I first met Charlene, Charlie to her friends, at a party in Cave Junction. It was early summer and I had gotten a ride there and was staying with some friends of mine who had moved up there from the City. After being there for about a week they told me that they had met this hippie farmer around our age and he had invited us over to his place to party so what the hey, let's go. It was quite a trek to get to his farm. We had to go through a bunch of gates, cross a couple of creeks then follow a really bad rutted dirt road to the end of a valley before we got to his farm. He was the last guy on the road and had a couple hundred acres where he raised every kind of livestock that you can think of. He introduced himself as Brian and his girlfriend as Charlie. Charlie was a petite dusky beauty with olive skin, black hair and hazel eyes, and for some reason we hit it right off. While everyone else was getting high and/or drunk, we just talked and she told me her story.
She was from southern Cal. and had gotten her period when she was just 9 years old. She had started having sex when she was only 10 with high school boys who she lied to and told them that she was 13.
When she was really 13, she ran away from home, moved in with her 19 year old boyfriend and lived with him for the next 3 years. When he decided to move to Denver, where he could get a job with a friend of his, Charlie told him that she didn't want to leave the west coast. So he went to Denver she went to San Francisco and lived in a couple of communes until she met Brian who was down visiting some friends. She liked him, he ask her to move in with him on his farm. She said sounded kind of romantic at the time so she said, "Yes." But after spending the winter here and having to work with a bunch of dirty filthy animals, she was ready to go. Especially since she had written her old boyfriend Robert and he had written back saying that he still missed her and would like to see her again. I told her about my life of just hitching around the country and since Denver was as good as place as any to go to, that if she wanted, I would hitch to Denver with her.
She asked if I was kidding.
I told her, "No way. If you want to go, then we can leave when ever you want."
She said that she'd think about it and let me know.
My friends and I got too wasted to drive home that night so spent it there.
Next morning bright and early Charlie comes up to me and says that she's made up her mind, if I'll take her to Denver then she is ready to go right now and shows me her duffel bag with everything she owns in it.
I ask about Brian.
She says, "I told him last night and he said he wasn't surprised. He knew I didn't like it here anymore. He said he was grateful that I stayed as long as I did and wish wished me good luck, so I'm ready to go."
I told her "No problem"
I told my friends that as soon as we got back to their place that Charlie and I would be leaving.
They told me that we mise as well spend the night at their place then get an early start in the morning.
I asked Charlie and she said, "Okay."
That day I told Charlie that we would hitch up to Portland, over to Boise, down to Salt Lake City and from there over the Rocky Mountains to Denver.
She said that it sounded good to her, then she looked me in the eyes and asked, "Will we be sleeping together on the trip?"
I told her that I sure would like to but that if was totally up to her and that it wouldn't effect whether or not we traveled together.
Still looking me in the eyes she said, "Well, we mise well try it right now and see how it works, then we'll know." She took my hand and led me into a bedroom where we stayed the entire day finding out that we got alone great and would be sleeping together on the journey
Next morning it was raining, not unusual for Oregon but hey, a little rain never hurt anybody so we hit the road and make it as far as Covallis by late afternoon. We got picked up by a hippie. He told us that we could spend the night at his house so we crashed on his floor together. Next morning it was raining pretty hard so we since we were enjoying one another and were in no hurry, asked the hippie if we could spend another day there.
He told us, "No problem. You guys can even use my bed today while I'm out."
A really nice guy.
Next day we thanked the guy for the hospitality and started hitching north. We got to Portland by noon and started hitching east, again in the rain. A hippie guy in a white cargo van pulled over and we got in. He asked where we were going?
When we told him he said, "Hey, I ain't got nothing happening for the next few days and my sister who I haven't seen for awhile lives in Salt Lake, so if ya want, you guys can spend the night at my house and tomorrow I'll drive you there. What do ya say?”
I said that it was good of him to offer but did he know that it was like 750 miles to Salt Lake?
He said, "Yeah, I know man, it’s not a problem. Hell, I'll even pay for the gas."
Charlie and me told him, "Let's do it."
He drove us to his house, a small white one story out in the country surrounded by a beautiful green lawn. I said that this didn't look like a hippie house. He told me that he was a dope dealer, that this place was a good cover to do business out of especially since there were no close neighbors.
When I asked what he dealt he said, "Whatever." And that right now he had mostly grass and speed, then offered us some, which we took.
The three of us spent the day getting high, listening to the stereo and watching the rain.
That night as Charlie and I went to bed, she said, "Ya know Tai, I kinda like Jerry."
I ask her if she'd like me to invite him to join us and she said, "Yeah."
I asked Jerry if he'd like to make it a 3-some.
He said, "Sure." He took off his clothes, jumped in bed with us and a fun time was had by all.
Next day, after a couple morning hooters, the three of us got in the van and rolled down the highway. I thought it would take two days to drive to Salt Lake, but Jerry took some speed and we were there by the following morning. He dropped us at an on ramp going east and told us good bye then drove away.
We got a ride to the top of the Rocky’s to a small town I don' remember the name of and then spent the whole day standing there freezing in the wind. When it started to get dark I told Charlie that we had better go into the town and seek shelter because it was going to get way to cold to sleep out.
As soon as we walked into town a cop started following us. I went up to the Lutheran Church and knocked on the rectory door. A woman answered and asked what we wanted. I told her that we were stuck there for the night and being low on funds, needed a place to sleep. She said, "Well, you can't sleep here." and closed the door.
With the cop still behind us, we walked down the block to the Catholic Church and knocked on their door. The priest answered, when we told him our story he told us, "Sorry, but I just can't help you." then closed the door in our face.
I looked at Charlie saying, "Now there’s your typical Christian attitude. Just think if I was Joseph and you a pregnant Mary."
She just laughed.
As we walked away the cop called us over to his car and asked what we were doing, so we told him our story. He said, "Well you hippies got 3 choices. 1; you can go back to the freeway. Or 2; you can go to the hotel and get a room. Or 3; I can throw your asses in jail for the night and you can explain it to the judge in the morning. So what’ll it be?"
Since it was too cold to hitch and I was with an underage girl, I though jail was a bad idea so that left the hotel. I told the cop my decision.
He looked at Charlie and me then said, "Wise choice. Get in the car and I'll drive you over there." which he did.
Luckily, it was only $10 for the night. It was ratty but it was warm.
Next morning it was back on the road. We stood there most of the day but then a trucker stopped and asked where we were going. When we told him Denver he just laughed and said, "Hop in, that's exactly where this load is going." He drove and we chatted.
He told us that he was a Mormon from Salt Lake where he lived with his family. Since all truckers I’d ever met took Bennies to stay awake, I asked him about it. He said, “Yeah, I do take whites, but I don’t take any other drugs including coffee, nicotine or alcohol. It’s just part of the job. Without them I couldn’t be competitive and all the jobs would go to the truckers that do.”
Next morning early we were in Denver and Charlie called Robert to come and get us.
Robert came in his old pick up. He was a thin white dude with long blond hair but no beard. Charlie introduced us and we shook hands. We got into the pick up and he drove us to his house, a two bed room that he shared with a buddy of his. It was funny because he didn't seem too happy to see Charlie. He told her that we could stay but he had to go to work, he was a welder and would be home about 6 p.m. He dropped us at his house then left. I mentioned to Charlie his lack of enthusiasm but she said that Robert was real unemotional so it was no big deal. We spent the day together wandering around. We discovered an old wooden abandoned barn about a mile away from Robert's house and spent the afternoon rolling around in the hay. Man, was that fun!
Robert and his friend came home and we all had dinner together then went to see a movie. When we got home, Charlie said to me, "I hope you don't mind Tai, but I want to spend the night with Robert."
I told her to enjoy herself. I slept on the living room floor.
An hour later, Charlie crawls into my sleeping bag with me saying, “Robert is being a shit! He said he was happy to see me but he doesn't like you being here. I told him that if it wasn't for you then I wouldn't be here either. He said he knows that but he still don't like it anyway, so I told him, “Then I'll just sleep with Tai and you won't have to worry about it. I’m still horny so let’s fuck” and we did.
In the morning just at dawn Charlie fucked me again and she made a point of making a lot of noise at it. When we were done she said, "Now I'll go and see Robert and see what's what."
She got out of my bag, went into Robert's room, closed the door and stayed in there until the room mate started pounding on Robert's door telling him that they were going to be late for work. Robert came out of his room and without a word to me, left. Charlie then came out of his room, got back into my bag with me and said, "Robert's asked me to stay but he wants you to leave. Is that okay with you? If you want me to go with you I will, but I do still love Robert."
I told her that our trip was over and to make herself happy.
She hugged me, then said, "Well, he won't be home until later so we can make love all day." Then she got on top of me and screwed the hell out of me.
I left Charlie in the early afternoon, just sticking out my thumb, but she did ask for an address that she could reach me at so I gave her the one on 22d St. I got a ride going east and by night was somewhere in Nebraska sleeping alone in a field of wheat.
A little over a year later I get a letter from Charlie telling me that she left Robert a few months after I dropped her in Denver and now had moved back to southern Cal. She and two of her girl friends had rented a small house in Santa Monica and that she would really like to see me again, so having nothing but fond memories of Charlie and having nothing better to do, I hitched down to LA.
Seeing her was great. She looked about the same except now, as she told me, she was legal. She was going to Jr. Collage studying to be an Occupational Therapist and was really glad to see me again.
I asked her if she had a boyfriend, she laughed and said, "Lots, but don't worry none will be coming over tonight." Then she asked how long I had been on the road.
I told her two days.
She said, "Then you need a bath. Come on, I'll give ya one."
She took my hand and led me into the bathroom where she drew a bath, undressed me, told me to get in then undressed herself and got in with me. We were both squeaky clean by the time we got out of the tub. We spent the day together and she told me, "Ya know Tai, I thought about you a lot this year. I even fantasized about having a baby with you, but then I’d be tied to you for life and really, you're just to wild to stay with for long. So we can spend the night together but it'd probably be best if you left in the morning. I hope you understand? We can be friends and you're welcome in my house. But we can't be lovers because I want a regular life and I just couldn't have that with you."
I told her that as long as she made herself happy then she sure didn't have to explain herself to me. I was happy just to share this short time with her.
She smiled at me and said, "I knew you'd understand."
We spent that night together then I left in the morning and never saw or heard from Charlie again. I just figured that like this life, it was fun while it lasted.