Barbara, my spouse person, grew up in Rhode Island and got a lot of her education in Boston. She is self made to a large extent, but she is also full of kindness. Because of this, she has friends all over, but she is relatively innocent of how things are done in the South.
It has been a treat to see the Texans and Alabamians get hold of her. The PC world is out there, but here in the South things aren't so anal as in other areas of the USA. The first time a salesperson called her "Honey", I thought, "O'Boy Katie bar the door". Thankfully, she didn't tell the lady that she wasn't her honey nor did she react badly to the term "Sweetheart". I think shock played a role in this lack of response. After being helped to pick out some frames for her new glasses, she told me that the girl was sweet but needed some grammar lessons.
I can't help but wonder how many teeth I would be missing if I called a saleslady "Honey or Sweetheart" in Boston. Her husband or boyfriend would have been on my tail in a minute. A snarl and maybe an obscene gesture will get you recognized in Boston as one of "us". In those years of my life spent in Albany, Georgia, I never heard my lady banker call me anything but "Honey", Sweetheart", or Darlin". It never hurt my feelings a bit.
Slowly, Barbara is realizing that things in the South are done a bit differently, and some of us wear the badge of "Redneck" with pride. In all fairness, I must say that RI citizens have always treated me with kindness, and I am addicted to my sister in law's brogue.
No comments:
Post a Comment