Dear Julia and Hailey,
I heard your music before I saw your car. I am in South
Dakota, standing with Standing Rock, because I believe that water really is life. I got here by saving my last
few paychecks to buy a plane ticket. I needed a ride to the protest spot and
was looking for a few trustworthy people to drive me there. I heard you, Julia,
playing the nice folk music that Tomato Rodriguez in Flaming Iguanas would say “white kids in dreadlocks pretend[ing]
they were disadvantaged artists with groundbreaking ideas” enjoy (Lopez 240).
Because of your music taste, I didn’t think that you would be the right people
to ride into Standing Rock with, but I changed my mind when your car pulled up.
I saw Hailey’s feet on the dashboard and your beat up van and thought y’all
would be just fine.
I put my thumb in the air and heard Julia’s muttering as she
pulled her car to the side of the road. “Another hitchhiker?” you – Julia --
muttered. You both looked steadily my way, as if you were trying to discern whether
I was good enough to join your conversation or not. I stuck my head through your open window with
a goofy smile; “I’m going to the protests,” I said excitedly. Hailey rolled her
eyes, as I would later learn she often does, and grinned lazily at Julia. Julia’s
grip on her steering wheel tightened. “I don’t understand why you kids like
transportation with high rates of kidnapping and death! What if I was a
lunatic! What then?” I held her gaze with a smile. Julia loosened
her grip on the steering wheel and laughed, “Get in, already!”
Thank you for letting my join your conversations about who
you are and where you’re going. I’m not one for the road, but your generosity and
vulnerability is changing my mind. All I want are more conversations like the
ones we shared.
-Bess
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