It was the week before Christmas. Ben and Sam at four in the afternoon were alone in Ben’s library-conference room with a new-old fifth bottle of The Macallan 16 (joint Christmas gift to them from a client-patient), ice and club soda. They were using neither ice nor soda, both preferring the premium stuff neat in their Georgia or Harvard embossed insulated plastic short glasses.
They were lamenting the loss of a list of dear friends in the year about to end, spending a few minutes recalling each, some memories funny, some tragic, some a little of both. Their professions had always brought them into contact with folk at times of crisis in their lives, or the lives of their family members. These crises had bonded them to the clients-patients and their families over decades. Much of the joy, sadness and pathos in their long lives grew from these crisis events. Playing the advisor-physician role in them had given them much of the satisfaction in their long professional careers and yielded many treasured friendships.
Needing a respite from the serious-sad turn in conversation, Ben asked, “You ever intentionally deceived a patient?”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Sam replied, “Sure, all the time.”
“How so? Ben asked.
“For example, patient near our age — you know him — came to me last week asking for erectile disfunction medicine. I gave him placebos, told him they would not work if he’d had alcohol within 24 hours. He came back singing my praises. The disfunction was from alcohol and lack of self-confidence.”
“Did you charge him?” Ben asked.
“Not for the placebos, but yes for the advice,” Sam said.
“How about you, ever use deceit in your law practice?”
“All the time,” Ben said.
“For example, Ed Johnson’s (Ben’s client, Sam’s patient) two sons are each hounding him to leave his place (Blue Pines Plantation) to him and not his brother. With Ed’s permission, I have told each son, “You can have Blue Pines if you want it.”
“What Ed provided was the sons could flip for it if they agreed, and take it as part of his half at appraised value, or if either insisted it would be auctioned with the two as the only bidders, minimum bid appraised value, amount paid over appraised value goes to Tall Timbers. Or if they didn’t agree between them, it’s to be auctioned publicly, appraised value split between them, excess proceeds to Tall Timbers.”
Ben and Sam smiled at one another. Ben poured dividends of The Macallan 16.