Check

A check arrived from our insurer via FedEx today in the amount of $3,000.

It says, right on the check, that it’s “partial settlement of contents damage arising from loss on 08/29/05.”

The date issued, again printed right on the check itself, is October 18th. Note that it is now November 25th.

All of this I found somewhat perplexing.

I called our insurer after office hours tonight, and was astonished to connect to a live human in short order. I learned that this $3K check is merely an advance on the contents of our house and that a second check in the amount of $22K was cut on November 21st.

Furthermore, another check was cut on November 22nd in the amount of $82,294.03 for flood damage to our house — the actual building itself, that is, as opposed to the contents.

These two checks, I was informed, have been “cut but not mailed” because our insurer is waiting for FEMA to give them the go-ahead.

Anyway, we now have our first insurance money in hand in the form of this advance, even though we never asked for an advance and in fact declined an advance each time it was offered.

Curiouser and curiouser.