In Writ & Lust (In Progress)

14 Business as Usual

Lennon stepped into the cool, April air and breathed deeply, amazed at how open and relaxed her chest, shoulders, and neck felt. The last few nights she had been wakened by the ache in her muscles and even though she figured the discomfort was normal since the accident, she was tired of dealing with it. So, she had called last Friday for a today’s massage appointment before another visit to their lawyer.

She walked the block and a half to the lawyer’s office, hoping he wasn’t running late. She stepped inside, gave the secretary her name and sat in one of the provided chairs. She picked up the newspaper and flipped through a few pages before realizing it wasn’t the town paper but the college paper. She scanned the articles it provided, some on politics, another on changes that were about to occur on campus over the next year, and a column on being careful during spring break. She briefly skimmed each column, picking up major details in the first handful of paragraphs before moving to the next one, until she reached an article titled Organic Music written by Trevor McDougal. She stopped, her eyes taking in the short paragraphs outlining the pureness of music on a record album, the clarity he deemed impossible with CD’s and downloads. The gentle crackle as the needle caressed the grooved, black vinyl, as it turned.

She was so engrossed in the words, remembering the way the music had felt so much more sensual when it had played while she was at his apartment the week before, she didn’t hear the lawyer call her name.

He stepped closer, repeating her name. She jerked her head up, her face flush with heated memory.

“Must be a helluva article.”

“Oh, yeah,” she quickly folded the paper, “just an interesting point of view.” She fought the urge to tuck it under her arm.

“So, what can I do for you?” he led her into his office, his rotund frame barely fitting through the doorway.

“I started getting calls from the other girl’s insurance company, wanting to speak to me about the accident,”

He looked up sharply,

“You haven’t said anything, have you?”

“No. I tell them they need to speak with you and give them your office number. But, I’m still getting them. I got a call this morning just after the boys got on the bus and another one while I was getting a massage.”

“Oh, a massage.” She wasn’t sure if he was mocking her, possibly pegging her as some pampered stay-at-home mom. Although they did have the resources for such extravagancies, it had never been her style.

“Yes, my neck and shoulders have been stiff since the accident. And, I’ve started to get headaches and it’s keeping me up at night.”

“Oh, document that. Get all the papers from your therapist, we can send that in with the claim. Better yet,” he started rifling through papers in a drawer near his leg, “fill this out, sign it, and I’ll mail it for you.”

“What is it?” she asked, accepting the papers he extended across his large, cherry desk.

“Just a form asking for the release of all those records.”

“Oh,” she looked down at the black ink on crisp, thick paper with his business heading across the top, “I don’t know if that’s necessary. Is it?”

“Yes. We need to file as much as possible, get a better claim. Will be able to sue for more.”

“I don’t want to sue anybody. Does Eric know about this?”

“Oh, darling, you don’t understand, it’s always considering a suit even if we’re only settling for the damages. Your neck and shoulders are part of the medical damages and you’ll get reimbursed for all the expenses.”