Chapter 3: Making a Connection

"Hi, is this HighlandLass84?" I asked the woman who appeared on my Skype screen.

"Yup, that's me. I go by Nicky if you like."

"I do like. Short for Nicole?"

"Very good and quite correct."

"You a Scot?"

"Nope, my parents. Hey listen, before we get too far, there's a couple of things about me you need to know."

"Okay, go ahead."

"Well, I live at home and I have a son."

"Really? How old?"

"Six. He's just starting grade one."

"Wow, I bet that's a big thing for him and you."

"It doesn't bother you ... I mean, my having a child?"

"Hell no. Not at all. In fact, it's a bonus."

"Oh ... how so?"

"Well, this is kind of personal, so I wouldn't normally share this with anyone ... but I'm probably unable to father a child. So if that's a killer for you, now's the time to say so."

"You said 'probably.'"

"Yeah, well, my sperm count is very low. So the odds aren't in my favor."

"Jeez, that is personal. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get into you life that far."

"Isn't it better to know now than later?" I suggested.

"Yes ... definitely ... for sure."

"So, how do you feel about knowing that?"

"I'm okay. I have a son and I love him to death. If I was to bring someone else into my life, he'd have to feel the same about Jimmy as I do."

"Of course. Goes without saying."

We paused at that point before I felt like going on.

"So, you're a lefty, I take it?"

"Born and bred," she said with what was becoming a very nice smile. "Tell me why that's important to you."

"Uhhm, well, don't laugh, but I'm hoping you'll understand my thinking."

"Go ahead," she said. I could see her head cocked to one side with a wrinkled brow. She was paying attention.

"So ... my thinking is that we of the sinister persuasion have some obstacles to overcome beginning at birth. In this right-handed world and we are the outcasts, hardly ever thought of when the design of new things comes along. We have to adapt to the ninety percent who rule the world."

I could see a smile, almost developing into a laugh forming on her face.

"Go on," she said, having difficulty containing herself.

"Well, I know that even if two left-handed people marry and create a child, the odds are still ten-to-one that it will be right handed. It isn't a genetic issue. But two left-handed people living together are bound to be more ... sympatico. We learn to adapt and live in this cruel right-handed world, never seeking credit or acclaim for our special skills."

She was laughing now, but not in derision.

"I like that," she said, still chuckling. "Are you really that put-upon?"

"Naw. Not really. It's just my thing. I will say I am far more ... in tune ... with left-handed people. I think there is some connection we all have, but I don't know what it is."

"That could be so. I've never really thought about it and I guess I don't know many people left-handed like me. In fact, I can't think of anyone right off the top of my head."

"Well, don't go losing any sleep over it. It's a personal theory that hasn't caught on in the scientific world."

"I'm not so sure about that," she said. "Someone gave me a calendar that had all kinds of stuff about lefthanders. You know, one of those day-at-a-time desk calendars. Apparently there's all kinds of research about us."

"Yeah. Seen that, but none of it is coordinated as far as I can tell. Lots of books on the subject, but nothing that really deals with how we live each day."

"Well, moving on," she said, "I do play bridge. Played it a lot when I was in college."

"Good for you. That's a plus. Do you have a degree?"

"Yes, in accounting with a minor in environmental sciences."

"Wow. That's an unusual combination. Are you a spokesperson for an environmental movement?"

"No. Not at all. I work for a foundation. We have a bunch of money left to us by this really rich old guy. It's our job to find worthy projects that we can assist with funds."

"That wouldn't be the Hepplinger Foundation would it?" I asked.

"Uhhm ... yes, it is. Do you know about it?"

"I did a feature piece on it last year. I spent some time in your offices. You might even have seen me there. I did a lot of interviews."

"Wait a minute," she said as her head disappeared from the screen, returning a few seconds later.