Chapter 7: August 16th, 1969

“Uh ... ugh ... ah,” Stephen said as he opened up his eyes. There was morning light that flooded his vision as he could feel the cold, wet ground underneath him.

His back was sore, and his body was wet from the rain, but it had cut down significantly. The weather had calmed down, but the sunlight was not in full bounds. A rumor had started to be passed around that Hurricane Camille, a mighty monster of a storm, was about to strike Mississippi. The end result was that it was affecting the weather of the entire region. Of course, the hurricane posed no significant danger to the concert since they were nowhere near the storm’s path. Not only that, but it would be dramatically weakened by the time it reached the area. The result was the same, though, more rain.

For Stephen, lying on the grass with no blanket, wet and cold, had pushed his body a little bit. It was a little bit warmer since the sunlight was trying hard to get through the cloud layer. The area was wet, and the combination of hundreds of thousands of people in a place like this was going to be remembered for the fact the weather didn’t cooperate.

His head was hurting with a minor headache. The grass had done its best to keep the area cushioned beneath him, but it wasn’t enough. Sleeping on a hard floor, even in the satisfaction of nature, was taxing on his body. Having to stay up all night listening to the great music of Melanie, Ario Gutherie, and Joan Baez was great, though, and felt worth it.

Regardless, he managed to fall asleep around three o clock. He stirred from the ground as he looked around. He could see the countless amounts of individuals that were asleep, gone back to their vehicles, or stayed and also slept on the ground. Some had foldable chairs where they slept at. It was the most unorganized sleep out ever made.

Stephen could see Tiffany and Brendan sleeping in their sleeping bag. It seemed that they escaped most of the soaking rain with what they brought, but others, including himself, were not so fortunate. The dirt patches combined with numerous people walking over it had reduced some of the landscape to mud. How he managed to sleep through this rain and noise was something that made him genuinely wonder.

Yet he did feel something on his chest when he stirred. His head turned down to look at a woman’s hand that was lazily applied to it. He turned his head to see that it was Oniya that was comfortably sleeping near him. Sleeping on her back, her eyes briefly opened up as she seemed calm and peacefully relaxed. Stephen’s brain was trying to recount the previous night’s events as he was starting to wake up.

“Mmmm...” Oniya moaned as she stirred a little bit. Stephen surmised that Oniya must have slept much as he had. He could not see Theo. He recounted seeing her talking with a woman before Joan Baez started to perform.

Stephen watched as Oniya lifted her hand away from him. Her body was a little bit close to him as he could see that she was obviously in need of warmth. She had been enjoying the music, but there was a sense of comfort that he felt seeing this person so close to him. He pushed his body up as he got a better view of everything. He didn’t have any form of a watch, but judging the sun’s angle and the amount of daylight, it must have been around nine or ten in the morning.

He could already see the trash that was collecting up. It wasn’t that bad, but the collection of people was starting to bring in issues with sanitation. There were hundreds of porta potties available for a population that was expected to reach as high as 100,000 people, but not the 400,000 that it had arrived. The long lines to take a piss or shit were an issue. Did you wait to use something that was most likely gross or unusable or go as far away from the concert into the woods to go and relieve yourself? Things like this were a constant in his mind.

There was one advantage to the pause of the concert. It was not only the opportunity for people to try to get some rest but also to allow the food trucks, cooks, and vendors to try to replenish their stock. Stephen could already see that lines were developing at the food courts.

“Did ... did you get some sleep?” Oniya asked him as she continued to stir.

“Apparently, I did,” he commented. “Looks like you did too.”

“Mmmm ... my baby didn’t,” she said as she pushed her body up. “Mmm...” she sighed. “My baby was kicking a lot after the music stopped.” She looked up as the droplets continued to hit her. “Looks like the rain is still going too.”

“It is less than it was at least. Looks like you managed to get some sleep, though, at least.”

“When are they going to start up the festival again?”

“I think around 12 or 1 today. I don’t know, honestly. This rain isn’t helping any, and I know Ravi Shankar must have had to endure playing in the rain as the last several bands had to do. That is my best guess.”

She put her hand to her stomach before she leaned forward. Her soaked shirt made it easy for Stephen to see her brown nipples pushing against the fabric of her wet shirt.

“We need to make sure you get a chance to eat,” she said. “Maybe ... we can try to get cleaned up too.”

“Well, we are getting plenty of rain. Nature is cleaning us up good.”

“Hmmm ... I was thinking about the pond nearby. It is quite large and offers plenty of space for a lot of us. I wouldn’t mind getting a chance to go there together.”

“You seem to be in a rather ... relaxed mood with me,” he remarked as he folded his arms to his chest.

“I can tell that you are a man of nature like many people around here. You ... care ... for my well being and my child. I ... I like you.”

It was a kind complement from her that seemed to drown into Stephen’s soul. He looked away for a little bit as he considered things. Maybe it was just the atmosphere and environment. Oniya was a pretty woman. He wasn’t exactly the type to say no to this, but he could tell already that there was an obvious thing about her. Her pregnancy meant that a baby was due to arrive. It was a confounding issue. He looked down for a little while.

“Oniya ... look,” Stephen explained. “I am having a good time ... but I don’t know about a relationship. I believe in the whole ‘Free Love’ movement myself, but ... I don’t know about us as a couple.”

“Why not?” she asked with a smile.

“I ... I don’t have much,” he told her as he pulled his leg up and wrapped his hands around his knee. “All I got is a car. I have no home and do errands to make enough food to live. Honestly ... I can’t take care of you.”

“Do you find me attractive?”

“Yes. You are beautiful, and that is even with a bun in the oven.”

She gave a slight scolding look to him. “Are you trying to say that I look fat?”

“I ... um...” Stephen said as he grabbed the back of his neck. “Look ... I just don’t think I would be good for you. I like you, Oniya. You would just be falling in love with a man that couldn’t give you or your baby any help. I am a lost cause.”

She looked away for a moment. “I don’t think so,” she said, disagreeing with him. “Here ... let’s go and try to get some food.”

“Now that is something we can both agree on.”

Both of them stood up as they looked down at the couple that was still asleep. Oniya went and wrapped up her left arm around Stephen. He didn’t feel any repulsion towards her. He knew that many people at this concert might have been single and were trying to find someone for companionship, but he also knew that he just met her as well. He still pictured the idea that the boyfriend or husband that is supposed to be dead would come to the concert, find her, and then find him latched to her. All he could need now was some runaway single mother at a time like this. Regardless, he couldn’t say no to an opportunity like this either. What if she said was true? Could he say no to a woman like her? He decided just to do what everyone else was doing and simply go with the flow. Besides, Oniya was a sense of warmth just because of her proximity.

Standing up, he could see the area much better now. The crowd of sleeping bodies combined with the few that were awake and walking around was all too common. There was activity going on, and it was best to go and try to get some food. He felt the need to go to the bathroom, and there was a debate in his head of where to go.

“Come ... this way,” Stephen told her.

They began their long walk to try to get some food. It was a slow one as they were careful not to step on people as they kept their voices down. These were the few opportunities that people were going to get sleep.

“I wanted to apologize,” Oniya said.

“For what?”

“I am pushing myself onto you too hard. I know that you are just the person that I am sitting next to. To be honest, I feel comfortable being with you.”

“It is alright,” Stephen commented. “I didn’t say that I didn’t want to be with you, though.”

She smiled. “Still ... I didn’t consider the possibility that you might have a wife or girlfriend, and here I am with my arm wrapped around yours.”

“Well, fortunately for the both of us, I don’t. Most women would give up by now if they learned more and more about me. I am a failure at life.”

“A person that admits that is a smart individual. They don’t hide behind ignorance. I can already see that in you.”

“I try...” he said. “I try to do my best.”

“After we get something to eat, I would like to go to the pond together. I want to explore nature with you.”

“I would like that too,” Stephen said with a smile.

They walked for a few minutes when Stephen had to ask something that was on his mind.

“Where did your friend go?” he asked her.

“Theo? I saw her leave this morning. She was talking with some woman, and then they both walked off together. I think she went to the pond, but ... maybe they went to the forest together.”

“You don’t seem to keep track of your friends very well,” Stephen said with a chuckle.

“Oh, I know Theo well enough. If she is walking and talking with other women, then it is a good thing for her.”

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“Theo is a ... she prefers the company of women over men.”

“You mean she is a dyke?”

She gripped his arm hard as if she gave an angry reaction. He nodded his head.

“I am sorry,” he said. “Perhaps that wasn’t the right word to use. Lesbian?...” he corrected his words.

“Yeah...” she continued to explain. “Theo is having to fight multiple fronts. She not only has to worry about a world that would reject her for who she is but the fact of her orientation as well.”

“I agree,” Stephen said. Stephen had known a little bit about the situation that the homosexual community had to face. Not only was there the fact of racial discrimination and war but those that preferred relations with the same sex.

“She does like this place, though. The open-mindedness of everyone ... it is so ... liberating. I wish this was done more often.”

“Maybe it will. The amount of people here is a sign that people want the war to end and that they want equality.”

“I noticed that Theo had some sort of pendant on her neck,” he said. “It wasn’t a peace sign like I have. What is it?”

“I know what you are talking about, but I don’t know what it is. I do know that she never stops wearing it and that it was given to her by her father.”

“I thought it was pretty interesting that it had that silhouette of a man going into a maze. I will have to get a chance to ask if she can make a pendant like that for me ... if she can.”

“Hmmm ... you will have to get a chance to ask her.”

He nodded his head in agreement. Stephen could see that she felt at ease and at peace being around him. They continued their walk towards the long food lines. Breakfast was being served, and the crowds were constant.

“Hmmm...” Stephen nodded. “It will be another long wait,” he said. “We will need to make sure to ration what we got today. I am worried that they will run out of food at this rate.” He pointed his finger at Oniya. “And don’t you tell me that you don’t need to eat either. You can’t starve yourself. The baby wouldn’t be happy.”

“Heh...” She reacted with a chuckle. “Alright ... I will eat. I don’t want to impose on you. I do want to ask, though. I was wanting to see what the art trade has around here at Woodstock.”

“Oh ... you mean like souvenirs, clothing, and all that?”

“Yes. I wanted to see what they had here. Can we do that before we eat?”

“Sure thing,” he said. “Let’s head over to it.

They altered their trip towards the distant tents. The onslaught of people that were either asleep or in the way was apparent. Thankfully their destination was somewhat near the areas where food was sold. On the outer edge of the crowds was a series of tents and vehicles that were strewn about. Most of these vendors were not open or were in the same situation as the people in the morning. The owners were trying to get sleep or rest for the coming day.

They walked past the food tents and proceeded down the area where the vehicles were parked at. Much as Stephen thought, some of them were closed, but one did catch his eye. It was a makeshift vendor store converted from a Volkswagen VW van. These classic vans were a famous brand of what could be described as the “hippie mobile.” They were a perfect vehicle for their purpose, especially at the time. Capable of housing several people, the cars were as they were described as a microbus. They could easily get around, be decorated, and were relatively popular everywhere. The idea of having a vehicle that filled the niche between a bus and a typical car made this van well regarded. While Woodstock had way more varieties of cars due to its population, there were still some of these vans that he saw. It had that snub nose to it that most considered cute.

“I wish I had one of these vehicles,” he told her. “They are slower than hell, but they are like a mobile home.”

“I doubt that it could hold me and the baby, though,” she remarked.

“Yeah ... It shouldn’t be for a person and baby either. Seems like I see it too often, and I have to worry about myself in the end.”

As they approached it, Stephen and Oniya could see the flower decorations on it. The combination of green and yellow colors, the “peace not war” written in purple, and the peace sign, was all over it. Stephen could tell that the back compartment was a bed and makeshift storage area. The midsection was a stock area where there was clothing, trinkets, and other varieties of items. The door was closed up, and he could see that man was asleep at the door.

The man was dressed in some wild clothing. He had a long beard and a headband, along with a brown vest and long blue pants. In some ways, he almost had a similar clothing style to Stephen, but the man was bald and older looking. A cigarette was burning on his lips where he could see the ashes were dangerously close to falling onto his beard. Stephen was surprised as it was that this vendor hadn’t set fire to his beard yet.

“I guess we came too early,” Stephen said to Oniya. “We can ask this guy later if he wakes up in time.”

“Heeeyyy maaan,” the person replied back in a raspy voice. “I am here ... I am awake.”

“Yeah, bro,” Stephen replied. “Seeing if I can find anything for my friend here.”

The older man shifted himself up as he grabbed the cigarette and held it with his two fingers. He could tell that one of the eyes was bloodshot, but he was friendly regardless.

“Heeeeyyy ... you got a pretty lady friend with you. Looks like you are going to be a mother soon. Congratulations.”

“Thank you,” Oniya replied back to him with a smile.

“You want to have something to remember this concert than you come to the right place. Have a look at my stuff. I can trade anything.”

“Hmmm...” She said as she stepped up to the van. The vendor went and stepped out of the car and walked to the rear of his vehicle. He hopped up into it as the pregnant woman began to look at the stuff inside.

Stephen could see that the inside was filled with a variety of necklaces. He looked at his pendant but was happy with what he had. He hoped that Oniya was not the type who preferred to buy many things, because he could tell that she didn’t have much on her, let alone what many people had here.

Oniya was carefully observant of the wares. There were a couple of t-shirts hanging on the rack. One was a tie-die t-shirt that looked rather pretty. Glasses, bracelets, and beads were all there. Even basic string was available for her to look at.

“What do you think I should get?” Oniya asked Stephen.

“You are asking me?”

“Yeah. I want to get something ... one thing that I might like.”

He could tell that she was eyeing the necklaces rather closely. Some of these beaded necklaces were almost the size of her.

“Hmmm ... I wouldn’t go after the necklaces,” he said. “They are so big, only your pregnant stomach of yours would hope to catch them.”

“Yeah, those necklaces were selling out so fast yesterday,” the vendor added. “It is why I am just selling the beads and string right now.”

Stephen was looking at Oniya’s body closely. What was one thing that she could use? What was one thing that she would remember this concert? He only just recently met her, but his brain was thinking hard for her. It dawned on him as he pointed his fingers at it.

“I wonder,” he asked the vendor. “Is that headband elastic?”

“You know it is, bro,” he replied with some enthusiasm. “Pick one of those out.”

Stephen went and looked at some of the headbands. There were a few of them in his van and of different colors. He reached into the vehicle and pulled it out. Her eyes were focused on the band in his hand. It was rather colorful to look at, consisting of white and purple mixed together. It had a large circular woven peace sign in the center. It was hard to see it, but he nodded his head to her.

“Yeeeaaah ... that would look great for her,” the vendor said. “A pretty headband for a pretty lady.”

Oniya went and happily accepted the headband as Stephen went and slipped it over her head. The elastic fit perfectly on her. She had a gentle grin on her face as she looked at Stephen closely.

“How much for this?” Stephen asked the vendor.

“Hmm ... I can part for it for a dollar,” he replied.

Stephen put his hand to his back pocket as he pulled out his wallet. When he opened it up, he had a look that showed disappointment.

“I got fifty cents,” Stephen said. “Ugh ... I wish they didn’t raise the food prices.” He closed it up as he looked over to Oniya. “Sorry ... I never had that much money as it was. It was rough just getting to here.”

“Wait,” Oniya replied as he looked over to the vendor. She held up her hand, and there was a small coin gently enclosed between her fingers. She tossed it to the vendor as he smiled back at her. The coin, even though smaller than a dime, looked silver in color. The vendor caught it and looked at it closely.

“Gnarly man!” the vendor replied with a smile. “You can have whatever you want from this place anytime.”

Stephen was amazed. Did she have her own wallet with her, or did she actually have money with her? They began to walk away as Stephen could feel her arm wrap around his once again.

“Thank you, by the way,” she said.

“What for?”

“For choosing this.”

“Sorry, I don’t have much.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“You have extra money with you?” Stephen asked. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“That is all that I have,” she replied.

“Yeah ... unfortunately, it means that I won’t be able to attend the rest of the Woodstock Festival. I just don’t have enough to pay for everything.”

“It will be alright,” she said. “Everything will be alright.”

“I admit you look better with that headband.”

“Thank you,” she said as she used her free hand to touch her forehead.

They reached about halfway to the tents where they were selling food. Stephen sighed again as he knew the wait times were going to be extended. His need to relieve himself was on his mind too. He stopped walking as he looked at her.

“Oniya, I might need you to stand in line when I go to the bathroom,” he said. “We can take turns as we stand in line.”

“I can do that. Don’t worry about it,” she said.

There was a tap on Oniya’s shoulder. She released her grip on Stephen as they both turned around to see who it was.

Standing before the both of them were two women. Both of them had a bronze complexion to their skin. Unlike Oniya, however, these women had an even darker complexion. Their hair was arranged differently than Oniya. Unlike her, one woman had straight flowing long black hair that went between both shoulders. The other had hers in a bombshell style. Both were dressed in green shirts and dark blue shorts that looked comfortable. Stephen began to wonder about these two women almost immediately. If Oniya was Egyptian as she said she was then, these two women were definitely Egyptian by their appearances. In some ways, the combination of clothing was somewhat silly for them, but on the other hand, this was Woodstock, where everyone was dressed like they wanted to be.

“Mom!” Oniya called out as she walked up and hugged her.

“Op ... Oniya,” she called out to her in an excited tone. Unlike Oniya, there was more accent in her voice.

Stephen was aghast of what Oniya said. Her mother? This woman looked like she was in her twenties to possibly thirties. She looked incredibly young to be a mother. Was she a mother at a very young age, or did she manage to look like she was youthful? Stephen was perplexed, but then again, he always recalled hearing stories of people getting married at young ages. Maybe Egyptian practices were different. He didn’t know, but regardless, Oniya’s mother was rather pretty. The more he looked at her, he began to notice that she was slightly chubby on the waist, but she also had a tattoo of a hook on her face near her left eye.

The other woman was quiet, but she was also rather beautiful as well. She was slightly skinnier than the other two, almost as Theo was with Oniya. Her hair was what set her apart from Oniya’s mother and herself. Her face and nose were slightly more pronounced than the other woman but only slightly. She was also something big in her hands.

“Honey dear,” Oniya’s mother said as they broke their hug. “I knew I would find you here eventually.”

“When did you arrive at Woodstock?” Oniya asked.

“About an hour ago,” she said as she put her hand to her hip.

“I am so glad that you made it here.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t miss this for the world,” she replied to her daughter with a wave.

“Oh, mother, I am so sorry,” Oniya said as she pointed to Stephen. “Stephen, this is my mother Tawerena and her good friend, Hathy. Hathy, ... mother, this is Stephen.”

“Nice to meet you two,” Stephen greeted them with a smile.

“Mmmm ... nice specimen of a man,” Hathy replied, looking at him. She was looking at his body from head to toe, giving a big nod in the process.

“Oh, Hathy,” Tawerena said, gently smacking her arm. “Behave yourself.”

“Unlike you?” she replied back to her with a friendly gesture. She looked back at Stephen. “So Stephen, you like hanging out with my daughter?”

“Ummm ... Mrs ... umm,” Stephen remarked. “I assure you that I am on my best behavior with her.”

“Oh, don’t you worry about yourself,” Tawerena replied as she gently smacked his arm. “Peace and love. Peace and love!” She shouted as a couple of others held up their hands in cheer to her words. “I can’t get enough of it, and the music hasn’t even gotten started.”

“Oh, I can’t wait either,” Hathy added in an almost seductive manner. “So much free spirit running around.”

“Who else is going to make it to here?” Oniya asked.

“Hmmm ... we got some people showing up here and there. Reynard, Tu’er Shen, Kuzunoha, and one of her daughters, should be here, but good luck finding them.”

“What about Ariadne? I know she wanted to be here.”

Tawerena shook her head. “Nah, she is still busy in ... well ... you know where.”

Oniya shook her head. “I guess that goes the same with many of the others.”

“I think Samedi, Molly, and her husband will be here later this night,” Hathy added. “I know the big five should be here. Honestly, I don’t know the rest. They will be coming and going these next couple of days.”

“I understand. Even with the knowledge of this, everyone is just scattered everywhere.”

“Speaking of which,” Hathy jumped in. “Where is that Indian cowgirl anyway?”

“Theo ... I don’t know. She left with some woman.”

“Ah ... I knew she was going to find someone here. Hmmm ... can’t blame her. Men and women are one and the same in bed.”

Stephen was listening to the names, and some of them sounded very unusual. It sounded like Oniya certainly had many friends, but he minded his own business. Regardless, the conversation was somewhat funny to listen to.

“Well...” Tawerena said as she leaned over to her daughter. “Don’t let your mother try to slow you down too much in finding companions. Have yourself a good time here. Stephen,” she paused as he looked at her. “I love the headband, by the way. As much as it may sound strange for a mother to say this ... you two go and have a fun time together.” She held up her two fingers. “Peace and love.”

“Peace and love,” Stephen and Oniya both said to her.

“Oh...” Hathy said as she stepped forward to Oniya. “I have a gift from Hestia and Uttu. Complements to ensure that these nights go well for you.”

Oniya held out her hands as Hathy handed over a large dark purple blanket that she was holding. Upon receiving it, Oniya opened it up. There were stripped flower patterns on it that Stephen could see. The blanket looked very soft and delicate. There was something else, as Oniya unwrapped it a little more.

“Whoa ... far out,” Stephen said as he gazed into a large loaf of bread. The blanket kept the food excellent and warm. Baked fresh from someone’s oven, the bread looked old fashioned as if it was cooked from some old oven or stove. There was also a canteen of water.

“Hestia wanted to make sure if you met anybody that he or she wouldn’t starve to death,” Hathy said. “She managed to cook nice little lima beans into it. Got to leave it the master of cooking to be able to accomplish that.”

“This will be for us,” Oniya told Stephen.

“Ah ... thank you two for all of this,” he replied to them.

“Actually, we are just the ones delivering them to you,” Hathy said.

“You two take care now,” Tawerena said as she grabbed Hathy’s shoulder. “Come, Hathy. I can already see that this nice drizzle is going to make some muddy waters. Nothing like seeing a bunch of wild young fresh men and women going to get themselves nice and dirty. I sense lots of peace and loving tonight!”

“Hmmm ... can’t argue with that,” Hathy said. “Nothing like a great party to attend. Woodstock! Yeah!”

Both of them began to walk away together to head into the crowds of people. Stephen could tell that many of the people were waking up more and more. The sun’s location as it remained behind the clouds was a sign that it was either 10 to 11 o clock in the morning. The fact that they had food now was one thing less that he had to worry about.

“Your mother is totally gnarly,” Stephen said.

“I told you that you don’t have to worry much about it,” she replied. “My mother always ensures that I am well.”

They resumed their walk back to where Tiffany and Brendan were sitting at. It would take some time to worm through the crowds of people. Stephen did see some that were happening, however. Among one of the things he spotted was that the drizzle and rain were making the ground more and more soaked. The dirt was pretty much complete mud. There was an area of a large patch of dirt. He was sure that some of the crowd members were playing in the dirt and mud last night. He could already see that some morning risers were already doing it.

The one advantage was that the temperatures were actually pretty nice. People were naturally wet, but it wasn’t really cold anymore. Instead, the people that were awake were tossing their blankets up onto the stage walls to try to dry them off.

“Everyone is doing their best to enjoy these times,” Stephen remarked.

“Are you enjoying everything so far?” she asked him.

“I am. I can’t even argue with the rain either. I wish times were always like this. It would be a better place.”

“I agree ... for me ... I have to be aware that it might not last forever.”

They reached Tiffany and Brendan and noticed that they were wide awake. Their sleeping bag was dirty, but it held out against the rain.

“Ow...” Tiffany said as she stretched her back on the ground. “Brendan, dear ... are you alright?”

“Yeah ... whoa ... what a night,” he replied.

“Hey...” She said as she looked at Oniya and Stephen. “Nice headband ... I love it.”