I still remember the roaring laughter that bounced around the room, ricocheted off the white plaster walls, rose to the tiled ceiling and settled heavily over my schoolroom. The laughter of all those other teen-agers in my sophomore class, had created a spot for me. It was the uncomfortable distinction of being "different". At 14, I was not one who wanted to be anything but one of the herd. I craved to be just exactly like all the other 600 girls in my high school. I wanted to wear the very same plaid skirt, saddle oxfords, and sweater that all the other girls wore. I wanted to stop in at the same malt shop in St. John's after school, ride the same bus, and see the same movie as everyone else. As a kid from Texas just arrived in Oregon, there was absolutely nothing in this world that I wanted more than to be a part of the crowd.

And now everybody in the room was laughing but me. I was in agony. What had I said? This was history class and I liked history. I was sure that I gave the right answer so what was so peculiar about me that it upset the entire room? My teacher was an older man, this was wartime and most of the younger men had gone off to fight unless they were 4-F and had flat feet or something. His name was Mr. Stanton and there was a little smile on his face right now. He held up his hand and shook his head to stop the laughter and said, "Well, I think that was a very nice thing to say and maybe this little girl from Texas could teach us all some manners."

I felt better. At least my teacher wasn't laughing and suddenly I knew what I had said that set my peers into rounds of glee. I had said, "Yes, Sir." That was it. Just the simple polite reply to an elder that I had been taught all my life. My classmates thought that such a sign of respect was unnecessary and that was why they laughed. As soon as I understood that, I never worried about it again. Not only did I say "Yes Sir and no Sir. I said Yes Ma'am' and no Ma'am." As a matter of fact I still do.

One of the better Southern heritage's is politeness. Good manners, respect for your elders, opening doors, bringing food to the houses of distraught friends, plowing your neighbor's field if he was laid up, those simple acts of kindness simply showed your good up bringing. My early beliefs that whatever I might do was a reflection upon my parents and other family members, helped keep me straight.

Like everything else, times change. Customs and good manners that I was taught, today often seem strange to others. Take names for instance. Not so many years ago all married women were addressed as Mrs. and unmarried women were Miss. It was part of their name. Likewise grown men were Mr. Relatives were referred to as Aunt or Uncle. Sometimes adult friends who were not relatives were affectionately called Aunt or Uncle anyway. Today practically everybody calls everybody else by their first names no matter what their age.

And then there are all those folks out there who have only one name. Just call Bill over at the mobile home place. Bill who? I don't know his last name just ask for Bill. And of course there is Cher who needs nothing else to define her. Sometimes a person calls and leaves this message, "Call Mr. Jones at....."

Mr. Jones? Just who does he think he is? Makes me want to ask, "What's your first name, Honey?"

Remember Flip Wilson on television back in the '70's? One of his best lines when he was dressed up as Geraldine and prissing around some local flirt was to hit him with his fan, lean over toward his ear and say, "You don't know me that well."

That's just exactly what I told somebody who called just at dinner time the other day.

"Ring......ring.......ring. Hello!"

"Hey, Joyce how are you doing this evening."

"Who is this?"

"Say, Joyce this is Evelyn and I'm calling to get your help in sending some poor child to camp."

"Really! I thought school was about to start back up and all the camps would be closed."

"Now, Joyce this is about NEXT year's camp. We're not waiting to get started so we need your help right now."

"Say do you know me?"

"What?"

"Do you know me?"

"Uh....no."

"Well, you've called me by my first name three times in three sentences and we've never even been introduced. Oh, and by the way, I never make any deals to give money or buy anything over the telephone unless I am well acquainted with the person on the other end of the phone and 'Honey, you don't know me that well!"