Dad loves to tell the story of his first extended visit to Mississippi. It was an early Saturday morning in Hattiesburg — a football weekend. Dad visited an ATM on Hardy Street and, while standing at the machine, heard someone behind him.

“Good morning,” the voice said.

Dad froze. “In New York,” he later would say, “if someone said that at an ATM, the first thing you would do is reach for your wallet.”

The man didn’t want the wallet. He was just being friendly. It probably never crossed his mind that the person on the receiving end would think to reach for the wallet. It’s one of the charms of living here, routinely overshadowed by our negatives.

One place where we always will be neighbors is riding the side roads. In this state there are countless side roads and side roads off of side roads. Two lanes wide, winding through farmland or country neighborhoods, riding them is a peaceful endeavor.

I am reminded of a Robert Hitt Neill piece that ran in this newspaper years ago. Neill wrote of the power of the two-finger greeting — as opposed to the New York one-finger style. When cruising down the country road with left hand atop the steering wheel, when a car passes, lift the index and middle finger — together — off the wheel. You’ll be amazed at the number of two-finger replies follow.

Driving through rural Hinds County last Saturday with co-pilot Cali the Dog, each two-finger hello was returned by similar drivers. Never once did I worry about causing road rage or setting off someone’s buttons. On two-lane roads, we can rest assured that we are neighbors. I check often, to make sure the hellos continue. The day country road unspoken hellos cease, we are in deep trouble.

Try it out on a Saturday morning. Believe me, there is no shortage of side roads around these parts. Load the family and the dog and go for a drive. Get out and breathe the fresh air. Worried about getting lost? Forget it. Just drive west long enough and soon a fairly substantial body of water will appear. Practice the two-finger hello on passing motorists and check for a return.

My dad’s Mississippi is what I love about Mississippi. Good mornings at ATMs, two-finger passing hellos and being nice to one another.

And if you see me at an ATM, say hello.

I won’t reach for my wallet.

It most certainly will be empty.