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QColumn: A Gay In The Life: Dick The Halls

Dick the Halls
By Steve Prince
“Welcome to Oklahoma City and Happy Holidays.”
The steward’s voice crackled over the speaker of the plane intercom. I looked out the window and watched the tall prairie grass kneel to the gusting wind. Ah Oklahoma—the wind really does go sweeping down the Plains.
The last time I visited Oklahoma to see my family I ended up having a wonderful tryst with Tom. However, I don’t think that’s going to happen this time. Usually I visit my Mom in Oklahoma City, however this time I would be staying my whole vacation in the town I grew up in—Oak Grove. A town that housed four-thousand people. A town that had no mall, no coffee shops, and—let’s be honest—no fun. I expected to be bored the entire time.
As my Mom and I drove an hour-and-a-half to Oak Grove, we chatted and I took in the scenery of the state. I will say that Oklahoma is a beautiful state, at least the part I’m from. Locals call it “Hill Country.” As we drove down the interstate, rolling hills dotted with brown trees scrolled past my car window. A part of me did feel sad that I probably would never live in the state again. I would like to live closer to my family, but another part of me prefers not to be lynched. OK… Oklahoma isn’t that bad, but homophobia intermingles with the state culture as easily as the gusting wind gushes between buildings.
Hours later, exhausted, I crawled into the bed in my father’s spare bedroom. It was great to see my family, but the ongoing meetings wore me out. Don’t get me wrong. I loved that my family all wanted to know what I was up to; however, I felt like a broken record being played over and over. And the responses from my family members weren’t that diverse either: Are you ever going to come home?; Are you out of school yet?; Oh, Los Angeles seems so exciting, I’m so proud for you!… and so on.
I turned off the lamp on the bedside table, and the blinking light of my blackberry caught my eye.
It was a text from Kelly.
What are you up to? Are you in LA for Xmas?

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