How It All Goes Down
Go West, Young Man
- Calliope's first course of action is to get a haircut. The barber tells her, "everyone wants to go unisex," (4.3.9) so off it goes.
- She buys new clothes, changes her walk, uses the men's room, and begins exercising. She feels more and more like a boy every day, and she starts to call herself Cal.
- After a few bus rides, Cal starts hitchhiking to save money. His first really memorable ride is with a man named Ben Scheer.
- Ben takes Cal to a bar, pretends Cal is his son, and orders him a beer.
- That night, in a motel, Ben presses himself onto Cal and tries to take off his clothes. Cal pushes him away, and he goes to sleep.
- The next morning, Cal sneaks out of the room and hitches a new ride, this time with a man named Bob Presto.