I left for Oklahoma right after work last Wednesday. I made good time driving north and arrived around eleven; two hours before anyone expected me. When got out of the car, I stretched and sucked in the night air; crisp and fresh like a bite into a chilled apple. Looking overhead, you could see the Milky Way stretching in a band across the sky like a string of faraway Christmas lights. Closer to the horizon, the orange, gibbous moon hung like an ornament above the clouds.
I walked up to the house where I could see light spilling from the livingroom near the front. I had to knock a couple of times before anyone heard me because they were all watching the weather and I was unexpectedly early.
Once inside, I dropped off my bags and gifts near the dining room table. Jody gave me a big hug, and her mom heated up a bowl of chili for me as we all joked around with one another in the kitchen. I took a moment to bask in a warm sense of welcome, a sheepish smile glued to my face.