“Did you?” Cha Cha’s curious if they had a far out time.
“We got so wasted, Ollie whipped up a batch of wicked magic mushroom shakes and some nimrod fell into The River! We rushed him back to school before hypothermia set in. He’s the druggie last year that dropped acid for 30 days straight after a devastating heartbreak.” Caleb shakes his head in disbelief.
“This is our refuge, where we can be ourselves, howl like wolves, and skinny dip. We leave our worries at school. Moonlight is so intense and campfires are the best. Such an ideal location on a dead end road, no one comes back here. No pigs, no parents, no priests, no hassles.” Caleb chants the explorer’s anthem of their new world.
We reach a thin, worn, deer trail at the end of the road.
“Watch that wire; it’s an electric fence, it’ll zap you. It’s for cows but works the same on humans. Our friend, Don, whizzed on it and got the shock of his life.” Caleb points to a thin, black wire that ran the length of the field, next to The River. The air changes and the temperature drops with a damp, mineral scent, which is brisk and cooler by the flowing water.
We meander down the lush path about fifty yards, then… We feel it—it’s like a force field. A crossing over into sacredness. The lacy, cathedral canopy of cottonwood trees filtered with dabbled “God light” streamed through thick branches. The effulgence of magic wildness.
“At the still point of the turning world. Neither from nor towards; there the dance is, neither arrest nor movement,” Jack recites T.S. Eliot. “I discovered him over the summer,” he grins.
We all stand at The River’s edge and watch the swift, powerful waves whisk by vibrating us with a roaring wall of sound. Transfixed by the shushing of the waves flowing ~ flowing ~ flowing. “Let The River take you.” The mountain wind whistles through the sacred cottonwoods.
“Bombs away!” Cha Cha yells interrupting the reverie. She wings a huge rock into the rumbling Arkansas River. It makes a solid tunk sound and splashes up violently.
“To the Goddess Sulis who believed water can wash away sadness, pain, and suffering. She was a Celtic Sun Goddess, I just wrote a paper on Goddesses for an English class. I’m loco—crazy for them, research still fresh in the ol’ cabeza.” She pokes her temple with an index finger.
Caleb is startled by her wildness.
“Baptism by boulder,” he jokes.
“Imagine a religion called Far Out-ism: enter this moment without resistance or attempts at control in this mind-blowing inspiring cathedral. Experience the beauty and know everything is a Miracle. Nature eclipses words. The first Bible is the Bible of Nature. The Great One’s power is all around us; our minds refuse to see it. I feel it here.” Caleb’s smooth, dreamy voice communicates in a slight, astonishing way.
“Whoa, cowboy, that’s some heavy shit!” Cha Cha cries.
Jack gathers us together, “Let’s keep this sacred ground secret and christen it ours.” We bow our heads, Caleb said a quick prayer: “Please allow the earth and cosmic energy to flow through our body. May it be with the blessings of the Supreme Being, that we benefit in our spiritual growth, awareness, and understanding.” He opens his eyes, surprised he remembered the bedtime childhood prayer. I chime in with, “A’Ho! Amen.”
“Let’s build with riverbed rock a Labyrinth,” Jack said while watching the crystal prisms dart off the bouncing water. We nod in agreement.
“We can start designing it immediately—Ollie will go bonkers.” He glances at me; we share a splash of happiness.
“Let’s keep this place to ourselves, for now, we don’t want loads of stoners crashing our spot,” Jack said.
We gather stones to build a large fire ring close to The River. Next outing, we’ll bring tools and finish it. We hear the cows mooing next door, it’s milking time, the temperature drops and we’re losing light. It’s rapidly growing dusk.
“Let’s gather ten, large boulders, that’ll make a large fire ring,” Jack said.
Cha Cha wanders over to the riverbed and hits the jackpot.
The two boys heave them up to the flattest open area. The sunset’s final orange slab fades into deep purple shadow, and the smoky air flows from nearby fired up wood stoves.
“Get going, you’re going to be riding in the dark, we’ll finish up here.” Jack kisses me goodbye.
8
Soul Train
Dance till the stars come
down from the rafters!
–W.H. Auden
It’s Prom night: the corsages purchased and tuxes rented. Chavela and I buy new dresses she picks a fire engine red, backless number, mine is beige with lavender flowers. The all-girl sister parochial school, the Scholastico Academy will bus girls to the Prom. Cha Cha’s date Mac counts the hours and minutes till they’re together. He’s been telling his friends about her.
“She’s beautiful and hot, I can’t wait to dance all night with her,” he gushed, annoying anyone who’d listen to the obsessive ramblings. Mac’s a virgin; his end goal is to get laid.
I sit watching Cha Cha at the vanity applying mascara in her small, second-story apartment near downtown. She shared it with one-year-old son, Julian. Her parents picked him up to babysit for the evening. She’s a vibrant vision of young, seductive hotness.
There’s a knock at the door. It’s Rubin Ocho, an older, Red Cañon small-time, drug dealer her brother’s friend. “What are you doing here?” She asks, surprised.
“Wow! Damn girl, what a knockout! Where are you going dressed like that?” He asks.
“My first Prom, probably my only Prom, I missed out while having Julian.”
Rubin talks her into going partying with him. “Don’t waste that great dress and bod on a bunch of spoiled rich boys.” He said.
I’m appalled by this lowlife and quickly make my exit. “You’re really going to miss the Prom to go to an old flophouse hotel turned into a seedy bar with this loser? I’m outta here.” She looks away and shrugs her shoulders. I grab my purse and run down the two flights of stairs.
I park next to the theater, and Jack runs up to the car. He’s handsome in a gray tuxedo. Out of breath, he bends down and pecks my cheek through the car window.
“Step out for a second.” He twirls me around. “You look beautiful.” He scoops me into his arms and kisses me. “The prettiest girl at the Prom. Wanna do a quick run to The River?” He smiles broadly.
“Sure, but we can’t dilly-dally. I don’t want to miss a song,” he runs to gather the gang. They’re all decked out in black, except Oliver, in an all-white tux. I wave for them to hurry.
“All aboard the SOUL TRAIN! Woo-Woo, WOOooOOOH!” I shout as they pile into the cavernous car. “Hey, Foxy Lady,” Oliver blows me a kiss.
“Back off.” Jack pushes him into the back seat.
At The River, we smoke and drink into a partying frenzy. A half-hour has passed since we left the school, it’s evolving into the wild night we maneuvered for.
“Oh-lah, it’s DANCE PARTY time!” I squeal and slam the Star Chief in gear, ten minutes later they pile out at the school. Jack scoots next to me, and we share a juicy smooch.