NM2NY

By Stephen Ausherman

There's this deli in Brooklyn that sells cheese I
can't get in New Mexico. The guy who takes phone
orders has an accent that probably sounds neutral
where he is, but pretty tough to me. So it surprised
me when he asked a seemingly friendly question about
the weather out here. I imagined him struck in the icy
slush bucket that is a New York winter, and so fueled
his escapist fantasy with a detailed report on
Albuquerque's mild climes. "Great day for a hike," I
told him. "Might get a slight dusting over 8000 feet,
but it's fine in the valley." I went on like that
until finally he said he didn't need the whole
forecast, just the high so he'd know if the cheese
would melt in a mail truck.