Chapter 3

Wednesday, June 4, 2008. Rochambeau, Indiana

Pat Rosario.

I hadn't bothered to put on shoes and the asphalt singed my feet as I crossed the street to the park where they protest was being held. Nervous as I was, I barely noticed. I had never been naked in front of anyone outside my family before, and now I was going to strip off in broad daylight. Still, I told myself, it was for a good cause, and my parents had signed me up for The Program next year, so I'd have to get used to it anyway.

Grant Hardcastle was waiting at the entrance to the park. He was already naked and had "War is Obscene painted on his chest." There were a few college kids that had started to take off their clothes and get signs put together.

"You ready?" Grant asked.

"Ready as I'll ever be." I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and yanked my shorts down. When I'd gotten my shirt off, Grant handed me some pamphlets to hand to pedestrians.

Most of the people who walked by yelled at us, but a few people took our pamphlets and one guy even thanked us. He said he was in Vietnam.

Eventually, the police got called. The officer walked up to me.

"You kids got a permit for this little striptease?"

"Right here, officer." Grant fished a piece of paper out of his backpack and handed it to the policeman.

"Everything looks to be in order," the officer gave the form back to Grant and had a brief conversation with someone on his walkie-talkie. "I'll just stay here for a little while and make sure no one bothers you."

A few minutes later an old lady walked up to him and started yelling at him.

"Why aren't you doing your job and arresting these people!"

"They have a permit ma'am, they aren't doing anything illegal."

"But they're naked! That's public indecency."

"The city passed an ordinance than nudity and public sex weren't to be considered indecent last year. These people are perfectly within their rights."

"Well, can't you plant drugs on them or something?"

"Where would I plant them?"

The lady stormed off muttering under her breath.

Things quieted down after that, and we were about to pack up and leave, when Grant spotted two kids who had apparently moved in down the street from him. One was quite tall and skinny but muscular. His wide face seemed locked in a suspicious pout and his light brown eyes darted around as though searching for something. His hair was straight and dark brown, and parted to the left in a wavy pattern. He was wearing jeans and a polo shirt. The other one was shorter and younger looking, with somewhat mousy features and lighter hair.

"We should introduce ourselves," Grant suggested, so the two of us walked over to them.

"This a nudist convention or something?" the taller one asked. I didn't know why, but he was starting to creep me out.