Fools

When we were young

  we were taught that young people are foolish

  and old people are wise.

Now we are old people,

  and the world has changed,

Young people think they are wise

  and old people are foolish.

It’s true in our case.

We certainly were not thinking clearly

  when we let a chiropractor talk us into

  paying up-front $7,200 for 36 laser treatments

  on my knees.

“I’m offering you a deal I’ve never made before,

  both knees for the price of one.”

What happened to our “Sleep on it overnight” rule?

  “You never pay until services are rendered,”

  Amy reminds us when we get home.

I didn’t sleep.

Next morning, I tell DeRay emphatically that I’m never going back.

We were bullied, badgered, bamboozled.

“I’m having Buyer’s Remorse,” I confess when I call to cancel.

  “I need to renegotiate.”

  “No.  You signed the contract.

  We gave you time to talk about it.  (Two minutes.)

  You will be charged whether or not you come in for treatment.”

  “Have a heart.  I made a mistake.”

  “I’m sorry.”

I didn’t go in.  I couldn’t.  Even if I lost over $7,000.

I couldn’t sleep either.

It weighed heavily on my heart and mind.

  Like a death or illness.

Monday was my next scheduled appointment.

  JaNel called and wondered where we stood.

  I had written a letter and was up at 3 AM refining it.

  “My husband is coming in today with a letter.”

  “The doctor is busy.  We will have to talk now.”

I wanted DeRay to handle it but he insisted I talk to her.

  He said I did better than he would have because

  he would have been calm and reasonable and got nowhere.

  I had passion.

  My thoughts were clear because I had formulated the letter.

  “Two for the price of one?” I chant.

  “That’s a salesman talking.  That’s not treatment.”

  “I have the best machine in the state of Utah.

  Only four in the United States;  ten in the whole world.

  At least three times he bragged about a friend of his

  Who treats NFL players and they use this machine on them.”

I could care less.  That has nothing to do with me.

After talking to the doctor(?) she says he agrees to let

  us out of the contract if we pay $400 more. 

We had paid $200 for the x-rays already on our “free” visit.

  I want to contest but DeRay signals for me to let it go.

  Six-hundred is a lot better than $7,200.

We stop in after the gym on Monday,

  paying $400 more.  She supposedly backed the $7,200

  out of our credit card.  (It hasn’t shown up yet.)

  We sign a piece of paper saying basically we won't slander him.

Hmmmm.  Wonder why he would need that?

Meanwhile, DeRay spent countless hours researching laser treatments.

He called one in South Ogden who happened to have a cancellation

  that very afternoon.

One thing that concerned me,

  almost as much as the money

  was being gone three afternoons a week.

I can barely keep up now.

  I spend the first two hours of the morning

  stretching, yoga, ball, roller, and preparing breakfast.

  I spend until 1 PM everyday with Ed

  either at the gym or playing games, reading, and stuff at home.

  There’s not much time after lunch

  before I start to prepare dinner at 4.

Today in the afternoon, Eddy and I were going to clean the upstairs.

  Now DeRay made an appointment.

It was for 2:40. 

  We got home at 5:30.

“Don’t you think that was smart of me to ask for the x-rays?”

  I say to DeRay.  “At least we won’t have to pay for them again.”

  Guess what?  He tried to use them but they were worthless.

  Motion x-rays taken on an archaic machine that couldn’t even be read

  on an updated computer.

He took new x-rays for the price of the film:  $60 – not $200.

“I can’t wait to tell Amy,” DeRay deliberates,

  “that we paid up-front and didn’t sleep on it overnight--again.”

Twenty-two treatments for $800.

  20% discount if you pay in advance;

  Two treatments free.

  I can understand that.

  It saves them a lot of hassle if they don’t have to try to collect.

He did an adjustment on each knee

  that made me scream out in pain.

  I have never done that in my life.

  Never.
  I moaned out loud when I had a bowel blockage;
  I could almost hear myself even though I was totally out of it.

  “Why did you have to do that?” I asked him about my knees.

  “To break up the inflammation in the cells“--whatever--.

I feel so good about it.

We got home after dinnertime.

  I didn’t care.

  Amy knows how to fend for herself.

  I will just have to make better use of my time.

  I cleaned our bedroom and the hall at 8 PM,

  after the dinner work was done,

  with DeRay’s help.

Tomorrow we’ll do the rest of the upstairs.

  maybe.

  or the next day.

Tomorrow’s pretty busy.

  choosing between the gym and DUP,

  dental appointment for a filling at 2:30;

  yearly dinner with Conley and Erika at 6.

I’m not bogged down with dread

  about how to manage my time and fit everything in.

I’m excited about having functioning pain-free knees again.

  being able to stand up and sit down without hurting;

  go up and down the stairs,
  bend down and rise back up;

  walk, sleep.

So this is how God answers prayers:

A feel-good happy feeling vs fear and dread.

PS  My only regret is that I didn’t get to send the letter that I spend five nights writing and thinking about.

The unsent letter ended:

Daddy was killed in an accident when I was 10 years old but I still remember his philosophy on people who wronged him.  They bought a milk cow from Parley Allred.  It didn’t anywhere live up to what he claimed and Mama wanted to march right down there, return the cow, get her money back, and give him a piece of her mind.  Daddy said, “No.  We just won’t do business with him again.”

I have a little bit of both Mama and Daddy in me, but mark my word; I definitely will follow Daddy’s example and never do business with you again.

Just getting back from the dentist,

I'm thinking these laser treatments are a bargain.

I paid over $200 last week for cleaning and x-rays.

Today the bill was $426.60: one small filling

and some work on my two front upper teeth

to keep them from cracking. Fifty minutes
for me; 20 max for dentist.
False teeth?