I stopped outside of Provo, Utah to fill up for gas… pumped and went inside… As I handed my money to the clerk behind the counter, I asked her a couple polite questions about the area, and made some courteous, small talk. She counted my change back as we chatted some more and seemed curiously touched by our banal conversation, or at least, extra friendly or unduly charmed. I headed for the exit while we continued to exchange niceties, and just as I was reaching for the door, she gentle-heartedly asked with a giant, hopeful smile on her face, “Excuse me, are you from England?”

I said, “Wha?”

She repeated, “England, are you from England? You have an interesting accent.”

A few seconds of incredulous silence passed as I tried to maintain my composure… I think I bit my lip a little while my eyebrow uncontrollably raised, the way Spock would do it… then finally replied,

“Bloody hell, no, I’m from Los Angeles!”