Now what the hell to do? The obvious thing was to go home and try to buck up Sally a bit, and maybe take a hand in this school issue. Shit, that should have been easy, and now some ignorant paper pusher had turned it into another problem. Probably one of those people who had to have all the paperwork in the proper order without considering any side effects – after all, it wasn’t part of their job. John had run into all too many of them.

On the other hand, he was fairly close to the insurance agent’s office, and the odds were that it was only going to take a few minutes to get in and out of there, which would save a longer trip later today. That was the logical thing to do.

It only took a few minutes to drive to Herb Campbell’s office. Herb had carried his car insurance ever since John moved to the area years ago, and he’d not had much reason to deal with him, other than making the payments, which were considerable, supposedly because it was good insurance, not some cut-rate minimal-coverage outfit. While he’d never had reason to deal with them about a claim, John had heard horror stories about some of those cut-rate outfits, where filing a claim involved talking with some Hindu or Pakistani on the subcontinent who didn’t understand ten words of English. At least he knew he’d be talking face to face with a real person, and that was worth a lot in this day and age.

The agency was located in a storefront office in a shopping center, and as luck had it John found a parking space not far from the door. The place was not busy; Campbell’s secretary, a heavy-set, middle-aged black woman, sat behind a counter; naturally John didn’t recognize her. “How may I help you, sir?” she asked politely.

“John Engler,” he said. “I need to see Herb.”

“Oh, yes,” she smiled. “You called in a claim this morning, right?”

“Yes, but a complication has come up.”

“A complication named Linton Sanford?” she smiled. “We’ve already heard from Mr. Sanford. Mr. Campbell is on the phone right now, but I’ll get you in as soon as he’s done. It shouldn’t be too long.”

“Thank you,” John said, realizing he had little he could do but wait it out. He was carrying a pretty full head of steam by now, which meant about thirty seconds was the maximum wait for him without exploding. Still, there was no point in flying off the handle; it would just make the situation worse. There were chairs around to sit in, but he was too fired up for that – all he could do was stand in front of the counter, trying to get his mind off this car hassle. There ought to be some simple way out of this school problem, and he tried to think about it without much coming to mind.

It really wasn’t a long wait, although right then minutes seemed like hours to him. After what seemed like an eternity, the black woman picked up the phone and said into it, “Herb, John Engler is here to see you about the problem with Linton Sanford . . . all right, I’ll send him back.” She put the phone down and said to John, “He can see you now. Go on back, first door on the right.”

Herb’s office was fairly large, but there were no windows, so it seemed a little smaller. The walls were covered with golf pictures, plaques, and the like. It seemed to John that this guy must be a serious golfer, or at least did a lot of business with a golf club in his hands. He was a tall guy, maybe a little older than John, and going bald. “Hi,” he said from behind his desk. “You must be John Engler. I think we’ve met once or twice.”

“Haven’t had reason to talk to you very much,” John told him, “and I’d be happy as hell if I didn’t have to talk to you this time either.”

“Linton Sanford?” Campbell smiled. “Yes, he can be a problem at times. Don’t worry about it. I had the police fax a copy of the accident report over here, and you’re in the clear. Sanford knows he doesn’t have a leg to stand on, so he’s trying to make a grandstand play. He’s that kind of a bullshit artist.”

“I take it you’ve dealt with this guy before.”

“Every now and then. Like I said, don’t worry about it. You’re totally covered on this. If he wants to make a big deal out of this, he’ll have to deal with the company attorneys, and they’ll eat a pipsqueak like him for breakfast.”

“You’re sure about that?” John asked, hardly able to believe the insurance agent’s words.

“Oh, yeah. When you play his game you lose more than you win, but when you win one it’s big enough to more than make up for the losses. If you get any more shit from him, just refer him to me and I’ll pass him on to the company attorneys.”

“That is a hell of a relief,” John told him. “I’ve got enough other hassles going on in my life right now to not want to deal with that one, too. It seems incredible that this Mayerling character would not only loan his car to an incompetent driver like Ester Zuckerman, but would have the gall to start a lawsuit when she rammed it into someone, claiming it was the other person’s fault.”

“I don’t know how old this Mayerling is, but what would you like to bet that he’s about as in touch with reality as Mrs. Zuckerman?” Campbell shook his head and went on, “Sanford will take a case like that, just on the odd chance that he can get something extra out of it. It’s guys like him who give the legal profession a bad name.”

“I suppose you’re right. The hell of it is that I was just getting set to call Sanford up on another matter, and I guess I can’t do it now.”

“Just out of curiosity, what’s that?”

“Long story,” John said. “A week ago tomorrow a load shifted off a truck and onto a car driven by a friend of mine. The car was totaled, and her daughter wound up in the hospital with a couple of broken legs. It seems to me that the trucking company ought to be responsible for paying for the hospital costs and the car, if nothing else.”

“You’re probably right,” Campbell nodded. “Do you have any idea who her insurance company is?”

“No idea, but if you can name the cheapest discount insurance shop in the state, that’s probably the one. I can find out for you.”

“Where and when was this accident?”

“Last Tuesday,” John explained, giving him the location and the approximate time. “I’m an EMT, and I was on the ambulance call. It was a real mess.”

“All right, let me see what I can do,” Campbell smiled. He picked up the phone and started dialing.

In a few minutes, the fax machine burped up a copy of the accident report; on it was the name of both Sally’s insurance agency and the trucking company’s. “That was quick,” John said in slight amazement.

“When you’ve been around this business as long as I have, you learn which strings to pull,” Campbell smiled. “Well, you were right on one thing, she does have the cheapest discount insurance in the state, and it isn’t going to help a lot since she only had minimum public liability and property damage coverage. But the poorly secured load on the truck means that it wasn’t her fault, so she does have a case. Unfortunately, I can’t help you directly with that one. In this case, she really does need to talk to a good attorney. I mean, a good one, not a shyster like Sanford.”

“I’ve thought that for days. But, I don’t have any idea who to ask.”

“I occasionally play golf with a guy who’s pretty good with this kind of thing, Ralph Brunswick. I’ve had to work with him a few times and he doesn’t strike me as a shady type, and he seems to know what he’s talking about. I can call him up and see if I can get her in to see him.”

“Sounds like a winner to me. Tell me, is he an insurance specialist, or does he take on other issues? I’ve got a couple of other things going on that are beginning to smell like they’re going to involve an attorney.”

“I can’t tell you for sure, other than I know he handles accident claims. It wouldn’t surprise me if he gets into other areas, and if he doesn’t handle something, I’m pretty sure he can put you onto someone who can.”

“Sure, call him up,” John replied, feeling relief roll over him. If this Brunswick guy was any good, a lot of Sally’s problems could be solved – and maybe some of his own. “My friend is just totally broke, and with her car wiped out and her kid laid up, she’s between a rock and a hard spot. The hospital is trying to charge her an arm and a leg over it. No health insurance, of course, and she doesn’t have a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out of.”

“All right, give me a minute,” the agent said as he picked up his phone again.

It took closer to five, but at the end of those five minutes John and Sally had an appointment across town for that afternoon. “Anything else I can do for you?” Herb asked as he slid a sheet of notepaper with the attorney’s address and phone number across the desk.

“Yeah. What’s the deal going to be on my car?”

“Well, that’s a little more complicated. We’ll need to have the adjuster look at it, and probably send it out for estimates. I can’t tell you right now whether we’ll cover the cost of repairs, or total it. I’m afraid it’s going to take a few days before I can give you an answer on that one way or another.”

“That’s about what I expected,” John said. “Even if you guys do wind up deciding to fix it, it could be a month or more before I get the car back. Fortunately I can drive the company van for a while if I need to.”

“At least you have it available to use,” the agent smiled. “Although your policy will pick up the cost of a rental while you’re out a car, I’m afraid the adjuster is going to have to look at your car before that can be arranged. I could probably have someone look at it this afternoon, but if you’re going to be tied up with Brunswick that probably kills that.”

“The car is at my office. I’m sure my secretary can show it to him if I’m not there.”

“Then that solves that problem. We’ll try to get you through this as painlessly as possible.”

“That would be wonderful,” John sighed in relief. This was going a lot better than he ever could have dreamed. “I’ve got enough other problems to deal with right now.”

“Yes, these things always seem to happen at the worst possible time,” Campbell smiled. “Try to roll with the punches. Maybe get out on the golf course and play a round to take your mind off it.”

“I don’t play golf. I tried it once but never could get into it. My blood pressure is high enough as it is and I already know how to swear.”

“Maybe you should give it another try. It gives you a whole new set of frustrations to deal with, and at least they can get your mind off of the ones that really matter. Right now I’ve developed a slice I can’t get rid of, but I’ll tell you what, any major league ball team that had three pitchers with curves like that would be hands-down favorites for the pennant.”

“I have enough frustrations as it is,” John grinned. “But who knows? If things settle down in my life a little I might get time to take you up on that.”

“Give me a call when you do, and I’ll try to get you set up right. Now, I’d better get a couple other balls rolling. Call me if you have any further questions.”

John walked out of the insurance agent’s office quite a bit relieved. He’d paid a lot of money out in car insurance over the years, and if Herb was anywhere near close to correct, it had just paid for itself. About eighty percent of one major problem of the day was solved, and he had a good lead on solving another one; that in itself was almost worth it.

He got in the van and pulled out his cell phone to call Annamaria. “It’s going to be a while before I make it back,” he told her. “I think I have the car insurance business settled for the moment, but we’ve developed a problem with getting Teresa into school, and I guess I’d better swing by the house and see what I can do about that.”

“What’s the problem?”

“To describe it simply, the school wants Teresa’s records from her old school, and Sally doesn’t want anyone down there to know where they are. Since Teresa is in a wheelchair, there’s some question of just how much she’s going to be able to go to school anyway for a while, and that makes things more complicated.”

“Let me think about it,” she replied. “I’ll get back with you on it as soon as I can. But John, we’ve got another problem. That Tomtucknee Regional bid proposal you sent me a memo on this morning isn’t going to work.”

“And why not?”

“Because we just got an e-mail from Las Vegas ordering us to not include a couple sections of the service agreement in future contracts until something is straightened out with Murasaki in Japan. I get the impression they’re playing it safe.”

“Oh, shit,” John sighed. “I don’t want to say those sections are critical, but they were about the only things I could think of to sweeten the pot on the bid. I guess I’ll have to think of something else.”

“Well, if you don’t, Tomtucknee Regional’s just going to have to get an unsweetened pot, I guess. Let me work on that one a bit, too. I don’t have hassles like you do going on in my life right now.”

“I’d appreciate it, Annamaria. Where would I be without you?”

“Up that well-known brown creek without a paddle,” she laughed. “When are you planning on being back?”

“Sometime, that’s all I can tell you. I’ve got a meeting with another attorney this afternoon about Sally’s accident, and that looks promising. I guess that means you’re going to have to hold the fort.”

“It’s not the first time, and I’m sure it won’t be the last.”

John clicked off the cell phone thinking once again that he really would be up shit creek if he didn’t have Annamaria back at the fort keeping the Indians at bay for him. He didn’t want to say he wouldn’t have a business without her, but it would be a whole lot more hassle and probably a lot less successful. Inheriting her from Harry Morris and the old Suncoast was easily the most valuable part of the business he’d gotten when he’d bought it. Did Julio know how lucky a guy he was? No telling.

He got the van out into traffic and headed for home. One unexpected bit of good news had come out of the meeting with the insurance agent: the fact that the insurance agency would pay for a rental car while the Toyota was laid up. When it came right down to it, John didn’t need the rental for himself since he could use the van, but having a second car available for Sally to use if she had to take Teresa to school someplace would make life a hell of a lot simpler. That was especially true with Mandy planning on heading for Nevada any day now.

While he drove toward home, John tried to give some attention to the school problem. He hadn’t been all that thrilled with Teresa actually going to school, at least for now. Being in a wheelchair would make it bad enough, but add in the fact that it would be a new and strange school – well it wasn’t going to help matters a bit.

The one idea John had about the whole thing was the memory of a guy he’d talked to one time who had taken his family sailing around the world. Somewhere in the discussion the question of school for the kids came up, and the guy had said that the kids took correspondence courses from some outfit in Michigan. John couldn’t remember anything more about it than that, but it was a lead that could be investigated. Still, a correspondence-school deal like that seemed like a hell of a lot of trouble for the relatively short time that Teresa was going to require it. After all, she was only going to be in the wheelchair for a couple months, although by the time she got out of it she wasn’t going to be walking well for a while until her legs built up strength again. All that added up to about the time school would be starting back up after the summer anyway; by then she ought to be back to normal. Probably she and Sally would be gone somewhere by then, anyway.

Given a chance to reflect about it, John wasn’t sure how eager he was to see that time come. He’d come to like having Teresa around; she was a cute kid, and not as ill-behaved as the stories he’d heard about teenagers of about that age. She’d led a rough life; it would be nice if she could stay in one place, have friends, and some stability in her life. It seemed to him that the constant moving and uncertainty had to be dragging her down.

And there was Sally. While he didn’t feel anything romantic toward her, she had quickly become a friend. Her getting up to make breakfast for him this morning, well, that was just about unprecedented around his house. She seemed to be a hard worker and was easy to get along with, possibly because there was nothing more romantic going on between them than he had with, say, Annamaria.

Annamaria was easily the most important woman in his life in many ways. Not only was she a great employee, she was a true friend, perhaps the best friend John had. But there it ended; even leaving the fact of Julio’s existence aside, John couldn’t see the relationship going any further. As he’d told Mandy days before, the two of them got along together so well at least partly because they took off to their separate homes every evening. They needed the breathing space from each other. If Julio were to evaporate, he’d still be leery of getting something else going with Annamaria, mostly because it stood all too good a chance of lousing up a really good working relationship and friendship.

But that was all theoretical. He doubted very much that Julio was going to evaporate, and from every sign John had ever seen, Julio and Annamaria had an enviable relationship; Julio would be a tough act for him to follow. It wasn’t even worth thinking about, except maybe to establish a baseline for comparison.

The real question he had to deal with was Sally and Teresa. He really wasn’t looking forward to seeing them leave, mostly because of the stability he thought Teresa needed in her life, and it wouldn’t hurt Sally either. He probably wasn’t the one to provide it, but at least he could help facilitate it.

Besides, when he stopped and thought about it, it wasn’t clear if Sally would be able to leave once Teresa was better, or not. After all, Sally still didn’t have any money, she had no car, and no place to go. She was going to have to do something about that in the time they were staying with him, although the possibility of a settlement from the trucking company offered some hope for eventually fixing that situation. It still seemed a long way off, but maybe he could encourage her to stay in the area. It was something to think about.

Then there was Mandy.

Mandy seemed very eager to re-establish a relationship with him. He’d managed to hold her off so far, but he had little doubt that as soon as she had the divorce papers in her hot little hand she was going to be back pushing at him. When that happened he wouldn’t have the main excuse he’d used the other night to keep her out of his bed.

He remembered a few days ago thinking that it would be nice to get something going with her again. After all, she’d been the most successful of his three and almost four wives, and if she’d been willing to stick out some tough times a while longer they might still be together. But, since she’d popped back up in his life he’d had some second thoughts. If the going got tough again, would she be willing to stick it out, or would she give up and leave again? It was a real concern. Granted, he was going through some tough times right now, but it wasn’t as if she were directly involved, just helping out a bit while she crashed with him.

What to do about Mandy wasn’t a question he needed to answer soon. After all, it was not likely to become an issue until she was back from getting her divorce in Nevada, which happened to be right around the time Teresa should be getting her casts off. If Sally and Teresa moved on right about that time or soon afterwards, Mandy was going to be pushing hard at him, unless something else came up in her life, which wasn’t impossible. Now, in the light of the last few days, the thought of getting together with her again wasn’t quite as appealing as it had been a week ago.

On the other hand, there was a good chance it would be better than Lisa, or Susan, or Julie. In fact, it would be hard to be much worse, and Mandy was at least a more or less known quantity. Thank God he didn’t have to deal with that question today, while all the other stuff was going on in his life.

Flipping the question around in his mind got him most of the way back home, without coming to many conclusions. At least, with a little luck he might have time to consider things and figure out what to do. Maybe he could get a patch on things for today, and then get back to dealing with things that had to be done at the office, like that damn Tomtucknee Regional bid. That had to be settled soon, and his best idea had been shot in the ass. Maybe Annamaria could come up with something.

This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.