The sad passing of Dolly Parton puts me in mind of the only time I visited Tennessee.
Even calling it a visit is an exaggeration. What I was actually doing was driving through, on my way from Atlanta to Louisville, KY in 2004. At the time, there was no reason to linger and so we didn't.
What we did need to do was stop for fuel, so we pulled off the highway into a gas station. Quite a rural affair, if my memory is being reliable. I've got no idea what the place was called.
What I remember most clearly was the "conversation" I had with the young fellow who was taking the money. He was clearly very friendly, but I literally had no idea what he said to me in greeting. No clue at all. I said something back, only to find I had returned the favour-- he could no more understand me than I had him. He said something back, which was as incomprehensible as his first words had been. I tried again, too. And with the same result. He was still smiling, but behind the smile there was deep, deep puzzlement.
I fished out the dollars I owed from my wallet, paid, and gave what I hoped was received as a cheery wave goodbye. I drove away having learned the truth of the old adage:
The UK and US are two nations divided by a common language.
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richard <AT> deckzero <DOT> uk