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Mimi’s was chestnut brown and straight. Raven was snoozing on a blanket in the shade under the work table.
    “Told you I lived in a tepee,” I whispered. Del only nodded in response, her eyes wide, taking everything in. We strained to hear Doe and Mimi.
    “I’m just saying it isn’t right the way he treats you,” said Mimi. “Refusing to even acknowledge the baby is his. I mean, who does he think he’s kidding?”
    Weird. Were they talking about Shawn? He doted on Raven—and Doe, for that matter.
    “He knows,” Doe said back. “Of course he knows. I think the problem is that he doesn’t want other people to know and that’s cool with me. I mean, Raven’s mine. She’s still gonna be mine whoever I say the father is.” She crouched down and stroked the baby’s forehead.
    “Well, I think it’s disrespectful,” Mimi continued. “It’s like he’s lying, that’s all. Lying to everyone here—to her most of all. I think it’s lousy. I think he can be so goddamn lousy. Gabriel thinks so, too.”
    “Is it really Gabriel’s place to pass judgment? I mean, let he who is without sin cast the first stone and all that.” Doe stood up from Raven and grabbed a tray of bread, which she carried over to the oven and pushed in using the large wooden paddle that hung beside the oven door. She stretched, reaching her arms up to the sky and leaning left, then right. Then she turned around to face Mimi, and Del and me, too.
    “I shouldn’t have said that,” Doe said. “I didn’t mean to insult Gabriel. That was kind of low. He’s not the one I’m angry with.”
    “So you admit you’re angry with him?” Mimi asked.
    “No. Not really. Sometimes it’s just hard. To keep a secret like that.”
    “So don’t keep it. Tell. I think you should tell everyone the truth.”
    “Let’s go,” I whispered to Del, but she didn’t respond. Curious as I was, I didn’t want to hear any more. New Hope wasn’t the kind of place where people kept secrets and I found a certain easy comfort in that. Everyone shared everything during the circle meetings—all the women even shared when they had their periods (although they referred to it as their “moon time”).
    I got up from my crouched position slowly and gently tugged at Del’s arm. She stayed put.
    “Look at her titties,” Del hissed. “They hang down to her belly! Don’t hippies know about bras?”
    “I’m going with or without you. I don’t want to get caught,” I whispered, feeling strangely like a trespasser outside my own home. Del just stared at Doe and Mimi as if they were some kind of exotic circus animals—peacocks or dancing bears. I turned and started to make my way back down the path, careful not to make too much noise stepping on sticks and dry leaves. I picked my feet up high and watched where I stepped.
    In a minute, I heard footsteps behind me, as Del galloped up and grabbed my shoulders.
    “Boo,” she whispered. “You’re walkin’ like you got a load in your pants.”
    We both started to laugh and took off running so we wouldn’t be heard. When we were sure we were out of earshot, Del began asking all about New Hope. She wanted to know everything all at once.
    “So whose baby did that girl have? Ain’t they married? Do hippies even get married? And who is this Gabriel guy? And who is it that’s supposed to be so lousy?”
    “Doe, that’s the girl with the baby…”
    “Doe like a deer? Like a goddamn she-deer?” Del asked.
    “I think it’s short for Dorothy or Doreen or something,” I explained. “Anyway, she’s with this guy Shawn, but I don’t think they’re married, and he’s not lousy at all. He can fix pretty much anything and he’s real good with the baby.”
    “He’s the daddy?”
    “I guess so.” The truth was, I wasn’t so sure anymore. But I made up my mind to try to forget everything I’d heard, to not let it weigh on me. There were not supposed to be any secrets at New Hope. I was the only one with a