Chapter1

It was beginning to get dark early for mid-October that damp rainy Thursday afternoon. I was standing at the window of my fourth floor office at the insurance company, looking out over the city. It had been raining all day with a heavy cloud cover in place that hung over the city like a shroud. The rain was an all day miserable rain, a rain that would normally on your day off, give you second thoughts about getting out of a warm bed.

I was anxiously awaiting a phone call from a client about his commercial liability policy. The only sound in the room breaking the silence was the clicking of the pen against my chin as I leaned against the wall in deep thought. I was concentrating on what problems my client might encounter, problems that might give my boss second thoughts about me writing the policy.

Had I missed anything? Had I connected all the dots in the event of a civil action? Maybe there was a problem I haven’t thought of? Will he be underinsured? He’s building a five- story building in center city. He’s built other structures before without difficulty so there shouldn’t be a problem.

Whenever I worked on a policy of this magnitude, a little voice would come forward from the back of my mind and constantly torment me with the same questions. It was there every time. It was my own voice disembodied and repeating. Are you sure? Are you sure? Silencing that voice always required an overpowering force pushing it to the back of my mind, and it was always a challenge.

At 35, with almost 11 years in the company, I didn’t need to prove anything. I had considered every imaginable scenario he might encounter, and yes, I was satisfied.

“Yes damn it! I’m sure!”

Had I said that aloud? I looked toward the door, expecting a knock or a buzz from our receptionist on the extension, asking if there was any problem. Suddenly, my mind changed gears, and I found myself looking down on the business signs across the street. With the fog and misty rain, the signs had a hazy appearance, and only being familiar with the different stores could I identify what they were. I had done a lot of thinking, planning and even second-guessing looking out that window.

I watched as the rain began to come down harder and its impact on the street below. People were moving faster, scurrying up and down the sidewalk, trying to protect themselves from the rain. Most were hidden under umbrellas that were unfurled and moving in a frenetic pace. The sea of canopies was occasionally broken by the few without umbrellas, wading out into the sea- holding newspapers over their heads as their only protection. Looking down on them, they resembled a mass state of confusion, weaving in and out of each other in no organized manner. I also took note that the street traffic was quickly building up, even at this early hour.

Just then the phone rang. “Hello, Ray Bishop, Keystone Insurance. How can I help you?”

It was Ted Arnold, my reason for staying late that rainy afternoon. All he needed was my reassurance that his risk was covered, and I was suddenly relieved that I had done my homework; and as the insurance slogan goes, he was in good hands. There was some small talk about the lousy weather, carefully avoiding the business rhetoric, and then the pause. Time to get to the point!

“Yes Ted, thanks for getting back