Ron's Choice

Chapter 1

Julie sat on the bed in her hotel room and read through her divorce papers again. She didn’t know why she thought it was necessary to bring them with her. She remembered how afraid she had been when she received the final papers. She had no house, no job, and no plan. She had worked any job that she found just to get by, until eventually, she found a full-time job, in a factory, that had good pay and benefits. This next year she would turn forty and didn’t know how long she would be able to do physical work. She decided to take an online course and took classes on nights and weekends. After paying for the course she didn’t have money to spend on going out to eat or having fun, which was ok because she was too tired anyway. After finishing the course she started applying for new jobs in her field.

The factory closed before Julie was able to find a job in her new field and was without a job again. She thought twice about spending the money on the class until she remembered how good she had done on all her classes and how much she had enjoyed them. After two months of online searching she realized finding a job with no experience would be harder than she thought. She expanded her job search to include all jobs, not just the ones close to her. Finally after two phone interviews and having convinced the nice woman on the phone how much she looked forward to relocating to Montana she was offered a job. She accepted the job and hoped the funds she had left would cover her move. In six months she planned to have enough experience to find a job in Iowa and move back home. When she called to find accommodations she discovered there was only one hotel in town. She booked a room and was happy to hear it was within walking distance to her new job. The room wasn’t five-star but it had a small refrigerator and a microwave which would save her from going out to eat every meal.

Julie threw the divorce papers onto the flowered bedspread and got up to put away her meager possessions she had brought with her on the plane. Her furniture would arrive in about a week. She persuaded two guys she knew from the factory to drive her moving van to Montana for her. The closet was more than big enough to hold her clothes, which included a heavy coat.

One thing she knew about Montana was it was cold. Her hairbrush, curling iron, toothbrush, and makeup barely filled the countertop next to the bathroom sink. There was one double bed in the room which left space for a two-cushioned, well-worn couch, a swivel desk chair on rollers and a small desk. Her laptop fit nicely on the desk top and she hoped the hotel had internet. She never watched much T.V. but the thirty-two inch HD on the wall might be her only companion for a while. Her stomach growled and she realized she hadn’t eaten since her oatmeal before she got on the plane that morning. She walked down to the front desk and found the clerk.

Is there somewhere I could walk to get something to eat? she asked and realized in a small town like this there might not be a restaurant open on a Sunday.

You will just make it. They close early on Sundays. Go out the front door and take a right. On the same side of the street about a block down you’ll see a diner. You can’t miss it and the food is good.

Julie walked out the front door and pulled her coat collar tighter. The March wind was cold and she quickened her steps. She smelled the aroma of home cooking before she reached the wooden front door. She stepped inside to find four booths lined up on both side walls and six tables set for two in the middle of the cozy room. Cowboy hats hung from hooks outside every booth and wagon wheels suspended from the ceiling with lanterns for lights added to the western décor. She saw an empty booth and claimed it. She would have felt foolish sitting in the middle of the room alone. Heads turned to watch Julie as she hung her coat on the hook outside her booth. Once she was seated she noticed what seemed to be everyone in town staring at her, wanting to see the newcomer and guess what she was doing here.

The waitress came over with a big smile to take Julie’s order. She set a glass of water in front of Julie and said. You must be new in town. She handed Julie a menu and waited, with her order pad ready, to hear Julie’s story.

Yes, my first night. Julie noticed the special advertised on the front of the menu. I would like the special, hamburger and fries, please. The waitress realized this would be the only information she would get from Julie and left to place her order.

Julie waited for her order and decided to check her cell phone for messages. She reached to get it out of her purse and noticed no one else was on their cell phones. The other customers appeared to be deep in conversations. The ones that noticed her looking their way gave her a big smile and a small wave. She wasn’t used to that but decided she liked it. She left her cell phone in her purse.

The hotel clerk was right about the food being good, it was and plentiful. The burger was thick and juicy and the fries were homemade from fresh potatoes. Julie finished it all; she hadn’t realized how hungry she had been this being both her lunch and dinner. She liked the country music that played in the background and could sit and listen to it until they closed but she was anxious to see where she would start her new job tomorrow morning. When the waitress brought over her check Julie asked where the clinic was. The waitress smiled and hesitated before she answered, now she knew why Julie was in town.

Julie paid her check and headed in the direction the waitress told her to go. She walked and took notes in her head where she would need to go in the future. As she walked she noticed there seemed to be everything she would need; a bank, a hair salon, a grocery store, a post office, and a small library. She walked three blocks on the same side of the street as the diner before she found the clinic.

The building was old, historical, just like most of the other buildings she noticed. The big white letters painted above the wooden door identified the clinic just as they had the diner. And just like the diner, it was nestled between two other buildings attached on both sides. The diner had two windows, one on either side of the front door but the clinic had one large window beside the door. This is where Julie would start her new career as a Medical Coder. She stood and looked in the front window and felt nervous. People everywhere had the same illnesses and procedures done so the codes would be the same everywhere, wouldn’t they? She tried to reassure herself but still felt anxious. She told herself to be happy she had an income again. She had arrived the day before she would start her new job so she wouldn’t have to pay for a hotel room any longer than she had to.

On the way back to the hotel Julie wondered if she should have arrived sooner. She planned on going to bed early that night. She wanted to be the first one at the clinic in the morning to make a good impression on her new boss.

Chapter 2

Julie arrived at the clinic the next morning well before the start of her shift to find the doors already unlocked. She walked inside to see a red-haired woman with glasses at the receptionist’s desk.

Hi, she said as she walked around the desk to greet Julie, I’m Maria and you must be Julie.

Julie glanced at Maria’s nametag and saw she was an R.N. Yes, I am. It’s nice to meet you. Julie could finally put a face with the interviewer on the phone.

I’ll show you the way to your office and you can drop off your coat and purse.

Maria looked younger than Julie but was about her same height of five feet five inches. On the way back to the office they passed the waiting room across from the receptionist’s desk and two exam rooms, one on each side of the hallway. On the right past the exam rooms were the two doctor’s office and a restroom across from that. Only one doctor was in at a time Maria explained. Maria’s office was to the right at the end of the hall and Julie’s was right across from Maria’s. Julie’s office was larger than she had ever hoped it would be, with a window. Julie hung her coat on the coat rack and Maria showed her a drawer she could put her purse in.

Maria talked as they walked back to the front, I’ve been here for eight years. There’s a receptionist, two doctors, and Nancy. Nancy is the girl whose place you will be taking. Her last day is on Friday. She is retiring to move to Florida with her husband.

Friday? Julie’s stomach did somersaults and she felt like she was going to have a panic attack. Could she learn this by Friday? Well, she would have to. She had no choice because she had no backup plan. When they returned to the front, Julie inspected the waiting area. Nine silver legged chairs with black thinly padded backs and seats were arranged in a semi-circle around a small wooden coffee table strewn with magazines all set on a well-worn carpet.

Maria grabbed some papers off the receptionist’s desk and handed them to Julie.

You can sit here and fill out your paperwork. Maria pointed to the receptionist’s desk and headed back to an exam room.

Julie had just finished her paperwork when two women walked through the door together. One looked to be in her twenties and one in her sixties. Julie stood up and the younger woman took her place.

Hi. You must be Julie. Julie was relieved to see the other woman smile. I’m Nancy. I’ll be training you this week.

Nancy introduced Julie to the casually dressed receptionist who waved without looking up. Nancy and Julie headed back to their office. Once they got started Julie realized she would be expected to do the billing, insurance and the coding.

I applied to do the coding. The ad didn’t say anything about billing or insurance. Julie wondered if she should leave now. If Julie stayed she wouldn’t be able to return to Iowa as soon as she had hoped. It would take longer to learn three new jobs but when she did return to Iowa she would know three new jobs and have a better chance at finding a new job.

This is a small office and you’ll do fine. Maria is great about helping if you need her. She fills in for me when I’m gone, Nancy reassured Julie.

Julie worked through her breaks and used plenty of sticky notes. Every night she reviewed her CDs she brought with her from her online course. She went to bed exhausted every night and Friday arrived too soon.

Friday night Maria suggested taking Nancy out to celebrate her retirement and last day at the office. The receptionist had other plans and said she couldn’t make it. Maria and Julie took Nancy to a restaurant and bar not far from the clinic. They walked into the restaurant part and Julie noticed the swinging double doors