Case File #129 Take Your Kid to Work Day
I brought a baby. They brought an opinion.
Consider this file leaked! March 8 is our “official” start date. I’m told someone gained access early so I’m getting this out to my crew that has been following the buildup.
Insider Access Audio found below. (Everyone has Insider Access for first three Case Files.)
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January 1993. Our son was four months old, my wife was at work, and the phone rang with a rush job. Must serve today. Premium rate. Hmm, I liked the sound of that.
Here’s what you need to understand about process servers in the DC area: we’re not driving Ferraris. We’re driving ‘87 Ford Escorts with questionable brakes, living in Gaithersburg apartments a stone’s throw from the local Blockbuster, trying to stay one step ahead of the wolves.
So when a law office calls with same-day money? You say yes. You figure out the details later.
The detail I needed to figure out: My wife’s at work and I have no babysitter.
I bundled J into his carrier. You know, the kind that locks into the car seat base. Yes, he was dressed warm. Don’t worry.
We headed to Rockville, the place where lawyers congregate around the courthouse. Picked up the subpoena at the law office. The paralegals made the appropriate cooing noises. Everyone loves a baby.
Then south on 270 to the Beltway, inner loop to Annapolis Road, then deeper into PG County. I’m keeping the exact location to myself. Not sure why. Not even sure the place still exists. Still, professional courtesy.
Standard suburban office building. Three stories, glass and stone, the kind of place where people wear ties and nobody getting served expects to get served.
Third floor. Carrier in one hand. Subpoena tucked inside my jacket.
The receptionist couldn’t get enough of J. “Oh my goodness, how old is he?” I’m very proud, thank you for asking. By the way, cut down on the perfume. She assumed I was making an important delivery. I didn’t correct her.
She personally went to retrieve the gentleman I’d requested.
A guy with a baby. Completely safe. That’s what she saw.
Mr. Three-Piece-Suit came strutting out. Tortoiseshell glasses, white, tall, wavy brown hair. I’m bald and short, so this annoyed me on principle.
“Are you [NAME REDACTED]?”
“Yes?”
“Can we speak in private?”
We step into the private, windowed meeting room just off reception while the receptionist joyfully kept an eye on J. I pulled an envelope out of my jacket pocket.
“You’re served.”
Polite. Professional. But served nonetheless.
He looked at the subpoena. Looked at me. And as he followed me back out into reception he looked at my son.
“Nice. Using the baby.”
Honestly? I hadn’t thought of it that way. I was just a guy doing his job, raising a kid, trying to keep the lights on in Gaithersburg.
But maybe he had a point. Maybe I should take my almost-five-month-old on more services. Heck, maybe even a surveillance. What could be the harm?
Before every mother reading this prepares to call Child Protective Services: he’s now 33, and office services to businessmen rarely go bad. Out of the office? That’s different. But a third-floor office building at 2 PM on a Tuesday? The biggest danger was the elevator getting stuck.
Still, I can already hear the outrage.
And honestly? I’m here for it.
We made it back to the car just as the temperature dropped to 23°F. J slept the entire way home. I stopped at Blockbuster and rented The Fugitive. Seemed appropriate. All I had left to do was explain this to my wife.
What I Remember About That Day
The receptionist’s perfume—way too much of it
The exact temperature when we left: 23°F with windchill
Three-Piece-Suit’s exact words: “Nice. Using the baby.”
The office carpet was industrial gray with blue flecks
What J did during the entire service: slept like a champion
Stopping at Blockbuster on the way home to rent The Fugitive
Your move: True? True(ish)? Fiction?
How to Play:
Drop your guesses in the comments (TRUE / MOSTLY TRUE / FICTION for each)
First person to get all five correct wins bragging rights
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A Chris Writes, LLC Publication
Not legal advice / not professional guidance / do not imitate tactics
Fictionalized/composite/altered details + no identification intended
© 2026 Chris Writes, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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Audio of Case #129 Take Your Kid to Work Day (Limited Open of Insider Access Feature)
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What I Remember About That Day Reveal
The receptionist’s perfume—way too much of it TRUE
Smell is one of the deepest memories triggers we possess.The exact temperature when we left: 23°F with windchill FICTION
No idea. Remember, cars in the 80’s didn’t have temp reading on the dashboards. Was it cold? Yes. But I have no idea of the temp.Three-Piece-Suit’s exact words: “Nice. Using the baby.” TRUE
Absolutely true. I still remember that clearly. Deeply embedded because it sent me on a mental exercise about the appropriateness of what I had done.The office carpet was industrial gray with blue flecks FICTION
No idea. I mean, I can’t even remember the carpet of my last house.What J did during the entire service: slept like a champion TRUE(ish)
He may have been a awake here and there like babies do. But he was as good as gold through the whole pickup and delivery process.Stopping at Blockbuster on the way home to rent The Fugitive FICTION
Seems like a good idea though, right?
Audio Reveal and Behind the Scenes Commentary
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A Chris Writes, LLC Publication
Not legal advice / not professional guidance / do not imitate tactics
Fictionalized/composite/altered details + no identification intended
© 2026 Chris Writes, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
The receptionist’s perfume—way too much of it (Mostly True)
The exact temperature when we left: 23°F with windchill (Mostly True)
Three-Piece-Suit’s exact words: “Nice. Using the baby.” (True)
The office carpet was industrial gray with blue flecks (False)
What J did during the entire service: slept like a champion (True)
Stopping at Blockbuster on the way home to rent The Fugitive (False)
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