Experiencing Southern Hospitality: A Memoir

Experiencing Southern Hospitality: A Memoir

"Hi, I'm Joe, You aren’t from around here.”“Hello, no, not from around here.” “You are far from home, a yankee. Name of this tune ‘Wildwood Flower’, best song you’ll hear tonight. I will dance, I will sing and my laugh shall be gay. A song to live by.”At a music break, Joe wanders off and surprises me by bring back plates of food. "You look like a sweet potato fries girl. I also have corn on the cob and fried chicken. My cousin, Abraham, was in line for the corn, he's doing well; his wife just had twin girls. He has been married to the same woman since high school. I am quite envious of him; I’m always a’hope’n some of his goodness will rub off on me. I have never married.” Then slips up and says, "My first wife and I had plans to become professional musicians.” I asked, "So how many wives does a man have to have had, to have been married?" "Well, I don't rightly know. I have had four wives, and I have four children. After a slight pause, he smiles and says, "Maybe five."