Stochastic snags

oice mail. Some like it, some don't but there are those times when it comes in very handy. I relied on the voice mail features on my home phone and cell for business purposes, principally. In the event that I was indisposed, my staff could leave word for me as to the emergency (we had various code levels) should the need arise and I could fashion our strategy before ringing back with instructions. After the business ceased to operate, there was little need to check voice mail at my home on a daily basis. And after a series of calls from DF and KMC, earlier in the year, that had been disturbing to listen to, rather than play back messages, I'd developed a habit of simply looking at the caller ID screen every once in a while to see if anyone had called. Naturally, by mid year in 2005, more often than not there was nothing on the screen.

One night in the third week of June, after retrieving the mail from the mail box at the end of my driveway, I was thumbing through the bills and discovered an envelope from local district Court and a thin, self-mailer from the Gwinnet County Court, I began to open them both as I walked into the house. The self-mailer was one of those requiring that one tear the perforated edges, so I had to put my briefcase down on the desk in my home office to do so. As I did, I glanced at the phone to see a call from the United States Department of Justice and Immigration Services on caller ID.

"That's odd", I thought, "why would USCIS be contacting me?" and pressed "play" on the answering machine. A gentleman had left word for me to contact him, as soon as possible, and gave both an office and cell phone number for me to use. He left no other information. I jotted down his name and contact information and planned to return the call the following morning.

I proceeded to read the two pieces of correspondence from the courts. Gwinnet County had sent me a subpoena to appear there in the matter relating to the Private Investigator, Mr. Henderson. Drat! That would require a trip to Georgia later in the fall ~ something I didn't relish doing even though I'd lost quite a bit of money as a result of his scam. I penciled the date on the calendar on my desk. The second envelope contained a copy of an Order from the judge stating that my civil case against DF and KMC had been dismissed, pursuant to a Motion for Summary Disposition entered the prior week by their counsel. What! The case was on Court mandated stay, pending the recovery of my attorney. I had received confirmation of that on March 10th. My attorney had still not been released to work by his heart specialist. So, how could this be the outcome? The judge noted in his decision that he didn't believe my attorney was unable to litigate, had expedited the case and my attorney had failed to respond.

The following day, as planned, I reached Mr. Defluri by phone. He was a very polite man, of perhaps mid-fifties, who had a distinctive New Jersey accent, working out of the local District Office of Immigration Services. When I announced my name, he thanked me for returning his call so promptly and proceeded to tell me that he'd like to meet with me. He was planning to be in my area in two weeks, just after July 4th and wished to arrange a time and place where we could talk. I queried what, specifically, the meeting was to be about. "Your marriage to DF", he replied.

Thinking it would be better for me if we could meet at my office, I gave him the street address and suggested that any time during the day that would be convenient for him, I could arrange. He asked if I would send him directions and offered his email address for me to use. Before ending the call, while a little stunned that I'd been contacted, I asked if he was also meeting with DF while here. "No" he replied, "That won't be necessary. The file I have here sent by the NSC asks for me to meet only with you", he replied.

Snags. In this instance I'm not referring to the term used for standing dead trees ~ a common nesting place for woodpeckers and other organisms . No, I mean more random and unexpected hurdles and complications.