I once lived in Tulsa

8/7

Midafternoon, I see that Sean is still ensconced in a shelter of cardboard boxes under the scaffolding against the wall. It’s been over 24 hours now. I found him there yesterday and my heart sank. He assured me he had a friend coming after work with a chanhe of clothes and would then be gone. I knew what that meant. Today, I say Sean, so what’s the plan? And he’s very agitated. 

Why you got to fuck with me so? No one else bothers me. They just leave me alone. I’m just tryin to get some sleep. 

Sean, it’s been over 24 hours…

I said leave me the fuck alone. I be gone by nightfall.   I got more my leg cut off. You try crawlin around. 

I feel a bit hearttless but say, But you have your wheel chair...

And he says, You try wheelin a chair around.

 I’m very depressed. Feel like we’re all the way back to the beginning again. So I just walk away.

Pat O comes in. There’s been a whirlwind of activity. Meetings with architects and contractors and expeditor/code consultants. Trying to put together a coherent strategy to engage in this building conversation and proceed with work, new lease or no. It takes a large dry erase board to lay it all out so that I understand it. But I think that I do.

Danielle tells me that Sean is gone. She warned Stephen S what he’d be dealing with.Told him to wear gloves. And that we’d all done it.

Tonight’s preview night for reGroup’s production of the first of Preston Jones’ Texas trilogy plays, The Last Meeting of the Knights of the White Magnolia. They’ve done a fantastic job transforming Mc Alpin Hall to a reasonable facsimile  of a small town Texas lodge hall/bar. I love the mangled letters saying Tulsa welcomes the Knights of the White Magnolia.) The new air conditioner is keeping things cool. Free bags of popcorn and beer, wine and mangoritas. (Yes, mangoritas.)conditioner has  And the play will be cooler still.  Brings back great memories.

When I lived in Tulsa, my home team, the American Theatre Company, produced these plays as soon as they left our neighbor to the south. Texas (or baja Oklahoma, as we jokingly called it) was close enough culturally as to be achingly familiar, despite our Red River rivalry. Besides, the 1939 Tulsa convention with over 3000 in attendance was the Knights transcendent moment! (All down hill from there..).

I’ll be anxiously awaiting the next two. I recall they increase in seriousness and poignancy as the cycle continues.  I’ll have my hopes up for Lu Ann Laverty Hampton Overlander, another favorite.  The plays run in cycle Monday through Friday, all 3 on Saturdays through the 24^th. (http://www.regrouptheatre.org/)