“Now, wait just a minute!” My dad nearly leaped from his chair. “This girl is my child and I don’t need help from Rogers to care for her. She’s my responsibility!”
“Michael,” my mother cried out as she tapped his arm to calm him. My heart was ready to leave my chest, it beat so hard.
Hesitantly, he sat back in his seat, issuing Chesney a deathly glare.
Chesney appeared unruffled as he returned an impassive one. There was silence for seconds long.
“Now, for you Ms. Barrett: Mr. Rogers understands you are in the middle of your academic pursuits. He also understands that you are in a very competitive program and scholarship agreement. Given that, should you decide to complete the academic year, that is your prerogative. If you decide to take time off to give birth, that is completely at your discretion. However, understanding that you are there on a full scholarship and if you take time off, you lose it, my client will pay not only for the remainder of your academic studies when you’re ready to return to school, but also any academic endeavors beyond your undergraduate tenure. And because you’re not expected to work throughout your pregnancy and you will likely—by his estimation—finish out this current fall semester, you will be given a $10,000 monthly stipend for personal expenditures. This does not include the provisions for the unborn baby. That will be taken care of separately by Mr. Rogers.”
I heard my mother’s sharp gasp. It was something I would have done if I didn’t decide to play possum, somehow thinking it was the only way I’d make it through this humiliating conference.
“Also…,” Chesney didn’t stop, “…Mr. Rogers hopes that you will agree to driving the 2008 BMW 3 class series. The paperwork is…” he shuffled through the countless documents on the table again. “…here. You are now the owner of the vehicle and the insurance will be paid for through the year. You are being asked to get rid of your Kia Rio—”
“Wait!” my mother spoke up. I heard the alarm in her tone. “What BMW are we talking about here?”
I further shrank in my seat, desperately wishing to disappear from this room. The earth. Maybe Mars had vacancy.
Chesney’s eyes squinted. “Oh, I guess you were not aware that Mr. Rogers purchased Elizabeth a vehicle for her birthday this past February. It is a 2008 BMW. I don’t know where it is, but I do know there was an agreement between the two that she would drive it everywhere with the exception of home and church as to not alert you to it.” Then he looked at me again and murmured real snark-like. “You can drive it everywhere now that it’s all been disclosed.” If I wasn’t decided before that moment, I knew then I didn’t like Chesney.
“Now that we’re done with prenatal matters, as far as your postnatal care, Mr. Rogers will provide Ms. Barrett housing that is separate from her parents to ensure adequate accessibility to the baby. A place Mr. Rogers would have free rein to visit the child. This will be arranged at a later date by Mr. Rogers himself. There will also be a yearly stipend paid by Mr. Rogers for childcare in the form of a nanny from the time the child is born until it has been decided by both parents that the child will attend school. Any immediate needs Ms. Barrett and/or the child may have from today, moving forward will go through my office.”
He reached for another bonded document. “Here is a list of instructions as to how your requests will be made. Mr. Rogers is open to anything, from clothes, to car repairs.” He waved his finger in the air as he scanned the document in his hand. “…he’s basically giving you a wide range of items you may desire or need, down to vacation requests.” That inflection expressed his displeasure. Then it came. “Something I don’t agree with, but have to adhere to my client’s wishes.”
Screw you!
I was in hell and he wanted to cry about his preference to control his heartless clients!