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“Hello!” the Young Man said to the Young Girl sitting on his couch. He had yet to meet her but had heard from a mutual friend that she was quite the company to have. “What’s your name?”
The Young Girl smiled politely as one does when meeting a stranger. “Hi,” she said. “I’m Kadence.”
“It’s a pleasure,” the Young Man said, and he held his hand out to shake. He put it down, just as naturally, when Kadence looked uncomfortable. “So where’re you from, Kadence? I overheard you said you weren’t from Louisville, a while ago.”
Kadence made a face. She was offended. “I’m sorry, what did you call me?”
“Kadence?” The Young Man answered. The mutual friend had come and sat on the couch between the two. “That’s what you said, right?”
“Oh, yes. Sorry, I couldn’t understand you.”
“It’s the country-boy accent,” the mutual friend said, sipping wine.
“Yeah, it’s so strong!” Kadence had said.
The Young Man smiled and nodded, “Yeah, I get that a lot. I try to mask it some but it’s hard to keep that in mind. But—”
“Sorry if this is rude,” Kadence cut in, “but do you say things like ‘ain’t’ and ‘y’all’?” She laughed.
The Young Man noticed the exaggerated drawl she had used when saying those words, but he smiled an embarrassed smile and moved on. “Yeah, sometimes I let them slip out. I try to keep them scarce, though.”
Kadence said, “That’s adorable.”
The three of them sat silent then, each sipping their drinks and listening to the conversations around them. The Young Man, wanting to get to know his friend’s friend, said, “But where was it you said you were from?”
“Oh,” Kadence said. “I’m from Michigan. Detroit, actually.”
“Very neat! What brought you to Louisville?”
“Not the same things that are keeping me here,” she said.
“What do you—”
“Where are you from? Louisiana or something?”
The Young Man gave a slight chuckle, knowing that is not the first time someone had suggested that. “No, I’m actually from Hyden, here in Kentucky. Leslie County.”
“Oh…where is that, exactly?”
“It’s—”
“Appalachia, baby!” The mutual friend said. “And we love it!”
She shared a look with Kadence, and they both laughed.
Kadence turned to the Young Man. “You’re from Appalachia?” she said, an odd sort of giddiness in her voice. She was interested in the conversation.
The Young Man nodded but he did not smile. “Yes, ma’am. If the accent didn’t give it away. Not deep Appalachia by any means, but Appalachia still.”
“So you’re like, a hillbilly, right?”
“And proud of it, too.”
“We respect the Appalachians,” the mutual friend chimed in. Nobody noticed what she had said, especially not herself. How she had said it, mimicking the talk and all, that hung in the air.
“But you’re for real Appalachian?”
“Yeah, born and raised. You know, there was actually a pretty interesting—”
“No shoes, no shirt, nobody cares, right?” Kadence said. She laughed, and so did the Young Man.
“I guess that depends on who you’re around, right?”
“True, you guys have bigger problems to worry about than no shoes.”
“Yeah, we do. I’m actually glad you said that. Have you heard about the—”
“Do you have to worry about the incest-people? Or like, meth addicts breaking in?” She said it with a smile and a laugh.
The mutual friend covered her eyes in faux embarrassment and a grin. “Whoops,” she said.
The Young Man finished the rest of his drink. He smiled and gave a curt nod as he stood from his couch. “Well, Kadence, it was a pleasure meeting you. You’re welcome over anytime. Enjoy yourself.”
He walked away and fell in with other conversations. Occasionally, he would hear the young woman laughing with her friend.
Noah Tillery is a McConnell Scholar in the class of 2023. He is studying history, political science, and religious studies at the University of Louisville.