The Wavy-Haired Hippie

And then what about the ‘wavy-haired hippie’ mentioned at the start of Day 3?  We found out later her name was Judy. She was far-out there, as demonstrated by her attire:  “She wore a crushed red leather vest and necklaces of seashells, and no shirt underneath.”  Nothing means nothing.  Underneath the vest was bare skin. If we cared to look, we could’ve enjoyed her breasts perking out behind that necklace. But we hardly paid it any mind. The reason?  It wasn’t that uncommon. She was letting it all hang out as an expression of who she was as a 1970's American—free. By us not saying anything, nor paying it any mind, means we supported her choice, let it become part of the milleau. I even questioned her bothering with us, and she said, “I figure hitchhiking is more art than science. So I thought I’d give it a whirl.” Plus the fact she was driving with a two year-old son aboard kind of quashed any thoughts of amorous activity. Her ride was more Statement than Display. That was hippie behavior for you. Otto kind of skewed the picture by wondering if she was an undercover agent . . . no way. She was straight out of Haight-Ashbury, probably very anti-authority. The fact she set us up for the night in Chicago with her former boyfriend, Chip, gave her extra kudos. If you give it your attention, you can really do an exegesis on each of these passing characters.