Chapter 4
There was no guarantee that KittyKat had Skype, but it was a free download and it would give us an opportunity to talk and maybe even see each other on line without giving away any personal information. My laptop had a built-in camera and with luck, she might have one as well.
KittyKat called about eight o'clock that evening and I was pleased that she did have a camera so that we could communicate visually.
"Hi ... are you leftyscribe?" she asked cautiously.
"That's me, but why don't you call me Will and I'll call you Kitty, if that's okay?"
"Yeah. Sure. So, you look okay," she said, still being very careful. "At least you look like the picture you sent."
"You do too, Kitty. So tell me about yourself."
"Uhhm ... well ... I have a job, I live in Midland, I rent an apartment with another girl, I'm 34, divorced, no kids. You can see I look okay. What else?"
"Well, for me, being left-handed is a big thing. Are you?"
"Uhhm ... no, actually. I thought that was something you were just kidding about."
"No ... in fact ... it's a deal-breaker, sorry to say. You're quite attractive, Kitty. I'm sure you'll find a guy who's right for you, but I'm not him. Sorry."
"Yeah. Me too. You sound like an okay guy. Some of the guys who are looking for women are real creeps."
"I'll bet. Well, you be careful now. Protect yourself and be as sure as you can be before you let them get to see you live and in person."
"Yeah, thanks. Sorry it didn't work out," she said, sounding genuinely regretful.
Well, one down, three to go. Who's next?
"Hi steadfast, this is leftyscribe. Too bad you don't have a camera on your computer so we could see each other live."
"Actually, I do have a webcam. I just didn't turn it on."
"How come?"
"I'm nervous. I don't know you and I don't want to take any unnecessary chances."
"Okay, I can understand that. But here's something to consider. You could be anywhere in the world and I wouldn't know where. I don't know your name, so I can't look you up. That gives you some protection."
"I suppose. I'd rather be safe than sorry, though."
"Okay, let's get some details. Are you left-handed?"
"Yes. What's with that, anyway?"
"It's a thing I have about compatibility. We lefties live in a very different world than the other ninety percent. I think two left-handed people are more likely to think and act alike than a mixed couple."
"Yeah ... I guess I get that. What about your job? Do you have one?"
"Yeah. I'm not a struggling writer trying to write the next great American novel. I work for a newspaper and write some for TV too."
"Oh yeah. Okay, that sounds all right. Is that really you in the picture?"
"Yeah, that's really me, the Lone Ranger."
"Ha ha. I guess you're being careful too," she said, sounding a little less cautious.
"Yes. This is all new to me ... Internet dating I mean."
"So ... what else do you want to know about me?"
"Do you play bridge?"
"No. I've never learned. I could, I guess ... if it was important."
"It's not a killer thing. You look nice in your picture. It's recent, I take it?"
"Well, about two years ago. Not much has changed since then."
"Okay ... well, my real name is Will. What should I call you?"
"Sam. My friends call me Sam."
"Okay, Sam. Well, should we arrange to meet for coffee and get to know each other a little better?"
"Uhhm ... I guess so. Would it be all right if I brought a friend along with me?"
"I suppose. I know what you're thinking. You don't know me at all so you're being careful. I can understand that."
"So when and where do you want to meet?"
"How about Saturday afternoon at the Starbucks on Kildare Road?"
"Okay. Two o'clock?"
"Two o'clock it will be," I said, anxious now to find out if I was on the right track.
"Okay, bye."
"Bye, Sam. Nice talking to you. See you Saturday."
I leaned back in my chair and let my breath out. I might have been as nervous as she was. Calm down, Will. She may be the one, but then again, maybe not. Take your time and think about how you want the meeting to go.
With only a picture to guide me, I had to be careful when I approached Sam to make sure it was her and not someone else. I was there before her as far as I could tell, so I kept an eye out for her arrival. I shouldn't have worried. I recognized her right away. She was extremely attractive ... for someone about six-foot-eight tall.
"Hi, I'm Will," I said, rising to greet her and trying to smile genuinely as I looked up at her.
"Hi, Will, I'm Sam. Samantha, actually. I can see you're surprised. I guess I should have mentioned that I was tall."
"Well, let's not let that get in the way of anything," I said, wondering what in the hell I was trying to say. "Where's your friend?"
"I decided to take a chance. You sounded okay on the Internet, so I figured out here in broad daylight I should be okay."
I bought her a Chai tea while I splurged on a latté. We sat, finding it awkward to begin, but gradually working toward telling each other about ourselves. She was an extremely attractive woman and if I allowed the little head to do the thinking again, I might have ignored that fact that there was no spark between us. Nothing at all. It was a shame, really. She was left-handed and in the short time we chatted I could tell she was very bright, but beyond that nothing was happening.
"This isn't going anywhere, is it?" she said after a silence.
"I don't think so, Sam. I'm sorry. You really are a very lovely woman and very desirable. I've half a mind to suggest we date and see if anything develops. Maybe we're expecting too much too soon."