Chapter 3
GENA
When I got to Kurt's place the following day for the closing I was escorted into the den and it was apparent that everyone was talking about the TV report of the previous evening. I was very interested in this topic, so I paid particularly close attention.
"It just another case of the press making wild accusations without checking out the facts," Kurt said. "If they would have done their homework they would have discovered that I didn't own the property anymore and wasn't responsible for the repairs. But, of course, they liked the story the way it was. They didn't want the truth to get in the way of a good headline."
"Why didn't the new owner make the repairs?" I asked.
"When I buy property I usually fix it up and then resell it. In this case there were some investors who wanted to buy the property from me immediately. They were trying to qualify as a like-kind exchange. They had to move quickly or they'd have to pay taxes on some property they had just sold. They bought it 'as is.' They are in the process of getting the repairs made right now. Anyway, enough history, it's time to get down to the business at hand. Stan, do you have the paperwork ready?"
"Yes sir, it's all right here. I've got a packet for everyone," I said as I began passing around several large envelopes.
The closing went very well and Kurt seemed pleased. After all the papers had been signed Kurt rode in the limousine with the investors to the airport and I went back to my office.
Although everything was going well with my new law practice, I hadn't actually seen any money come in except the seventy-five dollars from Tex. Accordingly, I had to draw down another three hundred dollars on my American Express card to pay bills. After paying General Burton three hundred dollars for first and last months rent and buying two hundred dollar’s worth of supplies I had already depleted my line of credit by $800 leaving only $1,200 of precious capital. Unless some money came in soon I would be in serious trouble. While I was assessing my financial situation the phone rang. It was Tex.
"Hey, I met a guy today who you need to talk to. He's got an oil company, I think he calls it Inca Oil Company, and he really needs an attorney."
"Oh good, that oil and gas class I took wasn't a total waste of time then," I said.
"You took oil and gas?"
"Yeah, it was the only thing that fit in my schedule my last semester. I never thought I would ever use it."
"Well, it's a good thing you took it Stanley, my boy, because this guy could be a good client for both of us."
"Great. When do I get to meet him?"
"Are you free in the morning to go over to his place?"
"He can't come here?"
"No, you know these high rollers with big egos, they think they're so good everybody has to come to them."
"Well, okay, but I never pictured law practice like this. For some reason I thought my clients would come to me."
"Well, you know, Stan, if you want to sit in your nice, slick office and wait for them to come to you, you can. But you may starve to death in the meantime."
"You're right, what time is our appointment?"
"Nine o'clock."
"Okay, I'll meet you there."
"Good. See you tomorrow."
Just as I hung up the phone, it rang again. It was Derek Donner. He was my casualty insurance agent with whom I had become good friends while I was briefly in the insurance business several years ago. He was one of the kindest men I knew and I always referred anyone who needed car insurance to him.
"So how's the law practice going?" Derek asked cheerily.
"It's going better than I expected, it's just that it takes so long for the cash to start coming in."
"Welcome to the wonderful world of business," Derek said.
"Thanks. . . . I hope I survive the first month."
"You know, I always used to worry a lot about surviving each month but I found that worrying didn't help. Somehow it always works out. You just have to be patient and a say a few prayers so the good Lord doesn't forget about you."
"Actually, I have been praying a lot and Rebekah has been going to Mass every morning."
"Well, your prayers are already being answered as we speak."
"What do you mean?"
"I've got a client for you."
"Oh, great. Who is it?"
"Her name is Gena Lombardi. She came in for some insurance on her Corvette this morning. It seems her bank is trying to repossess her car for several reasons, one of which was not having it insured."
"Hmm."
"Anyway, it looks like she needs an attorney. I think she's several months behind on her payments and may need to file bankruptcy."
"Oh no," I said.
"Well it's bad for her I guess, but good for you, right?" Derek said.
"Well, the only problem is I didn't take bankruptcy in law school. I did take creditor's rights and bankruptcy did come up a few times," I said.
"Well, can you handle it?"
"Yeah, sure. I'll figure it out. Do you have her phone number?"
"Yes, I have her card right here, it's Pilgrimage Travel Agency, Gena Lombardi, Owner, 555-2277."
"A travel agent huh?" I said.
"Not just an ordinary travel agent to hear her talk."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I guess she really makes traveling as easy and exciting as possible."
"Oh really, how do you mean?"
"She plans every detail of your trip including food, lodging, site seeing, theater tickets and anything else your heart desires. She'll even arrange for an escort so you won't get lonely."
"That's what I call a full service travel agency."
"Exactly. Anyway, give her a call."
"I will, thanks a lot, Derek."
Just as soon as I hung up, I immediately called Miss Lombardi at the number on the card. The phone rang several times before a male voice answered. I asked for Gina Lombardi and he put me through to her.
"I've got a problem I need to discuss with you. Derek says you're a nice guy and I can trust you."
"Absolutely," I said. "I'll do my best to help you in any way I can. What's your situation?"
"Well, it's too complicated to discuss over the phone. Can I come to see you?"
"Sure, when would you like to come?"
"Well, how about today?"
"Today?" I repeated looking down at my blank calendar.
"Uh huh."
"Okay, could you come at three o'clock?"
"Sure."
"Good, I'll see you then."
Immediately after hanging up, I rummaged around and found my creditor's rights book and scanned the chapters on bankruptcy. Then I ran over to the county law library and read everything I could find there on the subject. It was getting close to three o'clock so I returned to my office, arriving just before three. General Burton had gone to play golf and I had the office to myself. I straightened up my desk and put away all my books. As I put the last one away the door opened and a pretty young woman appeared. She was medium height, black hair and wore a very short skirt and halter top. In her arms she was carrying a large packing box. She didn't smile when she saw me."
"Hello, is this Stan Turner's office?"
"Yes, I don't have a sign yet, but this is the right place. Can I help you with your box?"
"No, it's not that heavy."
"Did you have any trouble finding this place?"
"No, my dentist is in this building."
"Oh good. Have a seat."
"Thank you."
"Well, Derek told me a little bit about you, but he didn't really get into why you needed an attorney."
"Well it's kind of a long story."
"That's okay, I need to know everything if I'm going to be of any help to you."
"My boyfriend and I were partners in the travel agency and we recently broke up. Of course, he took all the money when he left."
"Oh no, how much did he take?"
"Well, we had $25,0
00 in the checking account the day before he left and now we're $840 overdrawn and 13 checks have bounced."
"Damn. He really cleaned you out, didn't he?"
"Yeah, you would think the bastard would have at least left enough money in the account to cover the outstanding checks."
"Who signed the checks that bounced?"
"I did, and now there are warrants out for my arrest," Gena said.
"Oh no. How have you avoided being arrested?"
"I keep a good lookout for the constable."
“You’ve got to be kidding? How can you live like that?”
She shrugged. “You get used to it.”
"Hmm. . . . So, what was this I heard about a Corvette being repossessed?"
"Well, I'm two months behind on the payments and my bank's been out looking for it. So far I’ve been able to keep it out of sight, but it’s just a matter of time before they find it."
"How much are your payments?"
"Six hundred and thirty dollars a month."
"Whoa! That's pretty steep."
"Not when you're pulling in $150,000 a year like we were before Tony bailed on me,” she said. “If I ever find that bastard, I'll kill him."
I wondered if she had a gun. If she did Tony had better watch out. Gina didn’t look like the kind of woman you wanted to cross. I smiled and looked at the box she’d toted in.
"Well, what's in the box?" I asked.
"All my bills," Gena said.
"Oh. How far in debt are you? Do you know?"
"No, I have no idea. I meant to go through them and sort them out but I've just been so upset I haven't been able to do anything."
"You obviously didn't have a bookkeeper?"
"No, Tony handled everything or at least I thought he was handling everything."
"Well, we can file bankruptcy for you but that won't help you with those criminal warrants."
"I don't know what to do, Stan. I just need you to give me some advice."
"I guess we'd better start by sorting out all these bills, so we can get a feel for the extent of your indebtedness."
"Okay," Gena said as she carried the box to the middle of the floor and dumped it out. "I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to do this before, but I've just been too upset."
"It's all right. Let's see what you got."
Gena sat down on the floor and folded her long, nicely tanned legs in front of her as she began sorting out her bills. I felt a little uncomfortable watching her work half-naked in front of me. I wondered what General Burton would think if he walked in and saw Gena sitting there on the floor. After an awkward moment of silence, I said to her, "Can I get you a cold drink or something?"
"Yes, do you have a Coke?" she replied.
"Sure, I'll be right back."
I escaped from the office and headed for the vending machines hoping she would be finished when I returned. I pondered what in the hell I was going to do to get her out of her predicament. I didn't know anything about criminal law nor did I really want to learn about it. In my first year of law school I had barely survived criminal law and really didn't like it one bit. I was seriously considering suggesting she find another lawyer. When I got back she was still on the floor but in my absence she’d managed to divide up the bills in a number of stacks.
"Okay, here's your Coke," I said admiring her work.
"Oh, thank you. I think I've got these pretty well sorted out."
"Good, why don't you give me the latest statement for each account."
"Okay, here is American Express."
"Hmm, $12,301.47?"
"Yeah, we've been doing a lot of traveling lately."
"I guess so."
"Okay, what else you got?"
"Here is my Visa Gold."
"Okay, $9,327.36."
"You had some pretty high credit limits."
"Well, like I told you, Tony and I were doing damn good until he took off."
"Why did he leave?"
"Bridgett."
"Bridgett?"
"He ran off with my best friend, Bridgett."
"Oh geez. How did that happen?"
"Bridgett worked in the office and, I guess, I was just too busy to see what was happening between them. Then, when I finally woke up and discovered they were having an affair, I confronted them and all hell broke loose."
"I can't believe a best friend would do something like that."
"Tony was very handsome and Bridgett had always been jealous. I can't say I'm surprised."
"Well, it looks like you owe about $65,000.00, not including the hot checks," I advised her. "I don't know if Derek told you or not but I don't handle criminal cases."
"That's all right, I've already talked to a criminal attorney."
"Oh good, so you just need me to file a bankruptcy?"
"I just need you to save my Corvette."
"I can file a chapter 13 which will allow you to keep the Corvette and pay it out through a plan, but I'm wondering if you really should keep the Corvette."
"What do you mean? I've got to have my Corvette. In my business you've got to look prosperous to be successful. If people saw me driving around in another car they would know something was wrong and quit doing business with me."
"You really think so?"
"Yes, you have to save my Corvette, I'll die if I lose it."
"Okay, if you can make the payments in the future I can cure the default in your Chapter 13."
"Good."
"I guess we need to talk about my fee. A Chapter 13 cost nine hundred dollars plus the filing fee of sixty dollars."
"I'm eight hundred dollars overdrawn."
"I know, but if you want to file bankruptcy I've got to get some money from you."
"My mom said she could send me five hundred dollars and I'll give you the rest after I get my business going again."
"That will be all right, but we can't file the bankruptcy until we have the five hundred dollars."
"My mom said to call her and she would send you the money."
"You want me to call your mother?"
"Yeah, here's her phone number," she said as she handed me a piece of paper. "She won't send me the money direct, you know, she's afraid I'll spend it on something else."
"Oh really?"
"Yeah, you know how mothers are always suspicious."
"I'll call her, but I still can't file until I get the down payment and you better keep your Corvette locked up until we get the bankruptcy filed and the automatic stay is in effect."
"Please file it now Mr. Turner. I can't lose my Corvette. You've got to file it now."
"Well, do you have the three hundred-sixty dollars, three -hundred for me and sixty for the filing fee at least?"
"Maybe I can get that together. I'll try to scrape it up and I'll call you later with it, okay."
"Well, I don't know, but I guess if your mother says she is mailing the five hundred dollars and you give me the three -hundred sixty dollars, then I can go ahead and file it."
"Oh, thank you Stan, you'll be glad you did this for me."
"Don't worry about it, that's my job."
"I know, but you've been so nice to me. All the other attorneys were nasty and yelled at me."
"What other attorneys?"
"The other ones that I talked to about my problems before you."
"Oh. I didn't realize you had been shopping around."
"Well, I'm very particular about who I do business with and you're the first attorney who hasn't been condescending. I feel very comfortable with you. When I get things back on track we're going to do lots of business together."
"Oh . . . well . . . thank you. I'm looking forward to it."
Gena got up off the floor, walked over to me and extended her hand. I wondered what kind of future business she was contemplating but she seemed in a hurry to leave so I didn’t press the issue.
"Thanks a lot, Stan, I can call you Stan, can't I?"
"Sure."
&
nbsp; After Gena left I went to the stationery supply store to get a bankruptcy kit and then went home early for soccer practice. After practice I sat down to play with Marcia and watch TV. It was about 7:30 p.m. when the phone rang. It was Gena.
"Stan, I've got the money."
"Good, how did you get my home telephone?" I asked.
"You're in the telephone book."
"Well, just bring the money by the office in the morning."
"I can't do that."
"Why not?"
"I've got to leave town tonight. I won't be back for about a week. I need to give you the money tonight. Can I meet you somewhere?"
"I don't know if that's such a good idea. Can't you just bring it by my house?"
"No, I'm sure I'd get lost. Can't you just meet me somewhere?"
"Okay, okay, I'll meet you at the Gulf station at Parker and Coit in fifteen minutes, but I wish you could just bring it to my office in the morning."
"I'm sorry, but like I said, I'm going to be out of town."
"All right, I'll see you in fifteen minutes," I said and then hung up the phone.
"Shit!"
"What's wrong, honey?"
"I got this new client today and I can already tell she's going to be a royal pain in the ass. She wants me to meet her at the gas station."
"What for?"
"To give me the retainer and filing fee for her bankruptcy."
"She wants you to go meet her right now?"
"Uh huh, she's leaving town and we've got to file the bankruptcy right away. That reminds me, I better bring the petition with me for her to sign so I can file it in the morning."
"I hope she is paying you a lot of money for this."
"Well . . . her mother is going to send me some money."
"You're going to file it without getting paid?"
"Well, worst case, I can put the entire fee in the plan. I'll eventually get paid. She's just really desperate."
"You're crazy, Stan. I'd tell her to take a hike."
"Well, Derek referred her to me and if I don't take good care of her he won't refer anymore clients to me. I'll be back in just a minute."
I jumped into the Pinto and took off towards the rendezvous point. When I got there Gena was sitting on the hood of her yellow Corvette wearing a black crepe halter dress with a slit up the side. One knee was raised exposing her long luscious legs. I felt a tinge of excitement as I approached her cautiously.
"Hi, Gena."
"Hi, Stan. Thanks for coming."
"It's okay, but in the future we need to conduct our business at my office and not in parking lots. And please don't call me at home."
"I'm sorry. Did I get the little lady of the house upset?"
"Well, as a matter of fact you did."
"Well, I thought maybe we could get a drink before I left town."
"A drink? . . . No, I don't think so. Just give me the money so I can get back to my family."
"Come on Stan, one little drink won't hurt anything."
"Gena, forget it. If you want me to file your bankruptcy then give me the money, otherwise I'm leaving and I'm going to return all your papers to you."
"I'm sorry. Here's your money," Gena said as she handed me a plain white envelope. I opened it and counted eighteen $20 bills. "I'll call you when I get back," she said.
"Okay, have a good trip."
"Thanks."
Gena slid off her car hood, walked over to the door, smiled and winked at me. Then she got in and sped off down Parker Road. I shook my head in disbelief and was about to get into my car when a police car drove up with its lights flashing. A sick feeling suddenly overcame me as I would soon be facing two police officers with an envelope full of twenty dollar bills. What if they think I'm selling drugs?
The big black and white squad car stood in front of me with its headlights glaring in my face. The officer riding shotgun opened his door and stood up beside his car cautiously. The blare of the police radio sent shivers down my spine. Finally, the officer approached.
"What are you doing here, sir?" he said.
"Just meeting a client."
"What kind of client?"
"Oh, I'm an attorney and I just met one of my clients. I'm filing bankruptcy for her in the morning."
"You're Gena's lawyer?"
"Yeah, you know her?"
"Every officer in the precinct knows Gena. She's been spending a lot of time down at the station lately."
"You're kidding?"
"No, I'm afraid not."
"What has she done wrong?"
"Heaters mainly."
"Heaters?"
"Hot checks, I don't think she knows how to balance a checkbook."
"Well, I have trouble with that sometimes myself."
"Isn't it a bit unusual to be conducting business in a parking lot?"
"It was her idea. I told her to come to my office but she insisted I meet her here."
"What's in the envelope?"
"Oh that. Ah. That's her bankruptcy filing fee. I wouldn't file her case without it."
"Can I see some identification, please?"
I pulled out my wallet and handed the officer my driver's license and my bar card. The officer inspected them closely and then gave them back to me."
"Is this your car?"
"Uh huh."
"Hmm. You must have just got out of law school."
"That's right."
"Well, I'd conduct your business in your office if I were you. Someone might mistake you for a drug dealer or a pimp. Especially if you've got clients like Gena."
"I usually do work in my office, she just insisted on meeting me here."
"Well you best be careful, Gena's a wild one. Personally I like her, but there are a lot of people who'd like to nail her."
"Oh really? Well, thanks for the advice. I'll be careful."