But Here's The One That Counts

On my way home, I'd called and left message after message for Jill to let her know where I was: *Hi, I've finally left Chicago...* and *Passing through Hattiesburg, Mississippi today...* She never returned a single message. I got the feeling her boss had a little talk with her about not having nice long conversations with someone who faxed in a letter referencing contemporaneous notes on phone conversations that took place two years ago.


Still, she knew when I got home. After only a few hours of sleep, I got up early Thursday morning for an appointment with the pain doc. When I got back, this UPS overnight letter was sitting in my living room, holding a contract containing the terms of the repayment plan. To my surprise, Chase had already signed off on their side of the bargain. Maybe that's SOP. Maybe they want to waste not one second getting me out of their hair.

UPS must have run into one of the guys with a key to my house, because it was delivered while I was at the pain doc's. That date was October 4: my SSA was in, and Walter's paycheck. Another cashier's check, for the bulk of the *down payment,* was safely ensconced in my computer case, where I'd ferried it home from my parents. Now all I needed was to convert our own portion of the down payment into a cashier's check, sign the contract, and send it back.

Not on Thursday, though. No way. After driving safely back from the pain doc's and then the pharmacy, the only other action I was capable of was sleep.


Friday! Yes, lovely day! Off to the bank I went. The poor abused Saturn, which had so faithfully gotten me thousands of miles back home, had a dead battery. argh! My fault. The battery's been going, and I knew that, and still I forgot and left the lights on as I went inside the bank.

Ah well. That's why I have a decent set of jumper cables. Like any former Chicagoan, I can jump a car in my sleep. All I needed was another willing driver. Lo and behold, a nice man driving an auto parts pickup truck offered his services, and in two minutes I was good to go.


Inside the bank, there were clear signs of a very busy Public Relations campaign. This free coffee is new. It says, *Caution. Sleepwalking through the bank may result in hazardous financial decisions. Have some coffee.*

Well, all right. Good advice. I know it wasn't directed at me personally. I'm positive it wasn't. Pretty much.


YES!!! The contract is signed. My printer is down, but the bank kindly photocopied it for me. The contract and the two cashier's checks are in the return overnight envelope. After discovering the local Mailboxes Etc. had closed down in my absence, I called for a UPS pickup. It was a substitute driver, not our usual guy. Not knowing I'm half deaf, he knocked on the door just a bit then ran away. NO. Sorry guy, ya gotta come back, I called your boss.

Come back he did. At 6:45 Friday evening, my letter was picked up by UPS.

Jill got it Wednesday. She called and left a message saying it was a done deal. The repayment plan was accepted and activated; here's the name and extension of the new guy who'll be servicing your account now; it's already out of her department and her file is closed; goodbye and good luck.

heh! Doesn't sound like they wanted to get rid of me, does it?

I think - I believe - I'm pretty sure here -

this cat has landed on her feet.