As she drove into the town of Bethel, NY and saw the cars piled up ahead of her she began to have second thoughts. This wasn't like her to take off by herself to go to a 3 day rock festival. But she felt compelled. She had spent so much of her youth with her nose in a book that she was beginning to feel like she wasn't an actual person with her own experiences. So she decided to do something spontaneous, for once. But she brought her Poli Sci paper to work on just in case she had time.
After her car had not moved for some time it became clear that she wasn't going to go anywhere. So she did what everyone else was doing, she parked it, got out and started walking. There were so many people, mostly young adults with flowers in their hair and stars in their eyes. Everyone was happy and kind to each other. The residents of the town had gathered on their lawns and front porches to watch the throngs of young adults as they marched through their town. But instead of being angered by their presence as one might expect, they were really just curious. There had never been this many people at once in their small town before and they were dressed kind of odd and had a lot of hair but there was such a peaceful aura around them. Angela could feel the energy around her, this was a gathering of love. She shouldn't feel so anxious but couldn't shake the feeling she didn't belong. But something kept compelling her to move forward. Although she was against the war, she was too busy with school to really get into the hippie counter-culture, but she wanted to blend in with this crowd. She had on a flowy ankle length dress with a small flower pattern and wore her long honey blonde hair (she recently started dying it from her natural brown color) down with a part in the middle and thin leather headband affixed around the top like a crown. At least she looked the part.
When she got to the gate she was shocked to find that they had been torn down to the ground and people were just marching on in. She kept going as she heard the music reverberating out into the expanse of the farm. Richie Havens was strumming his guitar and singing about freedom. There was a heavy smell in the air of marijuana and as she looked around she was noticing women taking their tops off. What was she doing here? This was crazy. She turned around and started making her way back toward the gate. Maybe she could find a motel room and get some work done on her paper. As her anxiety started to build more she felt the urge to move faster until she was practically running against the current of the crowd. And then she bumped into someone, crashing into him head on. He was holding a drink and she caused him to spill it on himself.
"Hey watch it would ya" He said with frustration but softened the moment he looked into her eyes.
"I'm so sorry" she said, practically in tears.
He didn't know what it was but he felt an instant connection to her, like they had met before. "Aren't you going in the wrong direction?" he asked.
"I'm not sure what I am doing here, I think I want to go," she said.
"Where are your friends?" he asked.
"I'm here alone, I don't know why I did this, I should really try to get back to my car before dark."'
"Don't go yet, I think Sweetwater is up next. You can tag along with us. I'm Tony, what's your name?"
"I'm Angela" she answered shyly. She felt herself starting to relax. He was cute, with tight bell bottom jeans and a tye dye t-shirt. He had thick dark hair that came down to his chin, a dark olive complexion and a smile that made her instantly feel at home.
"I'll tell you what, why don't you come with me and my friends. We have a couple blankets, we are going to try to get a little closer and just relax and enjoy the show. Give it a little time. If you still want to leave, I'll walk you back to your car."
"Ok" she replied. She didn't know why but she instantly felt safe with him and wanted to stay by his side. Coming to the festival alone was not the most brilliant idea. He crooked his arm in a v as an invitation for her to link her arm to him. They made their way arm in arm over the rolling hills through the crowd and found a clear spot to set up. Tony spread out a blanket and his friends set up a spot next to him. He motioned for her to sit and held her hand as she balanced herself down onto the blanket as gracefully as she could. Tony took a seat next to her and she heard one of his friends loudly clear his throat. "Um Ton, who's your new friend here?" the friend asked.
"Oh sorry, Pee-Wee, Philly, this is Angela" he answered. He had completely forgotten that they were there. He hadn't been able to take his eyes off Angela since she bumped into him. She was so beautiful. He had never encountered a girl like her before. She had this quiet grace about her, the way she moved and talked. Her eyes were deep set and dark, and looking into them was like looking into the future somehow. Pee-Wee and Philly had been friends with Tony all through high school and were used to being his wingmen. They could see that he was smitten with her so they gave him a little space to work his charm.
Tony and Angela sat next to each other on the blanket for a while without uttering a word to each other. They sat there with their arms grazing and enjoyed the music, occasionally looking at each other with a shy smile. Someone passed them a joint, Angela didn't want to seem like a square so she pretended to take a puff and passed it on. Not that it mattered much anyway, the air was so thick with smoke and she couldn't help but breathe it in. She started to feel much more relaxed. She looked at Tony and started to giggle. Her giggle was infectious and started Tony laughing as well. This seemed to do the trick to break the ice and open up conversation again.
"So tell me Angela, what brings you to Woodstock all alone?" he asked.
"I'm not sure, this is so unlike me. I felt like I needed to do something a little wild for once. I'm two years into college and I haven't even attended a frat party. I spend all my time studying, " she answered.
"Well, I'm glad you did." he said while making direct eye contact with her. The way he looked at her was intense, and it made her stomach do a flip.
"Do you want to take a walk with me?" he asked.
"Sure," she answered. He gave her his arm and helped her stand up off the blanket. They started walking with their arms linked once again. As they walked they chatted about where they were from and what they liked to do. They discovered that despite their different backgrounds, they actually had a lot in common. They conversed with ease as they took in the sights around them.
Angela was in awe of the crowd. Despite her initial misgivings, everyone around her was so friendly and kind. And with Tony by her side, she was able to relax and take it all in. People were dancing and hugging. It seemed as if they were in their own community of peace, and everything outside of this farm was just a faded memory. Thoughts of the war and uncertain future gave way to happiness and exhilaration as each musical act took to the stage and played the songs of their generation. This was a glimpse of what it would be like to live in a world of peace.
It was starting to get dark when they heard Tim Hardin take to the stage. As he started singing "If I Were a Carpenter" Tony exclaimed, "I love this song, Angela, would you like to dance?"
"In front of all these people?" she asked, concerned.
"Angela, look around you, we would hardly be the only ones dancing in our own little world." He said with a grin as he took a step back and extended his arm.
Without saying anything else she joined her right hand with his left and placed her left hand on his shoulder. He placed his right hand around her waist and they began to sway. They fit so well together and she instinctually matched his rhythm. This was nice. She loved the way she felt in his arms and he loved having her there. It just felt so right and natural. Tony quietly sang along "If I were a carpenter, and you were a lady. Would you marry me anyhow, would you have my baby". He had a lovely singing voice, and she preferred his singing softly against her ear to the voice coming from the microphone on stage. And although they had just met, it felt as though he were singing these words to her as if he sincerely meant them. She had this feeling come over her that was completely new to her, a mixture of excitement and contentment.
They alternated between gazing into each other's eyes and looking out onto the expansive crowd. There were so many lighters and candles, it looked like a field of fireflies. She was glad she stayed, this was magical. The song ended and they reluctantly stopped dancing. "Angela, are you hungry?" he asked.
"I'm starved"
"Let's go find some food." This time he grabbed her hand as they once again started walking. They found a vendor that had hamburgers. There didn't really seem to be a line, people were just gathering around as the vendor was throwing hamburgers into the surrounding crowd. They made their way closer and Tony caught two with ease. Angela laughed, this was quite a comical scene. But she was definitely impressed with the ease in which Tony caught the burgers. They walked and talked some more as they ate until it started to sprinkle. They decided to find Philly and Pee-Wee and set up camp for the night.
They made their way through the crowd back to where their blanket was set up and were pleased to find Philly and Pee-Wee were still there. "Tony, we thought you were a goner." Philly said with a bemused grin.
"Very funny. Actually we were worried that the rain might pick up more and thought maybe we should set up the tents." Tony said. So they gathered up their things and walked to a more open area of the farm where people were setting up tents and making small campfires. Pee-Wee took a tent out of their bag and threw it down on the ground. "This is ours," he said. He took out another one and tossed it toward Tony. "This is yours," he said with a mischievous look.
This was a little awkward. Tony hadn't considered what the sleeping arrangements might be. He looked at Angela and asked "Are you ok with this? I'll be a perfect gentleman, I promise."
"Well as long as you aren't too perfect of a gentleman." She replied while looking him directly in the eyes. Did she really say that? She couldn't believe this guy was having such an effect on her. All he could do was grin at her in return. It was such a charming grin and she knew she had to be careful here.
They decided to build a small fire and the four of them sat around it for a while talking. Pee-Wee and Philly were full of amusing stories of Tony as a misguided youth in Brooklyn. Angela shared a bit about her upbringing and some funny stories of her own, like the time she was stood up for prom by Kenny Bigalo and ended up mooning him through the window of the gym. She couldn't believe she shared that but she felt so comfortable with them and they seemed to find her stories both funny and charming. After a while it started to rain again so they retreated to their tents.
Tony only had a single sleeping bag. It was a very warm evening so he decided to roll it up as a pillow for them both to lay their heads on. They laid on their sides facing each other. "I'm really glad you bumped into me." Tony said.
"Me too."
"I don't know what it is but I can't help but feel like we have met before. There is something about you that is so familiar yet you are still a mystery. I think you are incredibly beautiful. You have this warmth about you as well. I've never met anyone like you Angela." he wondered if this was too much but couldn't stop the words from coming out of his mouth. Angela touched her hand to the side of his face and lightly caressed his cheek. He inched his face closer to hers until he could feel her warm breath. He lightly brushed his lips against hers as if he were afraid that too sudden a movement would send her scurrying away, but he had to make contact, he couldn't stop the magnetic pull he was feeling. She responded to him in a way he wasn't expecting, neither was she for that matter. She pressed her lips firmly to his then opened them slightly as a heavy breath escaped her. Tony entered her mouth with his tongue and they both felt a jolt of electricity as their tongues met each other. They continued to kiss softly yet passionately, and it was igniting feelings in Angela she didn't know existed. Her hands were caressing his neck and moving through his hair. Tony's hands were caressing her back. They both felt lost in this moment and the world around them had ceased to exist. Their bodies pressed tighter together and Angela could feel his arousal. She suddenly felt nervous and pulled away. She didn't have much experience with guys, and as charming and handsome as this one was, she knew this wasn't the right time or place for them to go any further.
"Tony, I think we should slow it down, we only just met." She said as she fought the urge to kiss him again.
"I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself."
"Don't apologize, that was wonderful, just a little too wonderful." She said as she pulled her head back to put a little space between them.
"Maybe we should try to get some sleep, come here." He put his arm around her and she laid her head on his chest. She felt so secure nestled into him this way. She could hear his heartbeat and smell his fading after-shave. Normally Tony would have a hard time falling asleep so close to a girl like her, especially after a kiss like that but they were both exhausted they soon fell asleep. They woke a few hours later still in the same position. They smiled at each other and he kissed her softly on the lips. "Good morning." he said.
"Good morning to you too. I hate to leave your arms but I really need to go to the bathroom."
"Yeah, me too. I'll walk with you." They climbed out of the tent and made their way to the porta-johns. Thankfully the lines weren't too long since a lot of people were still sleeping. They strolled casually back to the tents and found Philly and Pee-Wee awake and they had started a small fire. Pee-Wee had a jar of peanut butter and some crackers. It was a good thing someone thought of bringing some food because the concessions had run out, and couldn't get more supplies in due the the traffic jam. They passed around the peanut butter and crackers and shared a jug of water that they still had from the night before. They relaxed by the fire most of the morning, the day's performances hadn't started yet. People would stop to chat with them, someone even brought a guitar to which Tony sang along to, impressing Angela with his velvet voice.
Tony and Angela decided to walk around and explore some more and told the guys they would meet up with them where they watched the concert the prior evening. They found a path in the woods where vendors had set up selling candles, pottery, art, clothing, even pot! There waa vendor selling handmade jewelry. Angela spotted a necklace with a beaded peace sign on a chain. It had turquoise and small flower beads.
"You like that?" Tony asked.
"Yes, it is very pretty."
"Let me buy it for you." He didn't have a lot of money but wanted to get her something to remember this weekend by. He wasn't sure what the future held for them but he knew this was a significant event and something to hold the sentiment would be forever cherished. He paid the vendor and put the necklace around Angela's neck. She thanked him and hugged him tightly. He didn't want to let go but eventually they parted and walked down the path some more.
They came to a small lake where people were skinny dipping. It looked pretty refreshing, the day was hot and there certainly weren't any showers around. "Hey Angela, what do ya think, you wanna take a dip?"
"Are you just trying to see me naked?" she asked with a smile.
"No, I'm not, although I wouldn't mind that" he was having a hard time keeping it together around her. "We could just leave our underwear on and jump in, it looks really refreshing."
"Well, ok." She couldn't believe she was agreeing to this, but something about this atmosphere and this guy made her feel so relaxed and carefree. She watched him take his shirt off and willed herself to keep from ogling. He had a very nice upper body with well defined muscles. He then unbuckled his belt, pulled his jeans off and ran into the water. He grinned at her and motioned with his finger for her to come join him. She felt a bit of shyness creeping in and fought the urge to go hide in the woods. She focused on that magnetic smile of his and slipped her dress over her head. She was down to her bra and panties and stood there for a moment before running in. It was enough time for Tony to get a good view of her and he thought she was absolutely perfect.
"So, have you ever been skinny dipping before?" he asked.
"Well, I wouldn't exactly call this skinny dipping but sure I do this all the time." she answered sarcastically. "In fact, when I go to the beach I always at least take off my bikini top in the water." And then she started laughing.
"Well ok Angela, but how about from now on you keep the top on unless you are swimming with me ok?" What was he insinuating here? Would they really try to keep seeing each other after this weekend? How could that even work? Their worlds are so different.
She decided not to dwell on it too much and just enjoy the moment. They talked and splashed in the water and that eventually led to him holding her and them kissing until they were breathless. People were starting to look at them so they decided to end the show and get out of the water. They sat in the sun and dried off a bit before putting the rest of their clothes back on.
They went back to the concert area where Philly and Pee Wee were and joined them to enjoy the show for a while. There were a lot of great acts and it was hard to walk away but exhaustion was starting to set in so they decided to go back to the tent area to try to get a little sleep. They woke around 7 am and headed back to the concert area just as Jefferson Airplane took the stage. They were supposed to be the headliners the night before but the rain had caused multiple delays. Grace Slick greeted them with an enthusiastic "Morning people!" before belting out "Somebody to Love". They were tired, hungry and wet but when the music started it didn't matter. The show, the company and the atmosphere of love and peace were all worth it. And of course the connection that Tony and Angela had found with each other. All was going well until a serious storm was looming mid afternoon.
Tony had walked with Angela to the porta-john area and chaos started erupting before she made her way out. It had started to rain and the sky was very dark. People were moving in all directions trying to figure out where to take cover. Tony found himself in the middle of a frenzy and became disoriented. He had to move with the crowd or he might get knocked over. He tried to get a vantage point but there were too many people moving around him. When he finally got a clearing he couldn't tell where he was but he didn't see the porta johns. A sinking feeling set into the pit of his stomach.
Angela stepped out of the porta john and looked for Tony but he was nowhere to be seen. It was thundering and lighting and pouring rain. She started to panic. She ran all over the area looking for him and calling his name but he was nowhere to be found. Where was he? What was she going to do? She kept wandering around looking, her tears becoming one with the rain dripping down her face.
Tony managed to find Philly and Pee Wee and found that Pee Wee was feeling quite sick. They managed to get him to the medical tent and the found was showing symptoms of a ruptured appendix. They got him into a helicopter that was being used to shuttle the musical acts and Tony had no choice but to go with him. He wished he could look for Angela some more but his friend's life was in danger. They managed to get him to a hospital before too much damage was done and he ended up making a full recovery. But Woodstock was now over. Angela was gone. Tony didn't know how he would ever find her again.
Angela walked around for hours in the rain trying to find Tony to no avail. She went back to the spot they watched the concert from and back to where they had set up their tents but he was nowhere to be seen. She finally decided to walk out of there and make the long trek back to her car. She made it home, completely exhausted and devastated. There was no way she could find him. It was just as well, it was all too good to be true. It almost felt like it could have all just been a dream.
A few years passed and Angela eventually met and fell in love with Michael. They married and had a son. It was good in the beginning but as time went on Michael started to spend more time away with work leaving Angela feeling abandoned. They tried to make it work but just couldn't come together on what they wanted in life so they separated. She had kept the beaded peace sign necklace in a small jewelry box in her dresser and took it out to look at whenever she was sad and thought about that sweet guy at Woodstock who felt like home to her in a way that Michael never could even after years of being together.
Tony thought about Angela a lot after that weekend but didn't know how he would even begin to find her. He started dating a cute little brunette he knew in school named Marie and they got married and had a daughter. Tony loved them both with all his heart. But when their daughter was still little Marie got cancer and although she put up a good fight she eventually succumbed to the disease. Tony felt like his whole world had crumbled around him but he had to pick himself up and move on for the sake of his daughter. He had been a professional baseball player for a couple of years and continued to play after Marie's passing until he hurt his shoulder. After that his professional career was over. He went back to driving a fish truck in Brooklyn trying to support his daughter. But she kept getting into fights in school and he knew he needed to get her out of there. He applied to be a manager at an apartment building in Connecticut where he met Mona, an attractive red head in her fifties. He liked her instantly. Mona had somehow talked him into working for her daughter as a housekeeper. It sounded silly, working as a housekeeper but she made it sound so appealing and when she showed him a picture of her daughter he couldn't help but think she looked an awful lot like that girl he met at Woodstock years ago. Could it be?
She answered the door in just a bathrobe with a towel around her head. Where was everyone? She was so annoyed that she had to answer the door like this. When she opened the door her heart stopped. "Tony, is that really you?"
"Angela, I thought I'd never see you again." His eyes were welling with tears. They grabbed each other for a tight embrace and knew they had both ended up right where they belonged. Some things are just meant to be.