The Belo Mansion was packed with members of the bar and local media. Matt suddenly felt sick as he sat at the head table looking out at hundreds of his colleagues. He questioned his decision to speak before them. Why was he here? He didn't need this.
"Ladies and gentlemen," the president said, "Today we have with us a man who has turned the legal profession upside down these last few months. Matt Coleman has single-handedly built the largest bankruptcy practice in the state of Texas almost overnight, sent financial stocks crashing, defeated the State Bar of Texas on its own turf, and successfully torpedoed a bizarre attempt, just two days ago, to smear and discredit him. We're very grateful that Matt has agreed to address us today. Ladies and gentlemen, Matt Coleman."
Matt got up and bowed to the polite applause from the audience. As he moved to the microphone, he had a sinking feeling, panic overcame him, and he couldn't remember what he had planned to say. He looked out over the sea of faces and almost fainted. He shook his head and took a drink from a glass of water that someone handed him. The room was deadly silent.
He swallowed, tried to smile and finally said, “Thank you for that very generous introduction. I’m afraid it’s somewhat exaggerated, but I have enjoyed some measure of success of late in spreading an important message to the people of Dallas and the great state of Texas.
“My wife was telling me yesterday that the reason I've been so successful is that I truly believe in what I'm telling people. That's when it hit me. The reason I feel so strongly about what I've been preaching is my own experience as a child. You see. I personally felt the debilitating effect of excessive credit on the family.
“When I was young my brother and I used to spend a month each summer with my grandparents out in California. We loved them dearly and always looked forward to the visit. My grandparents had been married thirty years and were still deeply in love. Their love spilled over to everyone they knew and especially to my brother and me. My grandparents weren't rich but they had all the essentials of life. Unfortunately, I remember now quite vividly. One night I was awakened by screaming. You don't know how upset I was as my grandparents never argued. Each scream was like a knife piercing my heart. I got violently ill. It was as if they had suddenly become each other's worst enemy the way they were carrying on. And do you know what they were arguing about? Credit cards.
“My grandmother had been hooked by the slick Madison Avenue advertisers into thinking she needed a lot of things that they could have done without. She believed all her family and friends who told her she had to have credit cards in this modern age to be happy. Likewise, my grandfather believed all his family and friends who insisted that good credit was an essential element of success. It's not that family and friends lied. They were just repeating what their family and friends had told them and what Madison Avenue reinforced in its billion-dollar advertising campaign to dupe the American people."
"My life changed after that night. I had trouble sleeping. My grandparents went for days without talking to each other. The love that once flowed between them turned to bare tolerance. Life became a day-to-day chore rather than a joyful experience. My parents would have helped them out financially, but my grandparents were too proud to accept financial assistance. In time my grandparent’s marriage failed and now I visit each of them in different cities. They are both sadly alone, their love severed by greed and cold hard plastic.
“Unfortunately, their situation is not unique. It’s an everyday experience in most middle-class families. That's why today most marriages fail. Big business has sucked the life out of the American family."
"From a legal standpoint this is all very good, right? As bankruptcies rise to record levels families disintegrate. The divorce business has never been better. As families break up crime rises and the criminal courts are filled to the brim. The future is bright for those of us who make a living out of human misery.
"Everybody who is thrilled about this situation stand up and cheer!
A dead silence prevailed over the luncheon crowd.
"What's the matter? . . . Aren't you happy that business is so good? Or do you have the same empty feeling inside that I'm feeling? What's wrong with our legal profession? I'll tell you what's wrong. We've become the coroners of our wretched society. When one of our citizens gives out, we're called to sanitize the scene of the crime. We're paid quite handsomely to make each citizen's social demise nice and legal so our reputation for having a free and democratic society is not soiled.
"When I first started to do bankruptcies, it was so depressing I could hardly stand it. But then when my wife and Professor Swensen explained how the American people have been the victims of the credit conspiracy, I realized that bankruptcy was not so bad. It was good in fact. It was the only way the average American could ever again be free. This is the message I bring the American people. Bankruptcy is the ultimate loophole that will liberate you from a lifetime of oppression.
"Some people say what I preach is irresponsible. Well, as an attorney I must be my clients' advocate. I must advise them to do what's best for them. If they're in bondage and I know how to set them free, I’m duty bound to point out the way. My duty is not to Wall Street, not to Madison Avenue nor is it to Washington. To them I may be irresponsible, but in reality I'm simply being true to my oath as an attorney.
"So, now you know. That's what Matt Coleman is all about. He's just another attorney, like each and every one of you, looking out for his clients the best way he knows how. Thank you.”
There was a moment of silence and then a few people in the audience began to clap. Matt smiled and bowed slightly to them. Then more and more people joined in until the audience was giving Matt a rousing round of applause. Matt smiled and waved at the crowd. Finally, several people stood up, and before long Matt was the proud recipient of a standing ovation.
That evening Matt took Lynn out to celebrate. He never expected to get such a warm reaction from his colleagues and it felt good. He was on top of the world and he wanted to savor every minute of it.
"That part about your dream was wonderful, Matt," Lynn said. "Where in the hell did you come up with that?"
"It was true. I did have that dream the night after I was drugged."
"You never told me your grandparents had financial troubles."
"I had forgotten about it. But the dream brought it all back quite vividly. Now I can appreciate what kids are going through today. No wonder we have such a problem with gangs, runaways, and suicides. There is so much stress and negative emotion in the home today kids don't want to stay there. They must feel they have to escape to keep their sanity. Unfortunately, they usually end up some place worse."
"It's pretty sad but at least you've started people thinking,” Lynn said. “I was really proud of you up there."
"Don't tell me you're starting to become a believer too," He asked.
"Well, I must confess the money doesn't seem as important anymore. Maybe we should cut back on our fees so more people can afford to file."
"That's a wonderful idea. We're doing such a big volume we'll still make plenty of money."
The next day, a press release was sent out from the Debt Relief Centers, Inc. as follows: "In order to make it possible for more Texans to regain their economic freedom the Debt Relief Centers are cutting their fees in half. Now for only seven hundred-fifty dollars and a filing fee anyone can file bankruptcy through our offices. The staffs of the Debt Relief Centers are looking forward to helping more and more Texans improve the quality of their lives by freeing themselves from the shackles of economic tyranny."