Not-So-Witty Banter

"Did you ever notice that hairs looks shorter when it gets.... nasty?" Boy beside tugs at a chunk of his hair.

I think. "You mean nasty as in hasn't-been-washed-in-awhile, or just nasty as in... general?"

"No, my hair's pretty cl--" He pauses for a second, thinks. "I'm pretty sure I've washed my hair within the last four days."

"Oh, well, that's not too bad," I tell him. " I washed my hair earlier this week....I think....or maybe it was this weekend...."

Boy in front is staring at us, mouth agape. We laugh.

Boy beside says, still laughing, "We're not--clean people."

"No, we're not clean people." I agree.

"We're dirty hippies."

"Well--"

(Boy in front) "I thought you said you wanted to kill hippies."

(Boy beside) "That was just a joke."

(Me) "Friendly rivalry among one's own group."

(Boy beside) "Right."

Boy beside returns to our self-assessment. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm a dirty hippie. Kind of a hippie."

"I'm dirty," I offer.

"I agree with them on some things."

"Partial hippie."

"Environmental issues."

"Right."

We turn back to boy in front. "Yeah, we're not clean people. We're dirty hippies."

Boy in front's eyes are still opened wider than usual. He thinks we are strange.

He is very clean.

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Only the first section read--16 pages, and I've already written down 27 words to look up.