January 3rd, 2018. My best friend Christine, and I traveled four hours from Dallas to Tulsa to see the film locations from The Outsiders. We started by going into the gas station that Dally robs at the end. We went in, and being the nerd I am, I was planning to buy a magazine (because Dally tore one up in the film). However, I didn’t find any magazines. So instead, I just bought a pepsi, because it was Pony’s favorite drink. After debating for the entire car ride to Tulsa, we finally decided to seize the moment and bought a pack of cigarettes. Now, we had never smoked before, but wanted to try it at least once.
Because we hadn’t eaten all day, aside from a croissant at 8:00 in the morning, we set course for a Dairy Queen. However I didn’t realize until we arrived, that it was located in a mall. So we walked in, dressed in leather jackets (never underestimate my nerd abilities), and ordered our burgers. Again, eating at Dairy Queen because of the story.
After stopping at the QT to purchase a lighter, we headed the Curtis house. We arrived, and it was almost like I was home. A very odd feeling yes, but I felt comfortable, not the normal anxious mess I normally am. We parked on the side of the street, and walked to the front to take photos. A few polaroids and a dozen iPhone captures within our grasp, we reluctantly treaded back to the toyota tacoma. I heard a voice from the left, coming from the street, and I looked up. I was greeted by Danny Boy O’Connor, one of the men responsible for renovating the house and turning it into a museum. He was sitting in his light blue car, model i’m not sure of, with the window rolled down. If it had been a bit darker, I could have mistaken it for the Soc’s mustang. I’m glad we weren’t at the park. He told us we could take photos on the porch if we wanted to. I thanked him, he said his farewells to the neighborhood stray, Spot, and slowly rolled away. Ecstatic, I raced back to the house, opening the gate and climbing the short steps to the weathered porch. More photos were taken, more than i’d like to count. At one point, I attempted to lean over the gate as Dally had in the beginning of the film…however…i’m most definitely not as tall as Matt Dillon.
Once the fence shenanigans were over, we walked to the porch and sat on the bench seen in the movie. No phones, no cameras. I surveyed the surroundings, glancing inside the windows. Seeing the golden rays through the branches slumping over the yard. There I sat, on the porch of the house that made the 1967 novel come alive. I was accompanied by my best friend, the Johnny to my Ponyboy (we decided upon which character we were after reviewing our personalities). I removed my travel journal from the pocket inside my jacket, and a black pen. Being an aspiring writer, I felt it necessary to write on the porch of the house. S.E. Hinton being my favorite author, and The Outsiders my favorite novel. My fingers were nearly unmovable, due to the wind whipping around us. I had to cut my journal entry short, but it didn’t diminish the meaning behind it.
Stay Gold was played from a tiny iPhone speaker, two more polaroids were taken, then we bid the house adieu until next time. Traveling down the street, we circled Crutchfield Park and drove down Jasper street as well, seeing it as the gang would have seen while running it’s length to meet Dally. Then we headed out to the other locations.
Circle Cinema, Will Rogers High School, Admiral Twin Drive-In. The sun was setting, and, being the incredibly sentimental nerd I am, recited “Nothing Gold Can Stay” as Christine drove through the tattered Tulsa streets. Our last stop in the city was a random parking lot, to attempt our, then rebellious act of smoking cigarettes. I was the first to take a drag, and once I did, I felt confidence. I felt as if I could do anything in the world. Pony and Johnny out to cause trouble once more (but…not by murder). We were violently shaking, even our leather jackets couldn’t keep the chill away. I threw the shared cigarette to the ground, crushing the simmer with my foot, grounding it into the concrete. The truck was warm and inviting as I jumped back in. Chasing the sunset, we found ourselves on the highway, driving past downtown Tulsa as the sun cast it’s reflections on the buildings lining the golden sky. We saw the sunset real good. We were invincible.
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