To sue or not to sue?

You’re wrapping breakfast in the dining hall when the dreaded text comes in from your father.

Alex. I need a decision from you. Now.

You barely have time to react before the call comes through.

“Hey dad, I…”

“What are you thinking, son?”

His voice is terse, no-nonsense. He’s made it clear which decision he thinks is the appropriate one to take, but you… you’re not so sure.

“I don’t understand why we have to go to court,” you say, hurriedly bussing your empty plate. “Don’t I have health insurance? What’s the big deal with the bills?”

“Have you been paying attention to anything these past couple weeks?” your father replies, and you groan.

“I know, the claim is still processing and we don’t know how much we’ll have to pay out of pocket, but… hang on,” you say, an idea suddenly striking you. “Shouldn’t the restaurant have some kind of insurance for these kinds of incidents? Can’t we just go to them for the money? I don’t see why we have to go to court for all of this business.”

Your dad sighs. “I’m sure I told you at some point already. The restaurant has no general liability insurance. Frankly, I’m not the least bit surprised. A restaurant so irresponsible that they served you undercooked food also turning out to have no business sense? This would be funny if it weren’t so tragic.”

“Okay, I get it dad, but it’s not that simple,” you say. “I’m about to head to Writing Seminar, and you know that my classmates are kinda entangled in this.”

“Use the situation to your benefit,” he replies. “Rosalyn Walker’s daughter will only be happy if you hire her mother. As for Crawford’s daughter… she’ll really want to get in your good books now.” You stay silent, neglecting to tell him that Lucille’s mother came looking for exactly that. “Not that I care, one way or the other. The important thing is that we get back our money’s worth.”

“You’re making it seem like I don’t have a choice,” you reply, slightly annoyed at him.

Even if you were inclined to follow your father’s advice, the fact that he’s so obsessed with this lawsuit is souring you on it. But then again, making your father happy could also bring its own benefits. As the man of the house, he does hold a certain sway over your sisters…

“Alex. The choice is yours. I’ve made that clear from the beginning,” he says. “But I do need an answer. Now. I don’t have all day to chat with you on the phone. We’re trying to close an important deal today.”

“Okay, got it,” you say. And truth be told, you do. After having thought about this issue for so long, it’s clear what you have to do. You’ve just been stalling for time, not wanting to commit to it. “I’ve decided. We’re going to…”