The woman hovered over me with her sharp metal instruments, poised in concentration. Somehow I’d agreed to let a stranger probe inside my mouth while I lay on my back, passive and inert. And I probably had a spinach leaf in my teeth from lunch.

A friend had recommended this dentist, assuring me she was experienced and trustworthy. Dr. Jen looked barely old enough to drive but seemed to know what she was doing.

Have a favorite epithet? So do we! Feel free to use whatever language you’d like. You’re now among friends. Or honkies mostly, but you can at least say so! Here in Indiana, we understand connection is more important than pretense. And it won’t matter if that connection only happens with people who look and think as you do. That’s just how friendship works!