Sunnyvale is aptly named for much of the year it is a sunny town near the Bay with views of mountains to the East, South and West. It is a solidly middle and lower-middle class town with several industries nearby for the residents to be employed, mostly as skilled labor. It was a rural place until after WWII when many soldiers and sailors were stationed nearby and decided that California was a nice place to live and moved their few belongings there.
Take one house as an example. It was built partly with the labor of the buyer who was a sailor who saw no combat during the Korean War but was on ships that were in harm's way. Born in Oklahoma, he had taken a leave home to find a wife and he succeeded. When he was mustered out in 1951 at San Diego he was met by his fiance from Oklahoma and married by a Justice of the Peace as soon as was possible. Their Honeymoon included San Francisco where they stayed with a Navy friend who took them around the bay. The new couple selected Sunnyvale for they could buy the land with their accumulated savings and use as a down payment. His Wife's uncle drove up to meet them and helped them negotiate for the land and building before they completed their honeymoon by taking the train to Oklahoma to see relatives and to buy a car for they were less expensive east of the Rockies. Then they drove back to Sunnyvale where he found a job in a manufacturing machine shop.
By the time the house was built there was little time to settle in before the baby was due. Hillary Turnbull arrived into a warm and happy house and was soon settled into a yellow and green room to use a family bassinet and crib. The entire house was furnished though in all rooms but there were missing furniture in all the rooms but the baby’s room where everything was in readiness. In this house, Hillary would grow up, go to school and lead the only life she knew, a California girl with lots of friends and loving family.
Bert and Ruthie, her parents, were very happy with this bubbly blond girl and that was a good thing for the Doctor had told the couple Ruthie could not be pregnant again due to complications. Of course, they were happy and they made sure that Hillary grew up knowing she had a loving, doting family.
Bert had one eccentricity; he liked to change things. He'd come home from work about 5 P.M. every work day and sometimes tell his wife he wanted to change something. She and Hillary never said 'no' but they did talk it over and changes in Bert's plans were allowed. Bert could change anything, a bathroom, part of a kitchen or any room, light fixtures, whatever, but he mostly changed the location of doors and windows.
The three of them would discuss it while standing in the area to be affected, Bert would mark locations, furniture would be moved, they all would make suggestions, the change might be moved one way or another until everything in the room affected that could be moved was where they wanted it and Bert was allowed to make the change. When the location of the front door was changed as an example, and the front door moved all over the front of the house as the years went by, Bert might remove the front door, install it in it's new location and seal up the old door way before going to bed. By the end of Saturday everything would be done.
This was soon noticed as a Turnbull eccentricity by all the neighbors and Ruthie insisted that the neighbor's teasing about it was in good spirits and hid the neighbor's envy. One thing the family agreed upon was that by constantly changing the house they never had to move into a larger one for the house always was adequate for whatever was expected of it.
Her mother had trained as a nurse before she was married and often worked to fill in at a hospital after Hillary was in school so she could be home when Hillary was. This little bit of money built up along with money saved from her father's paycheck and occasional working on weekends doing home repair (he never charged friends, only friends of friends) was used to pay for family vacations.
Ruthie's brother-in-law had a cousin Leroy who lived only four miles away and he was often invited over for dinner as he did not make much money and lived alone. Over the years Ruthie introduced him to a number of nice young girls but Leroy never took the hint and remained single. Leroy repaid them by using his discount on meat to stock the Turnbull's freezer and helping make the remodelings Bert was always making. When Hillary was about eleven she learned never to be alone in a room with 'Uncle Leroy' and after that age she made a point of having to visit a friend after dinner.
Bert and Ruthie were very protective on their one and only child. They always knew where she was and that an adult would be there, they drove her to and from distant places and insisted on meeting her friends who they limited to being no more than a year older than she and then would make a point of meeting the parents. This became more and more difficult to do when Hillary entered Junior High School that was further away from home so she had to take a bus.
The bus to school picked her up at a small park four blocks away from her house. Because the park was between a busy street and a creek there were not many people there. It was surrounded on three sides by trees and shrubs with the central area entirely grass with a paved walkway winding about and through it. A small amount of the creek water seeped up into a hollow that formed a small pond the city stocked with fish and placed benches about. Hillary enjoyed walking through the park on sunny days before she returned to home. She also went there on her bicycle sometimes with friends and sometimes alone.
At junior high she met a lot of new kids, especially boys. In grade school she had limited her associations to members of her class and the kids in her neighborhood but in junior high the students changed classes every hour and there were four times as many kids so you met all the seventh and eighth graders sooner or later.
Hillary was a normal girl who was considered to be pretty by everyone and soon she had many friends, mostly girls with whom she always was able to develop many close friends. This was because she loved to change her hair and make-up and was always willing to help other girls. Her friends liked to go shopping with her for she had a good eye for color and style that would look good on a girl and all her friends accepted her advice because it was not hurtful but was well considered. Through her many girlfriends she met and became friends with a number of brothers as well, some of whom were in high school. Her parents did not let her date anyone more than two years older than she was or less than a year younger. Being only eleven, she was not allowed to date for she would have to await graduation from Eighth Grade to go out with boys and then her father would drive her and her date to and from where they were going until she was Sixteen. With these constraints she had a number of male admirers who she would meet at parties for whenever a girl had a party boys would come by. If the parent would not let them in the boys would settle in the side or back yard and the girls would come outside to see them.
In this manner she met a lot of older boys, some even more than two years older than she was. It was one of these older boys she ran into at the little park. He was there doing a biology assignment to gather and identify different plant leaves and describe the plant. It was spring and many things were flowering so it was a good assignment to learn about how plants reproduce.
A few weeks later she saw the same guy but this time he began to flirt with her. He was handsome but maybe too old. Then she decided to tease him. He got a little angry but decided she was teasing and suggested that she kiss him. She did and enjoyed it very much. Then she suggested they go by the creek and take off their clothes and kiss.
He thought she was bluffing so he took her hand and led her to the creek until he found a spot that couldn’t be seen from anywhere but directly above or from the other side. She was willing and took off something every time he did for he appealed to her for some reason and anyway, what could it matter. She had taken off her bra and now he had his pants half way down to his knees then he suddenly raised them when he saw her lower her skirt so he could see her panties. He pulled his pants hastily up nad started to dress.
“What’s wrong,” she asked. “Am I too ugly?”
He was reluctant. “No, not at all. We shouldn’t do this though.”
“Why not. All we’ll do is look.”
“No we won’t. I don’t want a baby, that’s all.” Then he begins go back the way they’d come.
She started to pursue him but he ran away. She had to go back for the rest of her clothes before she could climb the bank. Hillary was confused. All she wanted to do was see a boy’s body. She had seen pictures of statues and knew what the differences were but she wanted to see it in real life.
Hillary went home where she asked her mother, “Can you tell me about boys and girls and where babies come from?”
“No. That’s not something a girl your age should be thinking about at all.”
“But I want to know, Mom. The girls say we’re all ready to have babies and I should know how.”
“You’re not to have a baby so you don’t need to know. When it is time you’ll know.”
“But if I don’t know maybe I’ll have a baby and not know that I did something wrong.”
Finally mother tells her, "OK, although I don’t know why you can’t wait. The truth is that you can only have a baby inside a loving marriage with a love that is stronger than anything the Devil can do. God will never make you do something you shouldn’t but the Devil can and will. So just be really in love and be married and nothing can happen to you."
SFO has always been a 19th century city right up until the Giants moved from NY to SFO. It took only a decade for it to become mediaeval! It was reminiscent of Constantinople at the time of Suleiman the Magnificent in the 16th century.
Like that decadent trading center, SFO was the crossroads of muddy cultural backwaters from the Orient to Africa; a menage of dress, religions, morals and habits. All of this came together for the Summer of Love in 1968.
Ironically, it was the peaceful Quakers who created the drug use, rape and violence that was to come. The Quakers had been speaking against War, any War, in the Golden Gate Park for decades. Now they were beginning to get bigger crowds due to the Viet Nam war. They spoke in a meadow near where small bands came to practice on weekends and these attracted kids in high school and college. The Quakers noticed that they got better attendance when there were drug sellers in the shrubbery around the meadow where they spoke. In the past they had driven them away and kept them away but now they let then come and go. This new policy brought new and more kids who would listen to the speakers and could hear the music at the same time they smoked their purchases.
The local newspapers began to notice this and reported it as a growing dislike of the Viet Nam war, essentially advertising the Quakers and their location. They began to refer to this phenomenon as "The Summer of Love" thereby giving it a luster that it certainly never had. Now kids from further away came to the area with the Quakers to meet other kids. In doing so they were able to buy drugs, something that was difficult in residential neighborhoods, and they were exposed to Rock and Roll with its sexual rhythms. Week after week the crowds got larger and larger due to the press and the situation got more and more out of hand.
One Sunday the newspapers reported a Police stop of a young boy driving erratically and guessed he was under the influence of drugs. This was sufficient to allow them to search his car but even the police were amazed to find a human arm in the car's trunk. The report said the driver claimed he had no idea how it got there!
Hillary was now a normal high school girl; prettier than most but not the prettiest by far, had more friends than most but few close and deep friends and smarter than most but truly average in intelligence and ambition. Hillary's dream was to break out of her normal life and become someone thought of as exciting, someone who knew different people and did different things. For her, the newspaper reports about "The Summer of Love" were exciting; an opportunity to meet different people, have fun, be involved in an important issue and perhaps become in love.
Hillary knew her parents wouldn't let her go by herself, her friends weren't interested and she did not want to go with her parents. She began to save money, told her parents she was going to the mall for the day with her friends, bought a Greyhound bus ticket and left after breakfast for San Francisco and Golden Gate Park. Once there it turned out to be more than she thought it would be. It became more and more crowded as she got closer and soon there was no question where everyone was going.
Hillary meets a boy who says, "Hi, my name is John. Have you been her before?"
"No," she bubbled, "It's my first time."
"I come here every week because I really agree that this war is wrong. I don't want to fight it but in three years or less I'll probably be drafted."
"I can't stand the draft. How can you boys plan anything; college, a job, anything? You're life might be interrupted anytime and you can't control it."
"Hey, you're right on the money. My father was drafted in WWII after his first year in college so when he got out he had to repeat it. That could happen to me. My name is John." He held out his hand.
"Mine's Hillary," she said, extending his hand for him to take. He gently kissed it.
He told her he lived nearby on Haight Street - she thought he was doing things and not just sitting in class and listening. She stayed with him. He bought her lunch - she thought he was wonderful. She let him put his arm around her and didn't protest when he touched her unless he left his hand too long. He buys her marijuana - she thought maybe this was the guy she could love. She let him kiss her to see if she was. She wasn't but she was excited by his kiss and by him. Unknown to her he gave her a hard drug - she was very happy as he took her down Haight Street to show her where he lived for it was getting late.
On the way he saw people in bizarre clothing, some musicians sitting on the sidewalk playing for money. Everything seems so happy and easy going. He takes her hand and she feels happy.
The apartment was up a long flight of stairs that he climbed behind her, guiding her by placing his hands on her butt. At the top of the stairs he led her by the hand to his door where, out of sight for the most part, he took her in his arms and kissed her deeply as he ran his hands over her. She was getting excited and didn't want him to stop touching her but protested weakly when he slipped his hand under her sweater. He took it out but when he got his key out he slipped his hand up the back under her sweater and lightly rubbed her back. She moaned while he opened the door.
Inside there was no furniture to speak of. There was a counter with a hot plate and there was a refrigerator but most of the floor was covered by a mattress with a dirty sheet not tucked under. A Navy blanket was akimbo on the sheet. He turned on a radio on the counter that rewarded him with loud rock and roll music. Turning to face her, he asked, "Wanna Beer?"
She was unaware she was swaying a little from the drugs. "Sure, I love beer." Hillary had not tasted any alcoholic beverage in her life.
She stood unsteadily watching him take two bottles from the refrigerator and open them. He reached out to hand her one, saying, "As you can see, the glasses are dirty," then he lifted the beer and took a big swig, burping slightly when he finished. He looked so handsome and was so sophisticated. She followed his example but planned on taking a smaller, more lady-like swallow. She lifted the bottle too high, allowing more to come out than she intended so a little flowed down her chin and onto her sweater. He used his hand to mop the drops away.
Hillary liked the beer, mostly because she liked anything he liked. Having swallowed once, she did it again but this time was more careful as to how much she lifted it.
John had finished his beer and put the bottle under the counter. Instead of getting another, he took hers, set it down on the counter and took her in his arms, pressing her tightly to himself. She liked him kissing her and soon was on her toes, her arms about his neck and pressing herself to him also. He began to dance, still holding her tightly, and danced her onto the mattress where they stood still, swaying to the music.
She was only aware that John was making her feel wonderful. She could feel him touching her but he touched her so well she was flying through heaven surrounded by beautiful colors. She felt him remove her clothes but after he did his touches were even better, sending her far away. She felt as if she were getting full, as if her tank was being pumped up and her engine was running. She felt the engine running faster and faster seeming unable to go until suddenly . . . GO! Now she was soaring and filled with happiness.
Hillary noticed he left her but he was soon back then he left again and was back again to make her soar. She was not aware that there was a line of men filing down the stairs, out onto the street and around the corner. She was not aware that he stood at the door and collected two bits to let each guy in one at a time and only for three minutes and that it was these guys who tried to make her fly but only a few could.
Hillary woke up in the dark. Everything smelled bad to her and she was cold. When she lifted her hand and pushed she found she was under a piece of cardboard that slid away given the impetus. Looking around she found herself to be in an alley behind a restaurant. Her head ached. With difficulty she stood up, a process that took about five minutes, and was so dizzy she had to grab the edge of the garbage can to keep from falling. When things stopped spinning she straightened her dress such as it was. Her thighs were sticky and on investigation she found she did not have her panties on. Further checking showed she did not have a bra on either.
Hillary could not remember anything but decided to go back to John's apartment to see him and find her underwear. It took her awhile to find Haight but she didn't know the address. She walked toward the park on the right side of the street, that was what she remembered but nothing looked familiar. She remembered the long staircase and that it was behind a glass door. She found nothing like that so at the Park she turned around and walked down the left side of the street and still did not find John's place. She walked further to no avail. Then she walked down a side street and that didn't work either. Then she remembered her purse.
She ran back to the alley and looked everywhere but it wasn't there. It had her bus ticket and her money. She turned to look for it closer to the street but ran right into a policeman.
He was not nice. He asked her for ID but when she told him she had lost her purse he didn't believe her. When she said she lost her bus ticket to Sunnyvale he perked up. "Is there someone you can call that can pick you up?"
Oh, No! She couldn't call her parents. While she was wondering if she should call one of her friends the policeman asked her, "How old are you?"
There was no use lying. "I'm almost 16. My birthday is in four months."
The policeman became nicer. "Alright, I need your name and address, your parent's name and telephone and you have to come with me to my car."
Her parent's came of course and interviewed the police to be certain nothing about this would go on her record. Hillary was surprised her mother was so concerned about what was on the record. How could that affect her, she wondered. This is San Francisco and it's a long way from Sunnyvale.
On the drive home she was miserable for her parents were seethingly silent all the way. Once they were at home, though, her parents alternated berating her and interrogating her. Hillary answered all the questions truthfully making her father more and more angry until at one point he slapped her. As the yelling increased so did the frequency and the force of his slaps until once when she turned her head away to hide her sobs and tears he hit her with his fist against the rear of her head. Her mother told him to stop and he did but if anything, Hillary found his silent anger more threatening.
Her mother took her to the bathroom partly to get her away from her angry father, saying, "He doesn't mean to, you know. He's out of his mind about what you've done. He doesn't want to hurt you; I guess he just can't get rid of the anger."
Her mother told her to undress so, as a nurse, she could inspect her. Hillary was so ashamed as her mother poked around. She began to wonder if she would ever stop crying.
"Mother," she said, "You can't imagine how sorry I am. I didn't do this intentionally, you have to believe me. I know you always told me not to use drugs and I know I shouldn't have but it didn't seem to affect the others so much. I didn't know what it would do and didn't notice until it was too late. I never should have trusted him."
"He was in college, you said. You know you're not supposed to go anywhere with boys old enough to be in college. And, you should have gotten his last name and address. How can the police find someone named John? It's the most common boy's name."
It was hell at home after that. I couldn't go anywhere and when school started in the fall Father got in a car pool to go to work so he only had to drive one day a week and mother could drive me to and from school the other days then she formed a car pool so I was never alone going to school
That didn't help at all for three months after her visit to SFO Hillary became very sick and was out of school for three days before her mother took her to see the doctor. After he finished his examination she went with him to his office for a conference. When they returned, he gave her some medicine and her mother took her home.
Hillary did not go back to school. Her Aunt Mae flew up that weekend then took her back to LA on Sunday. She kept Hillary at her house for three days then drove her down to Tijuana. Tijuana is a Mexican town on the U.S. border south of LA and San Diego, a half a day's drive. Aunt Mae left her car on the U.S. side and they walked across the border where Aunt Mae negotiated with a Mexican cab driver who drove them through town.
There Aunt Mae checked them into the El Baron Hotel on the outside of town.
It all looked so foreign and exotic for it was. Hillary noticed the downtown was bustling but the buildings were primitive compared to downtown Sunnyvale. She could see the west side of the street best. There were mostly Restaurants and stores on that side. A lot of the stores were liquor stores or sold Mexican 'Souvenirs' but she did see a pharmacy that looked very clean. On the east side of the street she noticed there were more bars and a lot of places advertising girls. Hillary thought it would be a good joke if Aunt Mae sold her or better yet, traded her there for a new girl. She also remembered seeing a large building with a sign saying 'Fronton Palace' just before they got to the El Baron Hotel.
She asked, "What is that building called 'Fronton Palace?'"
"They play Jai Alai there, a gambling game. Don't even think of going to such a place."
At the hotel they got a room together but it only had one bed so Hillary would have to sleep with Aunt Mae. After settling into the room Aunt Mae took her downstairs for dinner.
"I'm not really hungry, Aunt Mae."
"I'm not surprised. You have to eat to keep up your strength. God never gives you problems you can't handle so don't embarrass God by making him wrong!"
Looking at the menu she added, "Mexican food is dreadful and that's all they have. I'll order cooked vegetables for us and we can both order our dessert. That should do, I think."
After dinner Aunt Mae locked her in the room because she had to, "go to the pharmacy." That took about an hour before Aunt Mae was back. Then they went to sleep for as Aunt Mae said, "Tomorrow we'll need our sleep."
In the morning Aunt Mae said they couldn't eat breakfast until later then said to dress to go downtown. The thought of being traded for a new girl made Hillary laugh but deep down inside she knew this was not funny. Aunt Mae called the desk for a cab then they left for the lobby.
They went to the pharmacy and went inside. It was very clean but Hillary couldn't help but giggle to see that the pharmacy also sold liquor and such things as crystal glasses and bone china. Aunt Mae led her to the stairs above which was a Doctor's Office.
Inside, the Doctor examined her again then gave her a shot and had her walk naked to another room to get on that bed. Another doctor and a woman came in and just as the second doctor picked up a face mask she realized they were going to operate upon her.
When Hillary woke up she was in another bed and Aunt Mae was there. Aunt Mae picked up her hand as soon as she noticed Hillary was awake. "It's all done. The Doctor says you'll be fine and we can go home this afternoon. Isn't that wonderful?"
Hillary still couldn't talk well but she flubbered, "You took my baby, didn't you? I was pregnant and you took my baby."
"Now, Hillary. It's all for the best. You'll be fine and soon will be back to normal."
Hillary knew nothing would be normal though.
Back in Sunnyvale things seemed normal but Hillary knew they weren't. She wondered not if she would ever be normal again for she knew she wouldn't but how much normal she'd ever be.
At least she was back in school, carefully coached by her mother what to tell her friends. They all accepted her for they thought she had her appendix out.
Her sixteenth birthday had passed and she hadn't gotten her driver's license but now mother made a big deal out of it and it was. Now she could drive though that didn't mean much to a girl for the boys always drove on dates. She now would drive her friends to shop or get a burger though. Hillary knew though this was the beginning of adulthood and not when you could buy liquor.
Her friends noticed she was not her happy self though but none said anything.
When enough time passed, not for her but for her mother, she told her Mother, "I know I was pregnant and that I had an abortion . . .”
At this point her mother got very nervous, even flighty, and told her not to talk like that. "It's all over. Now you have to get on with your life."
Hillary went on as if her mother hadn't said anything. "I know I got pregnant from that boy but I did everything you told me. You have to believe me, I didn't love him. I didn't love him at all and I was certainly not married to him."
Hillary decided not to mope anymore though sometimes she couldn’t help it. Her parents and friends were happy to see her happier and that helped get her closer to normal. Every now and again she couldn’t help feeling depressed and when a friend asked her what was wrong she told them, “It’s just lady problems.”
When Hillary’s parents asked her what was wrong she told them the truth! She did not mind that it hurt them to remind them of something she could never forget.
A Mexican family moved into neighborhood just before school started and they had a son named Juan Bocanegra. Juan was a high school dropout and had a job at the Del Monte Cannery. Some only worked when things were harvested but Juan worked every day, five days a week but when there was a harvest to can he got a lot of overtime and he liked to spend it.
Hillary met him on the bus from downtown Sunnyvale. She had snuck out of school early and went shopping for some make-up and then took the bus home. The bus was crowded and there were no seats but Juan gave her his seat and the next stop her seatmate got off and Juan sat next to her and introduced himself..
“My name is Juan Bocanegra,” and he held out his hand for her to shake.
She took his hand and shook it as she asked, “You mean John. My name is Hillary.”
He smiled. “Yes, it is John but someday it will be Juan. You are very pretty. I’ll let you call me John if you like.”
His smile, with its gleaming white teeth, his handsome face, wavy black hair, everything, made her smile. “Thank you Juan, I’ll do that.” Then they both laughed.
They got off the bus at the same stop so he offered to walk her home. She thought about it and agreed. “Only if we walk past your house on the way.”
Juan was very funny and very polite. He asked her out and after the first date she dated him regularly only excepting school functions and then dates didn’t kiss her as well as Juan kissed her!
She never told her parents about Juan nor did she tell her friends. Juan was wonderful to her. Though he didn't have much money, he was saving for a car, he made anything fun. A walk in a park, a bus ride to the county line and back, shopping, looking at diamond rings at the Jewelers or just walking, they always had fun.
Juan did not mind that she wouldn't let him put his hand under her clothes but even so she was thrilled by whatever he did. He liked her in nylons, making her go into a bathroom to put on her hose and garter belt, then go to a movie where he would run his hands over the slick nylon and finally take off the garters and later she let him reach up to remove her garter belt.
Juan had a motorcycle instead of the car he was working for. On Saturday's she would dress in a flannel shirt and jeans then walk to a nearby mall where he would be behind the stores in an alley where she would get on behind him, her arms around his waist and her thighs along his thighs. Hillary liked to go as fast as he dared with her face buried in his back. Without a jacket she could smell his body and it excited her, sometimes getting her damp.
He was a gentleman though and never took advantage of her rules. The first time she let him remove her garter belt he had to lift her skirt above the belt to remove it but he never touched her panties. Once they were at a park on a blanket and she laid with her head on him then pulled away quickly when she felt his hardness. He told her he couldn't help it, that just the thought of her excited him.
That was when she told him, "I'm the same about you. I get excited just hearing you on the phone, seeing you, being with you."
Two weeks later Juan suggested a way for her to enjoy and satisfy him with her mouth. At first she didn't like the idea and could see his alarm at her refusal but then asked if she could touch it. He allowed her to but he told her, "Don't overdo it for I can't control it always."
She was amazed at how big he was and how hard. And it was so smooth and tender. When she was finished she told him she was willing to kiss it. That did turn out to be messy. Hillary knew she wasn't a virgin but Juan didn't. What puzzled Hillary was that she had lost her virginity and didn't remember any mess.
She came to a decision. She told him he could touch her panties but no more. She lifted her skirt and he put his hand on her. Though she was already as aroused as she ever remembered, she was surprised at how much he could arouse her and was amazed at the end when she began to shudder and her entire body vibrated.
Then he told her the news that he could do that with his tongue and she didn't believe him, not knowing that that confirmed to Juan that she was a virgin. He said he would if she took off her panties so she went to the restroom to remove them and he proved to be correct when she got back.
Now neither of them could stand it to be together but it was worse to be apart. It was Juan who suggested a solution. She told him she would but that her parents wouldn't approve no matter what. At first he thought that was because he was Mexican but she convinced him that was not it at all, they were just protective and would be until she was eighteen and graduated from high school.
Juan began to work harder and longer hours so he could get his car soon and he bought it on Washington's Birthday at a special sale.
It was Palm Sunday night when he brought a ladder and she snuck out of the house with him. She had previously given him her packed suitcase to keep in his trunk so she just had her purse and makeup bag to carry down the ladder then run to the car. It was her father's ladder and Juan put it back while she sat in the car. Then they drove to Reno getting there before dawn. They checked into a motel and waited for the courthouse to open.
They slept together but did nothing until they were married, not even with mouth of hand. After the wedding they drove east and then north into Oregon where they found a small town near mountains to stay. There was only one restaurant in town but the motel was really nice. Everyone recognized them as newly weds and they were very happy. The plan was to return home on Sunday so she could go back to school and he wouldn't miss work. They would probably live with his parents because she didn't think her parents would be at all happy. Little did she know.
Her Father burst in upon them with the police. He had hired a PI who found them and the police were there because she was underage and for Juan to do what he did to her was a Federal Crime. I tried to explain that I was over sixteen and old enough to marry but they said I need the approval of both parents to do so. Father drove me home, leaving Juan in jail and told me he'd see a lawyer tomorrow to get the marriage annulled as not being legal.
As soon as he stopped in our driveway she ran to Juan's house, going through people's yards rather than going down the street. There she told his parents what had happened and at first they didn't believe her because they'd never met. Then she showed them the ring he'd given her and they recognized it for it was his grandmothers so then the believed her. They took the ring and sent me away despite the mother's sympathy. No wonder Romeo and Juliet just took poisen.
She faced her mother and father when she got back, both trying to look stern. Hillary turned to her mother. "You told me that I should only sleep with a boy, 'inside a loving marriage with a love that is stronger than anything the Devil can do.' Those were your words. I loved Juan and I married Juan but it wasn't the Devil that broke up my marriage and my love, it was my Mother and Father!" Then she ran out of the house to decide what she should do.
Years later, Hillary would find herself in a conversation when 'The Sixties' would come up. She seldom said anything about them. No one could tell her that she hadn't captured the mood of 1960s America, especially the center of its counterculture, California. She knew better than most of the dislocation of the 1960s, the disorientation of a country shredding itself apart with social change. She knew the subject well — the murderous people, the little naive girl, girls trailing rock groups, the elderly bunkered in their homes — but also offer a broader vision of America, one that is both terrifying and tender, ominous and uniquely her own. Hillary had an incisive opinion of that time in contemporary American life when America Slouched Towards Bethlehem, a line she read in a poem once when she tried to regain her education and her life. She knew that her extraordinary experiences in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury, all reflect that, in one way or another, things were falling apart, "the center cannot hold."
"I have been an articulate witness to the most stubborn and intractable truths of that era," she would say, then go to get another drink.
Work Out, The Previous Story
© HWS, 2006