The Diplomat--Part Three

The Diplomat-Part Three

Joe Diplomat had succeeded in convincing Jane’s boss to let her join the Diplomats. He had persuaded him by telling him that there might be some business opportunities for him and his company. Joe said that by giving Jane the chance to meet business owners and their representatives Jane could bring valuable information back to the office or mention the advantages of doing business with the Real Life Inc. to the people she met. It could work in the company’s favor. Jane’s boss said that he would allow her to do it on a trial basis. If it didn’t work out, he told Joe, or if it took too much of her time, Jane would have to let it go. Joe agreed. He knew that this could be a win-win situation for both the company and Jane, if Jane’s boss would just give it some time. The company would win by getting more business, and Jane would win by getting more exposure, more confidence, more experience in dealing with people and a better feeling about herself as she was received into the business world. Joe was confident that all of this would happen. It would just take time.

Jane had been humbled by this experience. She couldn’t believe that she was not only being allowed to participate in something like the Diplomats, but that they actually wanted her in the organization. But she was also embarrassed. She didn’t have a very extensive wardrobe. She was ashamed to tell Joe her feelings, but she finally broke down and mentioned it to him. He told her not to worry. He said that the times that the Diplomats got together, know one would be worrying about what she was wearing. Besides, she could start building a wardrobe. It would just take a little time. Jane was still worried.

Joe and Jane had not known each other for very long, but they had already become good friends. I was one of those relationships of mutual trust that had developed intuitively. Jane knew that she could trust Joe and Joe knew that Jane needed to trust somebody and confide in somebody. He was one of those people who didn’t mind if someone leaned on him a little. It didn’t take anything away from him and it just might be the one thing that changed someone’s life for the better. Joe was used to it. It seemed as if a lot of people felt as if they could trust Joe to do the right thing. He was just built that way.

Jane had told Joe about Brand’s lawyers and what they had proposed to her. She said that she hadn’t heard from them in over a month, but that she didn’t feel as if the matter was over. She thought she might be hearing from them again soon. Joe told her not to worry about the situation. She was still in control. As it stood, she had not signed any release so she was protected in case of the onset of any physical problems. None had surfaced so far. It was a waiting game that Jane did not like playing. Something could happen at any time. It was like waiting for a bomb to go off when you didn’t know whether or not the fuse was lit. She wished this issue would come to an end. When she thought about it, it sometimes gave her a headache. She tried not to think about it.

-2-

Brand’s lawyers had decided on a plan that they thought might work. The last offer they had made to Jane was $50,000. They decided to offer her $80,000 as a lump sum payment with some stipulations. If Jane would agree to take the cash, they would draw up an agreement stating that they would be responsible for paying any hospital bills, therapy, or any treatment that Jane needed to restore her to health if she had any trauma as a result of the accident. In addition to this, the lawyers were willing to enter into an agreement stating that Brand’s company, or companies would pay her an income more than sufficient to maintain a comfortable lifestyle. The figure they had in mind was somewhere around $80,000 a year, but it was negotiable. All Jane had to do was to agree to one clause in the contract. That clause stated that no matter what the outcome of the situation was in the event that Jane had some physical problems, she would not enter into a lawsuit against Brand, or Brand’s estate if he should die. That was the deal. The lawyers didn’t know for sure, but they thought that Jane might go for it. It was worth a try. It was smart thinking on their part.

The theory behind the lawyers’ ideas was this. If Jane sued Brand, and won, whatever she was awarded would be taken out of Brand’s holdings. If she were awarded $1,000,000, for example, the money would be working for Jane and not for Brand. If that money were left in Brand’s account, and it was earning just 10% per year at simple interest, it would generate by itself $100,000. With compound interest, it would be earning much more. The earnings alone on $1,000,000 would be more than enough to pay Jane $80,000 a year. There would even be money left over. The smart thing to do was to find a way to leave the money in Brand’s estate and let the money work for him rather than work for Jane. This was Economics 101. It was basic math. $80,000 from $100,000 left $20,000. It was a no brainer. The lawyers planned on proposing this settlement to Jane shortly.

-3-

Jane was making friends fast inside the Diplomatic body. She had a natural unassuming air about her that people liked. There was an open honesty about her that made her refreshing. She had nothing to hide and she accepted people just the way that they were. She thought all people did that. People responded to her naturally.

There was another thing about Jane that attracted those around her. She had a natural beauty. She had never been very interested in make-up. The reason was apparent. She didn’t need it, or much of it. She had never been interested in using it because she didn’t see a need in it. The same went for her hair. She had hair that was a natural blond with highlights of brown. It had it’s own natural sheen. She had never colored it or tried to tint it because she was satisfied with it the way that it was. She didn’t want to change it. She was 5 feet 7 inches tall and carried herself well. None of this hurt her chances of being accepted by other people. She was a well put together package.

-4-

Clifford Banshan was not doing well and hadn’t been since Jane had abandoned their relationship. That was how he liked to think of it. As he saw it, she hadn’t really broken up with him, she had just bailed out. He couldn’t understand it. He had thought that everything was all right. She had never complained about anything. Once or twice she had said something to him about renting a video or going out somewhere on Saturday night, but when he explained to her logically and rationally that the Cable was already paid for and that there was more to see on TV than there was at any movie, she had taken it nicely and had said no more about the subject. He was sure that she had understood the logic of saving money and being in the comfort of your on home. His reasoning made perfect sense. Then, in one big swoop, she had said that she didn’t want to date him any more. He was confused. How could somebody break up just like that? It didn’t make any sense. He didn’t understand at all. Now what was he going to do?

There were other things going on inside of his head too. He had heard that Jane had joined a club called the Diplomats and he wondered what that was all about. He had heard that they went to some things called Ribbon Cuttings and that they met once a month somewhere to have some type of a bash. He didn’t even know that Jane was interested in things like that. She should have said something. Maybe he would have gone to some of those things even though he didn’t see any point to it. Now she was going to these things on a regular basis. She had gone from one extreme to the other. From sitting at home quietly on a couch to running all over town and exposing herself to dangers he could only imagine. She actually had to meet people and talk to them. It was enough to give you the willies. He hoped he could sleep tonight after having thought about it. He was almost certain that he would have dreams where people were trying to grab his hand, shake it, and engage him in meaningful conversation. He knew conflicts like that had a way of working themselves into dreams. He had seen on TV where dreams like that were an effort of your subconscious mind to rid your conscious mind of a bad thought or a bad experience. He figured his conscious mind needed a good going over after what he had been thinking. The dreams would come and he would be all right in the morning. He didn’t need to meet people and see new stuff. He had all of the friends that he needed at work and they didn’t go to stuff like that either. Still he wondered.

-5-

Brand’s lawyers had called Jane at work. They had tried her at home and had gotten no answer. Ginger, the not so house broken Cocker, was not trained to answer the phone. She had no answering machine. They had said that they were sorry about interrupting her workday but that it was imperative that they talk to her. They had laid out their new offer to her. As soon as the lawyers had gotten off of the phone, Jane had called Joe Diplomat. She wanted his advice. Joe had given her his cell phone number and told her to call him any time she wanted to talk. She had not abused the privilege so she felt comfortable about calling him. She told him about the lawyer’s proposition. Joe heard her out. He asked her when she had to give the lawyers an answer. She said that she had told them that she would give them an answer within a week, but that she was not going to be pressured into giving one before then. The lawyers had not pressed. They knew enough to let it alone. They could wait a week. Jane had called Joe.

To Joe’s mind this offer might be a Godsend for Jane. He knew that she didn’t have much money and he also knew that she would never take advantage of a situation just to be able to sue Brand and get a lot of money. He thought that agreeing to this package might help Jane start a new career. He told her so. He said that in taking the money she was accomplishing two things: she was bringing this matter to a close, or at least the part that would give Brand and his lawyers some peace of mind and she was not giving up her rights to good medical care and an income should she need it. As far as Joe could tell, it would be a good bargain for everybody. A win-win solution. One thing that Joe did suggest to Jane was that she might want Joe’s lawyer, an old friend, to look over the agreement before she signed anything. Joe was sure that the whole thing was OK, but there was no harm in having a legal mind give an opinion on a legal matter. Jane eagerly took Joe up on his suggestion. She was tired of having to deal with Brand’s lawyers and she really wanted to end this matter. She still didn’t feel quite right about taking money for just being in an accident, but if it would bring this matter to a close, she was ready for it. Besides, it would be nice to have some money for a change. Jane agreed to meet with Brand’s lawyers. The meeting was set for Wednesday of the following week. Jane didn’t tell Brand’s lawyers that she was bringing a lawyer of her own. It just didn’t occur to her. She never thought this would be a problem.

-6-


The meeting was held at the Grand Salon Hotel. It was one of the best in the city. The lawyers had picked this meeting place for two reasons. The first was that it was informal and Brand’s lawyers wanted Jane at ease to facilitate the signing of the contract. They were afraid that their offices were too intimidating. Generally, they wanted to intimidate the opposition, but not today. That tactic would work against them rather than for them.

The other reason that the lawyers had picked the Hotel was to give Jane her first taste of luxury. They wanted her to feel what money could do. They had checked her background thoroughly and they knew that the chances were that she had never even been in a facility such as the Grand Salon. They wanted her to get a taste of the good life. It was all psychology. They had had experts to go over her file and render a decision about the best way to get her to capitulate. The final moves of the game were about to begin.

The lawyers were shocked when Jane walked into the lobby of the Hotel with a middle-aged, distinguished looking man. They had expected her to be alone. As the two approached, Brand’s lawyers began to sweat. The man walking besides Jane was Brandon Swaller, a well-known contract lawyer. Not only were Brand’s lawyers confused, they wondered where Jane ever met this man. They didn’t move in the same circles and he was expensive. The opposing lawyers never even knew that Jane had consulted with a lawyer. Now the were looking at “The Lawyer.”

-7-


Brandon Swaller was 55 years old and had been practicing law for 30 years. He was known as a fair man, but he was also known as being tough to deal with. If he found that someone was trying to swindle one of his clients or take unfair advantage of them, he was known to change the terms of a contract so that his client had all of the advantages and his client's adversary had none. That was his reputation and he had built it from the very day he started practicing law. He had never varied from his principles. Almost nobody tried to deal with his clients unfairly. If they did, they only did it once. He was here because Joe Diplomat had asked him to be here. If Jane did make a settlement today, he would charge her a token fee. She would never know what he really charged the average client, at least if he could help it. Joe had been his client and friend for many years. When Joe had asked him to represent Jane in this affair and to look over the contract, Brandon never asked why. He didn’t need to. He trusted Joe. That was Joe’s reputation. The respect that these two men had for each other was evident. They both were known by their reputations. Both were model citizens.

All Brandon Swaller needed to know were the details of the case and what Joe wanted him to look out for. That information was sufficient.

-8-

Brandon could see the surprise, and almost panic, on the faces of the lawyers from Jessel, Jessel, and Stone. He knew who they were, but they also knew who he was. He could see that they didn’t know what their next move should be. Brandon proceeded as though he expected to find everything all right and going according to plan. He really hoped that the contract was all right. Joe had told him that he wanted Brandon to keep things as simple as possible and make an easy transition for Jane. Brandon hoped that that would be the case. He did not want to embroil Jane in any legal battles or controversy. He was sure that if he needed to change anything in the papers that the firm lawyers would agree or take it under advisement. Brandon’s reputation preceded him. That was a good thing. It could make things easier and prevent a lot of trouble. Unless the contract was really skewed, he anticipated things going smoothly.

As Brandon was thinking this through, Stewart, Pool, and Reed, the firm lawyers, were trying to regroup. Not only had they not expected this, they were now afraid that Brandon Swaller might call this whole thing off and begin to press a lawsuit. There whole strategy had been based on settling this debacle without getting another lawyer involved. They weren’t sure what they were headed into. They had been ambushed and the Calvary wasn’t coming to bail them out. They were on their own with what was probably the best contract lawyer in town, maybe even in the state. They had to be careful. Fortunately for them, the contract was clean. There were a lot of wherefores and whereases, but no tricks. They were grateful for that. They had not tried to take advantage of Jane from a legal standpoint. They just wanted to get this thing settled. They did introductions all around and went to a small room that had been reserved for the group. Drinks were offered and when everybody was comfortable, or as comfortable as they could be under the circumstances, the final moves of the game began. As Brandon looked over the contract, he began to relax. He couldn’t see any evidence of legal loop holing. It looked as if it were straightforward. He continued to read.

While Brandon read, the three lawyers eyed each other, Brandon, and Jane. They were trying to read the situation. Brandon was expressionless and Jane had a relaxed look on her face that said that she trusted Brandon completely and that whatever he said went with her. The lawyers were getting no help here. Nothing was telegraphed to them and they were getting no new information to help them know whether they were doing well or badly. They needed input and they weren’t getting it. That was Brandon’s way. He would not comment until he had read the entire document. He would then accept it, amend it, or tear it apart. Stewart, Pool and Reed hoped it would be the first one. Brandon continued to read.

For such a simple agreement, the paper was rather long. Most legal documents were. It all went back to the fact that documents were designed for lawyers to read and not the ordinary man. They were done this way on purpose so that a lawyer would have to be hired to interpret the language. It was part of the system. The laws were made by lawyers for lawyers. It kept them working.

Brandon looked up from the paper. He was about to pronounce a verdict. The lawyers on the other side of the table were anxious. They wanted to finalize this agreement and leave. The man sitting across the table from them made them nervous. He made everybody nervous when they had to deal with him. He had a reputation. Brandon opened his mouth.

Brandon told the other lawyers that all in all they had done a good job. He said that he felt that the agreement was fair in almost every area except one. He would advise his client not to set a limit now on what her income should be should she become incapacitated due to the accident. Pool started to open his mouth but the look Stewart gave him stopped him before he could open his mouth and make a fool of himself. Brandon was not finished. Pool could open his mouth now and stop the meeting. If that happened, the final outcome might not be very pleasant. Pool closed his mouth and sat still.

Brandon stated that he felt that a fairer judgment would be one in which an income would be determined if and when this contract had to be enacted, if ever. He said that he hoped that it never had to be enacted because it would mean that his client would have a physical condition that would limit her activities and affect her quality of life. That would not be good. He stated that to set an income limit now would not be fair to his client. It might be years before any symptoms showed up to indicate that his client was having difficulty as a result of the accident. By then, the cost of living would almost surely be more than it was now. Inflation would continue whether or not his client ever invoked the clauses in the contract. He declared that if they were willing to amend the contract to accommodate these changes, he would advise his client to take the matter under advisement and that she would in all likelihood sign the agreement. No promises, but there would a good chance she would comply. Were the lawyers willing to consider such a proposal?

The three men who had been hired to culminate this matter looked at each other for about thirty seconds. Then they nodded. Pool kept his mouth shut and didn’t say anything. Reed spoke for the group. He said that, of course, they would have to bring this alteration to the attention of their client, but they felt certain that he would agree to this change if the rest of the petition were acceptable to Brandon’s client. Brandon stated that he and his client would talk it over after they left the meeting, but that he was fairly certain that the other provisions in the contract were acceptable. When the papers were altered and ready, Brandon would give them Jane’s final answer. The meeting was over. Brandon and Jane thanked the legalists for their time and left the room.

When Jane Plano walked out of the Hotel Grand Salon with her lawyer she was $80,000 dollars richer. Her life was about to change.

END OF PART THREE