Somebody thought of that, and someone believed it

I am genuinely and intensely homesick for the first time since moving to New York. I haven’t seen any of my immediate family since Christmas. That’s the longest I’ve ever gone. Usually at least one of them comes to visit in the spring, but this year I went to Europe instead, and they were supposed to meet me in Germany, but that didn’t work out, and man, I really miss my family. I’m going back to Tulsa in a few weeks, and I am counting the days.

Saturday evening, while I was getting ready to go meet some friends for dinner, my phone rang, and it said “home,” so I assumed it was my mother, because my father is not much for the telephone. I answered, and my dad said, “Hello!” in this smiley, relaxed voice, and I said, “Well, hello!” and we had a nice little conversation. Then, right before we got off the phone, he said, “Do you remember—you probably don’t remember this—but when you were little, and every Saturday night at 5:30 you and I would watch The Muppet Show together?” And immediately my eyes filled up with tears and I was like, oh man, don’t do this to me now! Because of course I remember that. My mom would be getting ready for them to go out, but my dad would already be dressed, and before the babysitter arrived, he and I would sit on the couch and watch Kermit. I will forever associate the Muppets with my dad. He loves them. When I joined the newspaper in high school, he asked me if I could make the next headline read “Identical Twins Join Chronicle Staff.” I’m not one of those girls who plans out her wedding, but I’ve always known that when I get married, the song I’ll dance to with my dad will be “The Rainbow Connection.”

I am ready to go home.