" I asked.
Lita looked up at me. " Do you know how to fry bacon?"
I nodded. She pointed her spatula towards the van behind her. " Somewhere in there there is a box of dried meat. In that box there is some bacon, why don't you bring that out and fry some up for us. Now you'll have to fry up a lot because there is a lot of us but there is no rush since the others won't get up till I wake them up."
I nodded again and got up to rustle through the van while Lita went back to her scrambled eggs. As if in a second thought she stopped again and looked up at me. " We also need to get you a name. You can't be Darien forever you know."
I just nodded and moved past her towards the van. What kind of crazy name could they give me that would possibly be better then the name I already had?
After breakfast made up of scrambled eggs, bacon fried by me, fried potatoes, and toasted bread we packed up our things into the van and the delectated school bus that turned out to belong to Chad. He had bought for a low price from his former high school and fixed it up himself. Inside a lot of the seats had been pulled out and thrown away so there was room to place things that were needed along the way like firewood and boxes of food and cooking utensils. In the front there were a few seats where everyone could sit and of course the driver's seat where Chad would sit driving the bus over bumpy roads and through grassy prairies.
The van belonged to Lita who had bought it when she was younger and was just becoming a hippie. She drove it herself and usually took Ami, Ken and Mina in it with her. Her van contained the food and the cooking supplies that were readily used while the rest where stowed away in Chad's bus.
Then there was Tim's van which was going to hold Serena, Rei, Tim, and I. Tim and I would take turns driving while Rei and Serena relaxed or switched between our van and Chad's bus. Chad was the only one to be driving alone but he didn't seem to mind. Rei told me that he liked to drive alone so he could crank up his music and sing out loud to himself. It turned out Chad was a struggling musician who was always writing songs and strumming on his guitar. He had joined the group because he had no where else to go after his high school graduation. His parents had wanted him to join the army but when he refused they kicked him out. He had been living on the streets for a few months when he met Tim and joined the group. He and Tim were the oldest members of the group and both had been there the longest. I guess you could say Chad was the second in command if you wanted to get technical but the true second leader was Lita who was like the mother of the group. She did all the cooking and cleaning and tried to keep everything in a somewhat civil manner. I had always thought hippies were a dirty lot that never bathed or took care of themselves but when you looked at Lita and the others you saw differently. They were clean, nicely dressed, and took care of themselves. They were nothing like the dirty hippies of my imagination.
When Lita had cleaned up camp and put out the fire we climbed into our respective vehicles and took off waving goodbye to others in the camp. Serena and I sat in the back again among the luggage that they had brought and the guitar case that belonged to Rei. She was waving from her window while I just sat there looking out the front window at the passing scenery of tents being taken down and people packing up boxes. Some where moving farther out west while other's were staying or going east to Washington. We were among the ones going west over dusty roads towards an uncertain future. At least it was an uncertain future for me. I was slowly being accepted into this group of people that I had no idea about.
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