Karma's a Bitch: A Short Story
KARMA'S A BITCH: A SHORT STORY
By
Michael Goffinet
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PUBLISHED BY:
Copyright 2013 by Michael Goffinet
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarities to real persons, living or dead, are coincidental and not intended by the author.
For more information about the author, please visit michaelgoffinet.com
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Bob Sheppard sat at his small mahogany desk reviewing the file of his next client. He closed the file and opened the cabinet door above his desk. He always kept a mirror there to make sure he looked presentable. He always followed the same routine, starting with his tie. An uneven tie can make you appear disheveled and unprofessional. His tie was slightly off, so he adjusted it. His routine ended with his hair. Even at forty-five, he still had a full set of thick auburn hair. He studied his hair. Perfect, he thought. He was closing the cabinet door when something in the mirror caught his eye. He moved his face closer to the mirror and looked under his eyes. He was starting to get bags. Then he squinted his eyes. His crow's feet seemed deeper than before. Not a good sign. His eyes moved down to his chin and pinched the surrounding skin. He was starting to get jowls. He really needed to lose some weight. He used to be in such good shape, but he put on an extra twenty pounds over the last fifteen years, mostly around his midsection. He closed the cabinet door in disgust and sat back down at his desk. His secretary's voice came over the intercom. "The Sanders are here to see you Mr. Sheppard."
"Thanks Sarah, I'll come get them." Sarah wasn't actually his secretary. He shared her with four other associates. How the mighty have fallen. Bob walked down the hallway where Tyler and Barbara Sanders were waiting. "Good to see you two again," said Bob. They exchanged some pleasantries and then the Sanders followed Bob to his office. The Sanders sat down and Bob began his sales pitch. "Well, I reviewed the information you gave me during our last visit and I have created the perfect life insurance policy for you. Remember, here at Rawlings Insurance we are independent brokers, so we aren't married to just one insurance company. We find the company that best fits our client's needs." The Sanders smiled at him. "Let's make sure I have my facts straight. Tyler, you're current salary is $120,000 a year." Tyler nodded. "And Barbara, you're a stay at home mom with three kids between the ages of one and ten." Barbara nodded. "You definitely have the harder job Barbara." They all chuckled. "We need more moms like you, Barbara; smart women who are dedicated to ensuring that children are nurtured by someone who loves them at all times."
Barbara was just delighted to hear this. "Oh my God, Tyler and I were just talking about that. Women today are so selfish. Nowadays women just drop their kids off at some daycare and let them raise them. That's why we have so many problems in our society."
"You know Barbara, you're exactly right. That's why I insisted on my wife staying home to raise our four kids," said Bob.
"I knew there was something I liked about you Mr. Sheppard. You obviously have good values."
"Thanks Barbara, now getting back to business. Your mortgage is $400,000 and you have two car loans that total $60,000. Is there anything else?"
"Unfortunately, that sums it up Bob. I always thought that if I made over a hundred grand a year, I'd be rich, but I feel so poor," said Tyler.
"I hear you. It's not cheap to live here, but you're doing well for thirty-five. Now, according to my notes, you have $200,000 in life insurance through your company. Is that correct?" The Sanders nodded yes. "Well, according to my analysis, you should have around $2 million in life insurance."
Tyler eyes widened in surprise and his irritation was obvious. "What, that sounds really excessive."
Barbara gently touched Tyler's arm. "Let's hear what Mr. Sheppard has to say, honey."
"I know it sounds like a lot Tyler. Believe me, most people are surprised to realize how underinsured they are. You certainly don't want Barbara to be saddled with all of this debt, do you?"
"Well, um, of course not," answered Tyler defensively.
"Okay, so right off the bat, she's going to have to pay off the mortgage and car loans. That's $460,000 right there. So let's say you were insured for $2 million, now poor Barbara is down to $1.5 million." Barbara was shaking her head in agreement. "Your youngest son is only one. God forbid, but if you died tomorrow, poor Barbara is going to have to make $1.5 million last at least another seventeen years. That's less than $90,000 a year. Unfortunately, interest rates aren't even keeping up with inflation anymore, so that $90,000 a year is only going to be worth $50,000 a year by then."
Barbara’s eyebrows raised in concern."Wow, I never thought of that."
"And then there's college. You do want your kids to go to college, don't you Tyler?"
His wife looked at him. "Well, of course I do," Tyler answered shifting uncomfortably in his chair.
"So, now you see that $2 million is really the minimum you need to take care of your family."
"Honey, Mr. Sheppard is right. We need at least $2 million," Barbara said.
"Well, let us think about it Bob," Tyler said.
"Tyler, honey, we need to get this now. I don't want to even think about what would happen to me and the kids if something happened to you tomorrow."
"Honey, nothing is going to happen to me," Tyler said in a comforting tone.
Tears formed beneath her eyelids."Tyler, you don't know that. We need to get this policy right now."
Tyler put a hand on his wife's shoulder."Okay, okay. Honey, please, just stop crying."
Tyler and Barbara walked out with a $1.8 million Universal Life policy at a premium of $8,000 a year, of which Bob will make $5,000 in the first year. Not a bad day. It's not what he used to make when he sold those collateralized debt obligations working for Bear Stearns. That was real easy money; at least until the bubble burst and the world came to an end. He used to make a million a year selling those worthless securities, but he still loved the sell. He loved talking people into buying something, especially if they didn't need it. His phone rang. He removed it from his pocket and stared at it. His wife. He took a deep breath and answered. "Hello, Karen."
"Bob, where in the hell are you? You were supposed to pick up Jonathan from wrestling a half hour ago."
He rolled his eyes. "Sorry, my appointment ran long."
"You've got responsibilities in this family, Bob. Jonathan called me in the middle of a landscaping job. I had to quit right there and pick him up. My client wasn't happy."
"I said I'm sorry, what else do you want from me?"
"I want you to be more responsible. I already have one kid, I don't need another one!"
"I...", Bob was about to say something, but then realized she hung up on him. Bitch! Life was a lot easier when Karen didn't work. After his life fell apart, she went back to work as a landscaper and that's when their relationship changed. Now, he had chores. Now, he had to help with his son. This was not the life he wanted. One day, he was eating lunch at the diner next to his office and that's when he met Julie. Julie was a new waitress and they hit it off right away. She was a breath of fresh air. She was young and pretty, but most of all she understood him. She treated him like a real man. She didn't make any demands of him. Their relationship was uncomplicated, like a relationship you would have in high school. No responsibilities, just fun and games. He just couldn't take anymore of Karen. She was unrelenting. According to her, he never did anything right. She treated him like a four year old child and they hadn't had sex for over a year. He spent his whole day thinking about Julie. Last night, he was sitting at the dinner table with his family and all he thought about was Julie. He just coul
dn't take hearing about Karen's stupid day, and his kid was no better. They both constantly whined about everything. His friend once told him that if you think about your wife dying more than you think about having sex with her, you should probably get a divorce. He was certainly at that point, but he just couldn't bring himself to divorce Karen. Even with the crash of the real estate market and closure of his company, he still managed to save over two million dollars and there was no way he was going to give half of it to her. He earned it, while she sat on her ass watching Jonathon. What to do, what to do?