THE NARRATIVE ARC | DRAFT DAY 2025

My Most Vulnerable Story Is on the Back of My Hand

Puzzling together a complex and special piece

Pinned on Zoom — screen capture by the author

I leaned forward, rested my elbow on the desk, and looked into the eyes of the CEO. Methodically, I shifted my gaze to the NIH program officer, the CTO, a post-doctoral researcher, a contracting officer, and the portfolio executive. Each returned my stare as I read the Zoom room.

These are the moments that justify my hourly rate.

Then my eyes glanced at a video reflection filling one of the Hollywood Squares. I saw my hand rubbing my beard. There I was, Le Penseur, innocently displaying the freshly inked tattoo on the back of my hand. I swiftly dropped it off-camera.

Ah… This is what Nick was talking about.

I met Nick at an art exhibit in downtown Raleigh a few years ago. He had a block print of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle engine that caught my eye. We were in the hallway of an old warehouse that had been up-cycled into individual artist studios. We walked into Nick’s small space and I went right for the engine print, pulling some bills from my pocket.

He had a QR code taped to the table where he sat. “Do you take cash?”