I did not call Emily.<\/p>\n
That decision troubled me for the rest of the morning.<\/p>\n
My daughter deserved honesty, but suspicion without facts can destroy things facts might have repaired. If Derek had done nothing wrong, I did not want to place a permanent shadow over her marriage because Lily had misunderstood paperwork.<\/p>\n
So I waited.<\/p>\n
At four thirty, Emily collected Lily.<\/p>\n
Derek was not with her.<\/p>\n
\u201cLong day?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
She rubbed the back of her neck. \u201cAwful. We're short two people.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou look exhausted.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI am exhausted.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lily ran outside to inspect something beside the driveway.<\/p>\n
I lowered my voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow are things financially?\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily looked at me oddly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI'm your mother. I'm allowed to ask inconvenient questions.\u201d<\/p>\n
She smiled faintly. \u201cWe're managing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat wasn't my question.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her smile disappeared.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe've had a rough year.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow rough?\u201d<\/p>\n
She leaned against the counter.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe mortgage jumped. Derek had some credit-card balances. Lily needed dental work. Everything seems to cost twice what it did five years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you behind?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWere you?\u201d<\/p>\n
She hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo payments on the house.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cEmily.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe caught up.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI worked extra shifts. Derek moved some things around.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat things?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know. He handles the finances.\u201d<\/p>\n
There it was.<\/p>\n
A small sentence that explained far more than Emily intended.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you see the accounts?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n
The answer came too quickly.<\/p>\n
\u201cRegularly?\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked toward the driveway.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom, what's this about?\u201d<\/p>\n
I could have told her then.<\/p>\n
Instead I said, \u201cNothing yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYet?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGo home. Get some sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n
She knew me too well to accept that.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you worried about something?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m checking something.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout Derek?\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at her.<\/p>\n
That was answer enough.<\/p>\n
She straightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGive me twenty-four hours.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her eyes searched mine.<\/p>\n
Then Lily burst through the door holding a dandelion and the conversation ended.<\/p>\n
That evening I called my friend Ruth.<\/p>\n
Ruth and I had taught at the same elementary school for twenty-six years. She had spent twelve of those years handling union paperwork, which meant she possessed two useful qualities: an instinct for administrative nonsense and an absolute refusal to be intimidated by it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI need to understand employer childcare benefits,\u201d I told her.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat's a very specific opening.\u201d<\/p>\n
I explained what Lily had said.<\/p>\n
Ruth stopped joking.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat company?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHarrison Manufacturing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know someone in Benefits there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course you do.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know everybody. Retirement is boring.\u201d<\/p>\n
I smiled despite myself.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you ask a general question?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can ask anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon't use Derek's name.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUnderstood.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd don't use mine unless you have to.\u201d<\/p>\n
She was silent for a moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cMargaret, are you frightened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was not entirely true.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m angry that I don't know whether I should be frightened.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ruth called me the following afternoon.<\/p>\n
\u201cSit down.\u201d<\/p>\n
I sat.<\/p>\n
\u201cHarrison has a dependent-care reimbursement program.\u201d<\/p>\n
My fingers tightened around the telephone.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow does it work?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEmployees who qualify can submit documented childcare expenses. There are rules, limits, verification requirements\u2014the usual bureaucratic maze.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes the caregiver have to be paid?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes. It reimburses an expense.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the provider has to confirm?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNormally.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at Lily's pink piggy bank, which was still on my kitchen counter.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does normally mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt means whoever files the claim has to identify the childcare provider and provide documentation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cReceipts. Dates. Amounts. Provider certification.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt cold.<\/p>\n
\u201cSignature?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I said nothing.<\/p>\n
Ruth's voice softened.<\/p>\n
\u201cMargaret?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI have never signed anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI figured.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you find out whether Derek submitted claims?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot without authorization.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMine?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you're listed as the provider, possibly.\u201d<\/p>\n
That afternoon, I searched through every folder in my filing cabinet.<\/p>\n
Taxes.<\/p>\n
Insurance.<\/p>\n
Pension.<\/p>\n
Property records.<\/p>\n
Medical papers.<\/p>\n
I had always kept meticulous records. Teaching does that to a person. Thirty children can turn one missing permission slip into an expedition.<\/p>\n
I found nothing involving Harrison Manufacturing.<\/p>\n
At six, Ruth called again.<\/p>\n
\u201cI spoke to my contact.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did she say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe can't release employee records to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut she said if your identity may have been used without permission, you should contact the Benefits office directly.\u201d<\/p>\n
The next morning I did.<\/p>\n
The woman who answered introduced herself as Janice.<\/p>\n
I explained carefully.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy son-in-law works for your company. My granddaughter mentioned paperwork identifying me as her childcare provider.\u201d<\/p>\n
There was a pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cMay I have your full name?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMargaret Bennett.\u201d<\/p>\n
Keyboard clicks.<\/p>\n
Another pause.<\/p>\n
Then more typing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did you begin providing childcare?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSix years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWere you compensated?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
The keyboard stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cMrs. Bennett, can I place you on hold?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The music lasted nearly four minutes.<\/p>\n
When Janice returned, her tone had changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cMrs. Bennett, I need to verify your identity before discussing anything further.\u201d<\/p>\n
She asked for my date of birth and address.<\/p>\n
Then she asked a question that made the hair rise along my arms.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you recognize a provider identification account ending in 4172?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHave you ever created an online childcare-provider profile associated with Harrison Manufacturing?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHave you ever electronically certified childcare services for Derek Collins?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cJanice?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI'm here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHas someone been claiming that I did?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can't characterize the records until they're reviewed.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was a corporate answer.<\/p>\n
Teachers recognize those. They are cousins of the sentence, We are looking into the incident.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI'm sorry?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much money has been connected to my name?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not authorized to give you that figure over the phone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen authorize someone who is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can escalate the matter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo that.\u201d<\/p>\n
She asked whether I could come in the next day with identification.<\/p>\n
I agreed.<\/p>\n
Then she added, \u201cMrs. Bennett, until we understand what happened, please don't contact the employee regarding the records.\u201d<\/p>\n
That sentence frightened me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou mean Derek.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou already know which employee I'm talking about.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t discuss that further.\u201d<\/p>\n
I thanked her and hung up.<\/p>\n
My hands were trembling.<\/p>\n
Not dramatically.<\/p>\n
Just enough that the teaspoon clicked against my cup when I tried to stir my coffee.<\/p>\n
The next morning Ruth drove me to Harrison Manufacturing.<\/p>\n
The Benefits office occupied the second floor of a beige administrative building beside the factory. Everything smelled faintly of toner and burnt coffee.<\/p>\n
Janice met us in a conference room.<\/p>\n
She was younger than I had imagined, perhaps thirty-five, with tortoiseshell glasses and a folder pressed tightly against her chest.<\/p>\n
\u201cI've been authorized to show you limited copies while our department reviews the account.\u201d<\/p>\n
She placed the folder on the table.<\/p>\n
I opened it.<\/p>\n
The first page contained my name.<\/p>\n
Margaret Bennett.<\/p>\n
My address.<\/p>\n
My telephone number.<\/p>\n
My date of birth.<\/p>\n
All correct.<\/p>\n
Beneath it:<\/p>\n
IN-HOME CHILD CARE PROVIDER.<\/p>\n
I read the words twice.<\/p>\n
Then I turned the page.<\/p>\n
A receipt.<\/p>\n
Services rendered for Lily Collins.<\/p>\n
Hours.<\/p>\n
Dates.<\/p>\n
Payment amount.<\/p>\n
At the bottom was a signature.<\/p>\n
Margaret Bennett.<\/p>\n
It looked enough like mine to fool someone who had never watched me write.<\/p>\n
But I had taught handwriting for thirty-one years.<\/p>\n
I knew every habitual movement of my own hand.<\/p>\n
The capital M was wrong.<\/p>\n
I turned another page.<\/p>\n
Another month.<\/p>\n
Another payment.<\/p>\n
Another imitation.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many are there?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
Janice hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cForty-eight monthly submissions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ruth inhaled sharply beside me.<\/p>\n
\u201cFour years?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at the amounts.<\/p>\n
Some months were smaller. Others larger.<\/p>\n
I began adding them mentally, but Janice spared me the arithmetic.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe reimbursement total associated with the claims is eleven thousand seven hundred sixty dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n
For a moment, the room became strangely distant.<\/p>\n
Nearly twelve thousand dollars.<\/p>\n
My name.<\/p>\n
My work.<\/p>\n
My granddaughter.<\/p>\n
Someone else's money.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere was it deposited?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can't disclose employee banking information.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas it deposited to me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was enough.<\/p>\n
I closed the folder.<\/p>\n
Ruth put her hand over mine.<\/p>\n
Janice looked uncomfortable.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is something else.\u201d<\/p>\n
I met her eyes.<\/p>\n
She slid one photocopy from beneath the others.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe compared the provider signatures.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey aren't consistent.\u201d<\/p>\n
I almost laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course they aren't. None of them are mine.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat isn't what I mean.\u201d<\/p>\n
She placed two forms side by side.<\/p>\n
March.<\/p>\n
August.<\/p>\n
Same name.<\/p>\n
Different hand.<\/p>\n
I leaned forward.<\/p>\n
The first imitation had been made by someone familiar with my signature.<\/p>\n
The second had been copied by someone else.<\/p>\n
I knew it instantly.<\/p>\n
Not one person had used my identity.<\/p>\n
At least two had.<\/p>\n
I did not call Emily. That decision troubled me for the rest of the morning. My daughter deserved honesty, but suspicion without facts can destroy things facts might have repaired. … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10630,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10632","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insightdrama"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10632","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10632"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10632\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10652,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10632\/revisions\/10652"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10630"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10632"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10632"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10632"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}