Disputed Charges

e on the other end of the phone was unfriendly and monotonous. “Did you get the documents that we sent you Mrs. Evans?”

  “Yes I did.”

  “Isn’t that your signature?”

  “Sure, it’s my signature, but I didn’t sign it. It’s fraudulent. It has to be.”

  Mira’s life had been a living hell since last Monday when she had received a bill from the credit card company stating that her new balance was $42,163.00 and that a minimum payment of $1200.00 was due. Mira had been working hard her whole life to obtain such stellar credit and was stunned and appalled that something like this was happening and that her credit card company actually believed that she was the one responsible for such purchases.

  “Well Mrs. Evans, the signatures for these purchases match previous signatures for purchases you have made on your card.”

  “Can you please tell me again where these supposed purchases were made and when?”

  Mira could hear the clicking of keys on the computer at the other end of the phone. After a short silence the customer service representative cleared her throat and began the list. “There was a charge on April 7th to Mark’s Sports Emporium for $851.00. On that same day there was a charge to Let’s Party! for $1400.96 and a charge to the Interstate Liquor store for $694.82. All of these purchases were made between the hours of 1am and 3am.”

  “This is ludicrous! I don’t play sports, I don’t’ have time to drink and my social life…let’s just say I have no time for partying!”

  “We don’t question the charges ma’am. What you spend your money on is your business. Would you like me to continue?”

  Feeling the bile rise up in her throat and hearing the blood pressure pumping in her ears Mira took a deep breath. “Yes, please continue.”

  “On April 8th there is charge of $2550.00 to Manny’s Male Escort Service, a charge to Linsky Lingerie for $243.50 and George’s Crab shack for $143.21 all also made between the hours of 1am and 3am. There is a charge for the following day at 2:36am of $4300.00 to Rivot’s Luxury Spa and Suites.”

  “Wow, so now I’m a lush and an adulterer. I am fast asleep during those hours of the night. Can you please just tell me what the largest charge was?”

  “Yes. On April 10th there was a charge of $16,991.00 at The Diamond Experts just a little past 1am.”

  “Okay, well I am going to dispute all of these charges. I simply did not make them. What happens next?”

  “Well ma’am, your case will be sent to our legal department and they will look into the issue further. Until then, you are going to need to make the minimum payment in good faith. If research shows that you did not make the purchases in question, we will return your money at once.”

  At that moment there was the familiar rumble of an engine in the driveway. Mira knew she had just about two minutes to end this call while Joe checked the mailbox. “Well, it’s gonna take me a couple of days to come up with that kind of money for sure. When I have gotten the money together I will call you back. In the meantime, would you please email me some contact information?”

  “Absolutely. Thank you Mrs. Evans. I do hope this issue gets resolved for you as soon as possible. Is there anything else I can help you with today?”

  She heard the heavy thud of Joe’s boots coming up the steps. She needed to end this call. What would he possibly think if he thought she had spent money on lingerie and a hotel? It certainly wouldn’t look good. “No, thank you. I’m all set for now.”

  She placed the phone back in the cradle just as Joe walked through the door. His black, curly hair was a windblown disaster that made him all the more pleasing to behold. His work had chiseled his body to the point that his upper arms were almost as big around as milk jugs and his abs were rock-solid and visible through his white tee shirt. “Hey baby. How was your day.”

  Joe placed his keys on the kitchen counter and made his way towards her. When he embraced her she could smell a mix of sawdust, paint thinner and sweat. It was intoxicating. “It’s been a long day actually. My assistant didn’t show up today without even calling and the company that I was supposed to pitch ads to cancelled an account of the fact that they had already settled with another firm. After all the time that I spent on that account…. how was your day?”

  “Great! We got the roof all finished for that house on Austin Street. We are ahead of schedule and it works out perfectly because we are ahead of the rain. I missed you though.” Joe dipped his face down and met Mira’s lips with his. The kiss was full of passion and promise but Mira just had way too much on her mind.

  “I’m sorry honey but I’m beat. I really just need to get a shower and get into my pajamas. Maybe we could order a pizza?”

  Joe backed off and scowled. She knew the brush off would upset him but she was too preoccupied to care. “I don’t have any cash. We will have to use the credit card.”

  That would never fly. Not right now. “Never mind. I think we have some leftover chicken in the fridge. Maybe I’ll make us some chicken caesar salad wraps. It’ better for us anyways.”

  “Sounds good. I’m gonna go take a quick swipe of the lawn and blow off some steam if you know what I mean.”

  The hint was not lost of Mira but she really had had a rough day and needed to relax. She reached up and pecked Joe on the cheek and headed up the stairs for a shower. While showering, she made a pact with herself that she just wasn’t going to worry about this credit card thing anymore until she heard back from them. Worrying wasn’t going to fix it. Besides, she knew she hadn’t made those purchases. She finally let herself relax for the first time in 48 hours and she let the shower run until the hot water turned cold.

  She stepped out the shower, towel-dried her hair, wrapped a towel around her body and headed for the bedroom to get dressed. She could hear the roar of the lawnmower outside and knew that she still had plenty of time to get dinner. As she opened the top drawer of her dresser her breath caught in her throat. There, sitting on top of her old, well-worn underwear was a lacy red pair of panties with a black tie threaded up the back and a racy red corset with black trim around the edges. She picked up the underwear quickly to look at the tag which said Linksy. “What the….?”

  Certainly this had to be a gift from Joe. It had been a while since they had been intimate. Maybe he was just trying to spice things up a bit. She donned the panties even though the tie in the back was completely impractical but the corset was going to stay right where it was. No need to be uncomfortable but Joe would appreciate the fact that she’d tried. She threw on one of her older lacy bras and some sweat pants, along with one of Joe’s tee shirts and headed down the stairs. She was dicing up the chicken when she heard the engine of the mower shut off. Some romaine lettuce would come next and they’d have a nice comfy dinner in front of the TV catching up on some shows and snuggling. Maybe she’d even give in and let him see those lacy panties after all.

  The front door opened and Joe walked in smelling like the sweet scent of cut grass. “Hey Mir. I have a question for ya.”

  “Shoot.”

  “Are you planning on joining the Olympics or something?”

  “Um…. why would you ask?’

  “All of the sporting equipment in the garage. Tennis rackets, rollerblades, skis, a soccer ball…was there some sort of sale?”

  Mira dropped the knife she had in her hand right where she stood. First the lingerie, then this. Something wasn’t quite adding up. “I didn’t buy that stuff Joe. Are you sure it isn’t left over from your glory days?”

  He laughed. “Footballs maybe, but tennis rackets? Soccer ball? Rollerblades? Those are not my kind of sports.”

  Once again Mira felt a tightness in her throat combined with a sudden need to vomit. S
he swallowed hard. She couldn’t bring up the lingerie now. What if he didn’t buy it? He’d never believe that she’d bought that stuff for herself. It just wasn’t her style. She had to get to the bottom of this before he found out about the escort service and the hotel. The idea of her credit being destroyed no longer meant as much to her as the fact that her marriage could be destroyed also. It had to be some sort of setup. She heard the phone ring but was unable to move her feet.

  Joe answered instead. “Hello. Oh, hi Weston. Just a minute I’ll get her.” Joe turned to Mira but she was making gestures with her hands indicating that she really didn’t want to talk right now, especially to her boss. “Um, Weston. Yeah, Mira’s in the shower right now. Can she call you back?”

  There was a long pause at the end of the phone. Weston always had been long-winded. Mira turned her back to Joe and decided to fix herself a drink.

  “Really? Yes, Weston. I’ll ask her as soon as she gets out to call you back.”

  Mira opened the freezer to get herself some ice and was nearly knocked over by the sight of what was in the freezer. There, on top of a bag a frozen peas sat a ring. The ring had square-cut diamond in the center that was so large she had to squint at it to avoid the reflection of light that was blinding her. The big diamond was flanked by two other smaller, square-cut diamonds on a gold band.

  “Mira?” She slammed the freezer door hard without getting her ice. “Are you okay honey? You look a pale as a ghost and you seem…. confused.”

  The concern on Joe’s face was evident as he furrowed his brows and looked into her eyes as if he could see right through her. “I am feeling a little under the weather but I’m fine. What did Weston want?”

  “Well, he said that it appears as if a large party has been held in the basement of the firm. He said he went down to find some files and there were tables set up, empty alcohol bottles spread everywhere, noisemakers, wine glasses and such and he wanted to know if you knew anything about it? He said he hadn’t been in the basement in weeks and found it very suspicious”

  Mira had to grasp her glass tightly to keep it from sliding out of her hand. How could it be that all of this was happening? Mira had worked hard since her teen years to get to this point in her life; saving every penny, working odd jobs and putting herself through college. Now someone was setting her up to take everything away. Who could it be? Was it Weston? Joe? Certainly Weston had plenty of money on his own, but maybe he wanted her fired. She was about to become a partner. Perhaps he didn’t want that. And Joe, well he works long hours. Plus, he truly lacks the intelligence to pull something like this off. Charges to a credit card in someone else’s name for a $17000 credit card purchase had to be verified right? It was madness. She felt the calmness that she had felt in the shower boil off her skin as she began to sweat profusely and heard that pounding of her heartbeat in her ears again.

  Her voice squeaked as she responded. “No. I don’t know anything about it. Look Joe, I think I need to go lay down. I’m not feeling so hot. Think you can call Weston back and let him know I won’t be in tomorrow? I think I need a day off. Just tell him I’m sick. I’ve got dinner almost ready. All you really need to do now is put it in a wrap.”

  “Okay honey. I’m sorry you don’t feel so well. Anything I can do to help?”

  Mira pecked him and the cheek. “No thanks. I think I’m just going to take my sleeping pills and head right to bed. They’ve helped me sleep so much better over the last month or so. I don’t know what I’d do without them! It’s amazing how destructive a lack of sleep can be.”