It was the afternoon of July 2018, and we had just arrived at our rental house on Robinson Ave in Jefferson Park, OKC. The last time we moved, it had been 2009, and the distance was 1.5 blocks. This Oklahoma move was 1,335 miles. We were a long way from home.
Our pets made the drive with us—a Catahoula leopard dog named Indiana and two inseparable tabby cats, Ben and Jerry. Ben went wherever Jerry went. And Jerry went everywhere. As we were unpacking and organizing, we noticed that Jerry was not around. Now, I was already on shaky ground with my daughter, who we brought for her senior year of high school. Most mothers groan at that part of the story. Ben and Jerry were my daughter’s cats. Asking her to come to Oklahoma for her senior year plus losing one of her cats would not be helpful. We could not find Jerry.
We began the hunt outside of the house and around the neighborhood. I grabbed Jerry’s cat food box. He would usually show up if he heard that sound. My daughter set off, looking in bushes and crying as she went. It was a hot day. High 90’s for sure. My wife swears it was 150. “Jerry! (shake shake shake cat food box) Jerry! (shake shake shake cat food box). I didn’t want my daughter’s first day in Oklahoma to start like this. Jerry was nowhere.
Shaking a cat food box and screaming in public gives you the courage to talk to strangers. So I met every one of our neighbors that day. Some even walked around the neighborhood looking with me. To an Oklahoman, stopping to help a stranger look for a cat isn’t that big a deal. To a Californian, it’s a big deal. A scene from “Field of Dreams” comes to mind. If you’ve seen the movie, Amy Madigon is watching Shoeless Joe and his teammates disappear into the cornfield for the first time. She responds, “This is really interesting.”
“This is really interesting” has not stopped since we arrived in Oklahoma that hot summer day. So before more time slips away and it becomes business as usual, I’m writing it all down; strangers who wave at you, practically no traffic, the change of seasons, longhorn steer at a Christmas parade, and fried pie. The Good, the bad, and the magical. A Southern California boy’s look at a big Oklahoma sky.
Hope y’all enjoy!
P.S. Jerry did turn up. He was hiding inside in a linen closet.
LA2OKC 