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“Hey, Eddie? I have a question for you.”
“I have an answer. I hope they match.”
“It’s about car insurance.”
“Okay, I might be able to help you with that. What’s your question?”
“What does ‘subrogation’ mean?” Steve pointed to a word on the paper he was holding.
“Let me see that.” Eddie gently took the paper and held it up to his face. “Oh, okay, I see. In this case, it’s not something you need to worry about.”
“But what does it mean?” Steve’s brows furrowed.
Eddie sighed, handed the paper back, and mentally prepared for a long explanation.
“Okay. So, you know it’s illegal to drive without car insurance, right?”
“Yeah.” Steve nodded.
“Say you get into a bad car accident and your car is totaled, but the other guy doesn’t have insurance. Somebody’s got to pay for the damages, right?”
“I guess?”
“So, your insurance company will step in to help. The other guy’s insurance company would also probably pay for some of it, if they had insurance, which in this case, they don’t. So what do you do?”
Steve gave him a blank stare.
“Since the other guy doesn’t have car insurance, it means he can be pursued for damages, which his insurance company might have paid for.” Eddie continued.
“So…”
“It’s debt collecting, basically. Somebody’s got to make sure that debt gets paid. Think of it like a refund for your insurance company.”
“Okay…?”
“You’re insured and aren’t in the habit of getting into car accidents that are your fault, so this is something you’ll hopefully never have to worry about if you drive safe.”
“Okay.” Steve nodded, but he still had an expression on his face that sort of reminded Eddie of a confused puppy.
“If you think that’s complicated, be glad we’re not talking about health insurance.”
“Right…”
“Anything else?”
“Well…” Steve flipped through the papers in his hands until he found a page that contained two glossy cards, waiting to be punched out. “I got my new insurance cards today, and I’m a little confused about what all of this means. I always see it, but nobody can seem to tell me what it is.”
He pointed to a spot near the bottom of one of the cards.
“That’s your coverage.” Eddie leaned in for a closer look. “Looks like you have collision, comprehensive, emergency road service, uninsured motor vehicle, and liability coverage.”
“How can you tell?”
“Because I have most of the same things on my policy. The amount of coverage you have is different, but it’s the same idea.”
“So, what’s the difference between all of them?”
“I’ll show you.”
Eddie grabbed a pencil from the cup on the counter, next to the phone.
“This one is collision.” He pointed the tip of the pencil to one of the letters at the bottom of the card. “It’s pretty much exactly what it sounds like. It's for when you get into an accident with another car, or if you hit a tree, or something.”
He pointed to the next letter.
“This one is comprehensive. That one covers things that don’t involve hitting something and are out of your control, like theft or falling tree branches. Remember last year, when your girlfriend stole your catalytic converter?”
“It wasn’t my girlfriend, it was her sister.”
“Your insurance covered the repair costs, right?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s why you have comprehensive insurance, ‘cause not all car damage comes from collisions.”
“So, it’s basically there because people are assholes?”
“Yeah. Pretty much.”
Steve stared down at the cards for a moment.
“What does liability insurance do?” He asked.
“That’s to cover damages to the other guy’s car if you get into an accident, and it covers their injuries, too.” Eddie answered.
“Okay.”
“That’s only if the accident is your fault, though. As long as you don’t go around causing accidents, you probably won’t need to worry about that.”
Eddie squinted down at the cards.
“I’m guessing you already know what emergency road service is, right?”
“Yeah, it’s for when you need a tow truck or something.”
“You got it.”
There was a pause.
“What about uninsured motorist?” Steve asked.
“It’s kind of like liability insurance, except it covers you, not the other guy. If you get hurt in a car accident, it covers some of that.”
“Does it cover car damage?”
“Nope, just injuries. Comes in handy when the other driver either doesn’t have insurance or didn’t stick around after the accident, though.”
By then, a small crowd had gathered around them, all looking over Steve’s shoulder at the papers in his hand.
“And it looks like you have a lower deductible than I do.”
“What’s a deductible?” Steve asked. “I’ve heard that word, but I can’t figure out what it means.”
“It’s basically the amount you have to pay in an accident before insurance’ll cough up a goddamn nickel.”
“So, if I wreck my car, I pay the deductible amount for repairs, and insurance will do the rest?”
“Essentially.”
“Good to know.”
“Sometimes a higher deductible means lower premiums, but that’s not always the case. Sometimes they raise your rates because you drive like a jackass and get into too many accidents.”
“I take it you speak from experience?” Max quipped.
“Shut up.”
“You do get into a lot of accidents, though.”
“You’re one to talk, Maxine.” Steve playfully nudged Max in the ribs with his elbow.
“Good thing the van’s a piece of shit.” Dustin commented.
“Nobody asked you, Henderson.” Eddie rolled his eyes. “Anyway, that’s what these symbols mean.”
He pointed to a set of letters at the bottom of one of the cards.
“This one is liability, this one is comprehensive, this one is collision, this one is emergency road service, and that one is uninsured motor vehicle. And if you have your Decs page on hand, I can probably tell you what most of that is. I mean, don’t quote me on any of this, but I have a vague idea of how it all works.”
When Eddie turned to face everyone else, he noticed that they were all looking at him like he had grown a second head.
“What?” He asked.
“…How do you know so much about this stuff?” Robin asked.
“My aunt works for a collection agency.” Eddie shrugged. “And before that, she worked for an insurance company. Don’t act like you’re not impressed.”
“Somehow I’m not surprised, and I feel like I should be.” Max said.
“Nah, don’t be. Everybody’s gotta have at least one obscure topic they know a ton about, right? And mine just happens to be car insurance.”
He turned to face Dustin.
“Besides, I’m full of surprises. Right, Henderson?”
“Right.” Dustin turned his gaze toward Steve. “Hellfire is never boring with him.”
“I believe it.”
“You should join us sometime.” Eddie chimed in. “You and Red, here.”
“Nah.”
“No thanks.” Max shook her head. “I already hear enough about it from Lucas.”
“Okay.” Eddie shrugged. “Well, the invite’s open if you guys change your minds.”