In A Tiny Corner Of A Huge World: What Are The Chances?

TAILVIEW

- Budd Davisson

Sadly, I recently attended the funeral of our friend Nancy, who was 80-something. Sitting with the other mourners, I couldn’t help but think about an obscure, meaningless fact that I was certain her son and I were the only ones in attendance knew. We alone knew her connection to one of aviation’s enduring controversies: Who flew first—the Wright Brothers or Gustave Whitehead? And that knowledge came by accident years before at a family gathering.

Nancy came into my life as one of the semi-relatives I inherited when I married my wife, Marlene. It was the second marriage for both of us, and in an unusual turn of events, the family of her ex-husband instantly adopted me as one of their own. I found myself attending family gatherings, which usually included the always-smiling Nancy. Technically—and let me think about this before writing it—she was the mother of my wife’s ex-husband’s nephew’s wife. In truth, because of a number of divorces in the family group, I have never clearly understood the relationships of half the family. Nancy, however, always stood out. I never once saw her in anything but a cheerful mood. This despite various health issues.