I was standing in line at Kroger a few days ago. It was a long line. You know those days where you were really just running inside to grab two things, except your eyes begin to wander and you wind up juggling canned goods and balancing a case of water on your right hip as you’re trying not to crush the tortilla chips you’re holding under your left armpit? It was one of those days. Once I finally placed my stash on the conveyor belt, my phone rang. I had a nice 30 second conversation with my husband about the large lunch he had and the dinner I didn’t need to make that evening. Life cooking for two when you used to cook for a small village is something I will never grasp. Conversation ended. Phone went back in purse. I was reintegrating to my line position at the register when an unfamiliar voice behind me said, “Can I ask you a question?” It was a lovely woman in line behind me. She had a basket. Smart one, she was. “Sure,” was my response. “You’re from here,” she said – in statement form. “Yep – born and raised around these parts.” She giggled. “I’m sorry,” she continued, “it’s just that we just recently moved here from Chicago and I expected everyone to sound southern. I sort of felt cheated. Half of the people on my street relocated from another state and I decided there weren’t any southern belles left in Texas.” Gulp. “Thanks?” “Oh, no, I meant it as a compliment! You sound like you just walked off the Hart of Dixie set.” We finished our in-line bonding experience with me welcoming her to Forney and discussing the best place in town to eat Mexican food. I’m used to this conversation. During my corporate career, I was often asked to repeat words out loud during management meetings: ice, nice, wash. In a time when so many accents are diluted, running into me in public is akin to spotting the last pterodactyl prior to species extinction. Texas is like that, though. There are lots of goings on in the Lone Star State that new transplants don’t understand.
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