THE  NOT-SO-DEEP  SOUTH

The following true story was published in Creative Expressions for 2011.  The author? Why, that was me of course.

The year 2010 was the 50th anniversary of my migration to Maryland.   In 1960, I passed a very hard test and was offered a job at the Social Security Administration in Baltimore.

To clinch the deal, two recruiters came up to my home in Massachusetts to ask me some important questions.

One was "What do you think of the Orioles?" and the other was  "What do you think of the Colts?" I thought they were talking about birds and horses.  Since I, of course, liked those creatures, I answered "They're great!"  (I got the job.)

Relatives and friends told us that since Maryland was below the Mason-Dixon line, we would be going to the sunny South and would not need to take winter clothes. (So we didn't.)

It was fifty degrees when we started our drive to Maryland.  As we went south, the weather seemed to get colder instead of warmer.  When we arrived, it was 28 degrees and snowing,  (Somebody had obviously lied to us.)

Starving and cold after our long trip, we brightened up when we saw a building with an enormous sign that read:  Hamburgers.  Sliding into a tight parking place, we got ourselves ready for a fast food feast.  As we entered the store, we noticed lots of men's jackets, suits and ties,  It was a famous Baltimore haberdashery and not a restaurant,  (So we bought some sweaters.)

Still hungry, we discovered a tiny funny little shop that sold tiny funny little cheeseburgers.  We found out that this was a Baltimore delicacy.  (We learned to love those tiny funny little things.)

After our trip, it did not take long for us to get acclimated and love the friendly people of Maryland. (Especially those in Carroll County.)

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