About 23 years ago I met Jeff in Memphis, TN after Jeff had relocated from Minnesota for work. I had lived in the south my entire life and Jeff had forever been a northern boy.
The southern pace was a bit difficult for Jeff to adapt to. He really missed “home” and we ultimately moved to Minnesota. Although I’ve lived in MN for almost 21 years, I guess I’ll always be a southern girl at heart.
Frequently when at Mayo with Jeff, the elevator traffic is busy and it’s sometimes difficult to land a spot, especially with a wheelchair.
I’ve been known to secure our ride by getting on elevators going the wrong way, which sometimes brings us right back to our original floor staring at the people we were just waiting with … the only difference is there’s still no room for them and we are on our way.
Sometimes we haven’t gained additional passengers though and said people join us after we’ve taken the scenic route.
A chatty couple joined us on the elevator. A male and female couple, the man also in a wheelchair.
On our short ride, we learned the man had cancer too and he asked where Jeff and I were from.
Jeff isn’t generally very social with strangers, much less on an elevator, so I chimed in and simply said “we” are local. I paused and then to be polite I questioned, “where are y’all from?”
The man answered and the couple had reached their floor. We offered well wishes to one another and they exited.
The doors closed and Jeff and I were alone once again.
Jeff turned his head and said to me, “you know … the next time you tell someone we are local, don’t follow that by using the word y’all!”
~ Stephanie
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