by Gordon Lawrence
SALLY:
(Speaking to her daughter, Gwen)
“Hi honey. I got your text and now I’m on a break. How are you? How is Jamie?”
GWEN:
“Mom, Jamie fell and hit her head. Very hard. We’re in County General. She has a brain
injury, they call it a traumatic brain injury, and she needs an operation. She’s going to
need to be at home for two weeks and then at a rehabilitation center for 6 weeks. And
the chances are high for her to later have seizures, or a stroke.”
SALLY:
Loud Voice
“Where did this happen? Why did this happen? Is she in pain? I’m coming over, right now.”
GWEN:
“Mom, Jamie is not in pain, she’s knocked out. And you can’t see her until after the operation,
which will be in two days. You can visit tomorrow. But I have a problem.”
SALLY:
“Tell me”
GWEN:
They want money and payment arrangements before we start the operation.”
SALLY:
“Of course they do. Bloodsuckers. Does your insurance help?”
GWEN:
“Mom, I told you, I can’t afford $650 a month. I don’t have insurance.”
SALLY:
“OK, What does the operation cost?”
GWEN:
“$72,500. And that’s with a 30% discount.”
“To perform the operation, they have to have $20,000 up front and $1.000 a month for five years.”
SALLY:
“And what do they say when you tell them that you don’t have the money?”
GWEN:
“They say that nearly every patient gets help from their family.”
SALLY:
“OK. I’m starting work now on the $20,000.”
GWEN:
“Mom, how can you get that kind of money?
SALLY:
“Don’t worry about that. Stay with Jamie. It will be fine.”
GWEN:
“Mom, I’ve moved in here. I have pajamas and clothes. I’m not leaving.”
SALLY:
“God Bless You and Jamie. I’ll get back to you soon. Goodbye. I love you.”
_______________________________________________________________
RECEPTIONIST:
“Ma’am, Mr. Stonecliff will see you.”
HOWARD STONECLIFF:
“Hello Sally, may I call you Sally?”
SALLY:
“Of course.”
STONECLIFF:
“You have met with my assistant and she explained the terms to you?”
SALLY:
“Yes”
STONECLIFF:
“Great. In that case, I’ll just summarize.”
“You are signing forms for life insurance. At your death, the proceeds will
go to this office. And in return, you will receive immediate payment”
“Any questions.”
SALLY:
“How do you know how long I’ll live?”
STONECLIFF:
“Sally, we don’t know. However we gave you a quick health checkup and you
completed the questionnaire, so we’re confident that we know when you will die,
give or take twelve months on either side.”
“And clients always ask when that will be, and we always reply that we will not
answer that question.”
SALLY:
“Actually I was going to ask you to go over the numbers again.”
STONECLIFF:
“Of course. You will receive a check for $10,000. Your policy is for $250,000.
We will make the monthly payments. We will check in with you every three
months.
SALLY;
“To see if I’m still alive.”
STONECLIFF:
“I prefer to say that we will inquire about your health.”
“Also, this is a private matter, so we ask that you not disclose our arrangement
to anyone else. And we will keep your copies of the contract here in our office
for safekeeping.”
SALLY:
“Mr. Stonecliff, you have thought of everything. You’ve done a few of these
transactions before me?”
STONECLIFF:
“About 1,100. And we truly believe that it is a fair transaction for both parties.”
“We have about 25 clients who have exceeded their projected end of life by
over 10 years. I hope that you join them.”
SALLY:
“Thanks. But there’s no chance of that.”
“If you will show me where to sign, I’ll take my check now.”
STONECLIFF:
“Very well. The first signature is midway on page one.”
_________________________________________________________
DR. GABRIEL OLANKOFF:
“Sally, are you comfortable?
SALLY:
“Yes”
OLANKOFF:
“Great. We will put you on a general anesthetic which will extend beyond the
operation, which will take about two hours.”
“You will not feel any pain. The surgery is referred to as ‘keyhole surgery” and
is the least invasive and has the quickest recovery. My assistant, Monica, will attend
to your needs and will hold your hand until you go under the anesthetic.”
“Any questions?”
SALLY:
“Doctor, how many of these operations have you completed.”
OLANKOFF:
“Perhaps fifty. I’ve extremely confident that we will have a positive outcome.”
“And now we’ll get started.”
___________________________________________________________
SALLY:
“Gwen, I’ve got the money. If you will come to Westside Medical Center,
I can give you a check for $10,000 and a check for $15,500.”
GWEN:
“Mom. Mom. Mom. Mom. Mom. I can’t talk. I’m crying. How can I thank you?”
SALLY:
“Cry later. Tell the hospital that you have the money. Schedule
the operation. And you thank me every day by being a wonderful
mother to my granddaughter. Get over here now.”
GWEN:
“I’m on my way. God bless you. I love you and Jamie loves you.”
SALLY:
“And God bless you. I love you both.”
__________________________________________________
Thank You for Reading Call Center Confidential
Gordon Lawrence