Other Than That, It Was Perfect

Chris & I got married nearly 10 months ago. Although I am a perfectionist & a worrier, I had decided not to worry about all the things that could go wrong on our meticulously planned day. We put a lot of thought into what we wanted our wedding day to be, but sometimes things happen & there's no preparing for it or preventing it. Above all, we wanted to enjoy each other, our guests & the moment, which we absolutely did. However, along the way, we did hit a few bumps in the road.

First, I woke up the Monday before our wedding with a terrible cough. Since I don't have insurance, I didn't go to the doctor, so by Friday it had turned into full blown bronchitis. I ended up walking down the aisle, doped up on OTC medicine & with my mouth full of Altoids to keep from coughing. (I didn't want to smell like cough drops. It made sense at the time.) In case you were wondering, it's very difficult to say your vows when you are also concentrating on not choking on an Altoid. But I digress. (I do that alot.) Unfortunately, bronchitis & choking were not the most pressing issues that day.

A few hours before the ceremony, my maid of honor (hi, Mary!) & I were on our way to have our hair done. We were sitting at a red light, minding our own business, cursing the rain when - BAM! We were rear-ended by white trash in an Astro van. Yes, that's right, I was in a car accident on my wedding day. The police officer that responded to the scene thought it was highly amusing. I was just a tad less amused but was willing to concede that someday, this would probably be a funny story. Emphasis on someday. Fast forward a few hours. By the time the ceremony was over & we were having photos taken, Mary was unable to sit for more than a second & I had a nagging pain in my back and neck. By the end of the reception, I practically forced Mary to go to the emergency room because she was in so much pain (and had to fly back to Atlanta in a few hours). Between the wedding stress, bronchitis & back ache, I just wanted to go home. I was sure I would feel better in the morning.

As luck would have it, neither of us felt better. A few days later, I was chatting with a work colleague who asked how our wedding went. I launched into my now-well-rehearsed, "Well, I had bronchitis & got hit by a car, but other than that it was perfect . . ." routine. This friend, who happens to be an attorney, asked how I was feeling (crappy, thanks) & why I hadn't been to the doctor. I explained that I didn't have insurance & he responded that since the other driver was at fault, their insurance company should cover all of my medical bills. A concept that hadn't even occured to me, since clearly I am one of the only people on God's green Earth that doesn't sue everyone they come into contact with. So, my friend recommended an attorney, I made an appointment with my doctor and several months worth of doctor visits & therapy ensued. I was assured by my new attorney that all of these bills would be covered and the important thing, of course, was to feel better.

After several months of therapy, I realized that "better" was a relative term and that although the exercises and therapy helped alleviate some of my discomfort, my back was simply never going to feel the same as it did before the accident. About that time, Mary came to the same conclusion. We indicated to our attorney that we were discontinuing treatment & were ready to settle the claim. We waited for months for all of the paperwork to be gathered & filed and thought that there was finally, FINALLY! light at the end of the tunnel because our attorney recently started negotiations with the insurance company.

That was until I spoke with him today. The insurance company (State Farm is bad!) is fighting our case & it looks like we're going to have to go to court. The claim adjuster (who is apparently a physician in her spare time) says that we were not injured. Her evidence is that we went to the wedding that night. Yes, I have explained that it was my wedding, it's not like we decided to go to a kegger that night or something, but apparently that little detail is inconsequential. She also seems to think that not going to the doctor for 5 days after the accident is further proof. The thing is, I think if one were going to commit fraud, one would be a little more careful to make the story believable instead of merely true. And besides, most couples would have been on their honeymoon during that time. It just so happened that we scheduled ours for a few weeks later due to hurricane season. And the honeymoon is a whole other pitiful story . . . in any case, we are going to court. Our attorney is very, very excited. I can't decide if that's good or bad. Either he can't wait to tear them apart or this is the first time he's actually gone to court. One thing I know for sure: this is not going to be resolved in my lifetime.