Handicaps and Other Icebreakers

I had a pretty good idea why I was so easily and summarily dismissed. Patricia’s subtle double-take when I had stood to greet her at the table was a clue. I had assumed that Kim had told her all about me or at least mentioned the obvious things. I figured she would have slipped in any potentially problematic factoid between a couple of minor exaggerations to the positive in order to balance things out, something like “He’s ridiculously rich, has a little bit of a handicap, and can pick a lock with his tongue.” Judging from Patricia’s initial reaction, however, I gathered Kim hadn’t mentioned any of those things. Then again, maybe she had. There can be a big difference between knowing something and actually seeing it.

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