2 Deja Blue Read Online Free Page B

return , with a look of surprise on her face.
    Nick’s mom noticed us giggling behind the menu and loudly cleared her throat. We stole glances at each other again, barely containing our laughter. “Shush!” Mrs . Martino scolded in a hushed tone. “Now kids, it’s not nice to laugh at other people.” As if to prove her point, she suddenly leaned over to their table and interrupted, “Excuse me, where abouts in the U.P. are you from?”
    The people sitting next to us were Yoopers – natives of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (or U.P.). The peninsula is considered part of our state, but separated from the lower part of our state by Lake Superior, Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. The two peninsulas are connected by a huge bridge… the Mackinac Bridge. You wouldn’t think that mere separation of a bridge could cause such wide differences in a culture, but it does. Many Yoopers have Scandinavian, Swedish, or Finnish ethnicity. Their accent often resembles people who are from those countries and parts of Northern Minnesota and Canada. T hey even have their own special dialect and slang up there. You practically need a dictionary to figure out what they’re saying! I’ve heard them speak all my life and I still t hink they sound like foreigners, not just neighbors who live a few hours away. The gentleman at the table smiled at us, “Yah. Me and the missus are from Ishpeming. Taut we’d come over da crossing into da mitten and hang out wit some t roll s for a while.” He nodded, smiling broad ly and h is wife excitedly added, “ Head ' er for s agola , we are, eh?!”
    Okay. What?!? I got that they came over across the bridge , and I immediately recognized the term “ Troll , ” which is what the Yoopers call everyone who live south of the bridge, or “under” it. But I looked questionably at Nick because I had never heard the expression his wife used. Nick leaned over and whispered in my ear, “They’re going to paint the town red.” I nodded in understanding. Yooper dialect is so weird! They’re from the same state for Pete’s sake! What’s with the crazy language? Speak English , please!
    “Are you enjoying the festival?” Nick’s mom asked.
    “Oh yah, youbetcha !” the wife nodded enthusiastically and continued, “We’ve never been, eh?” The husband added, “ Dat dere’s some cherries worth dere Raha , eh!” He smiled.
    Nick’s mom nodded, “Oh yes, the cherries are definitely worth every penny! Simply delicious! And there is so much to do! We’re from Lake City, so we come here often, but we do hope you enjoy the rest of your stay with us- Troll s !” She winked and smiled as she said that. The husband and wife nodded, resumed their conversation and went back to eating their meal.
    “There, you see?” Mrs. Martino said, “They are perfectly normal, friendly people who don’t deserve to be laughed at. Just because someone talks different, or looks different doesn’t mean they should be ridiculed.” She pursed her lips and seemed satisfied at her impromptu lesson on manners . Nick quipped back, “Don’t you mean, ‘ dey shoon be ridiculed, eh ?’ ” A smile curved up on Mrs. Martino’s face as she swatted Nick’s head with her menu.  “You, stop!” she laughed.   She was right though. Just because they looked a little out of place, or talked a little funny, didn’t mean they deserved to be the butt of our jokes. I made a mental note to try not to smile at their funny dialect anymore. We finally ordered and made it through the rest of the meal without any further scolding from Nick’s mom. It was really quite nice. It was one of the first times I’ve sat down to eat with Nick’s family. Other than seeing them at their pizzeria, I didn’t often “socialize” with his parents. Usually Nick hurried us out of his house as soon as he could, or shooed them away from our table at their restaurant. I totally get it though. What teenager wants to hang out with their parents in