the lee's ~ chapter 16

Did you KNOW that when you move to Virginia you have 30 days to change your driver’s license over?  I found out last October when a kind policeman was nice enough to inform me.  I wasn’t ticketed for this violation and I went along my merry way.

Wouldn’t you know ANOTHER nice policeman told me the SAME THING a few weeks ago?  LOL.  And again, no ticket.  But I figured I’d better actually make a visit to the DMV.  My license was set to expire next week so it was now or never.

I waited.  And waited.  And then I waited some more.  Finally it was my turn.  A16.  I went to the counter and a lovely lady who MUST have been going to a meeting of the RED HAT SOCIETY was smiling at me, wearing her bright purple shirt and her red pants.  She was smiling at me...

Smiles!  At the DMV!  This doesn’t happen in the Yankee states.  I had brought along documentation of pretty much everything I’ve ever done in my lifetime.  Birth Certificate, first tooth lost, lock of hair, picture of my first boyfriend, high school yearbook, a letter of recommendation from my third grade librarian, and a recent blood sample.  I knew I was all set.

She thoroughly examined each piece of identification.  And then she got to my expired passport.   She looked at it.  She looked at me.  She looked at it again.  And then she looked back up at me.  She pushed her reading glasses up on top of her short silver hair and said, “Honey, don’t ever go back to blonde.  The red suits you.”

For the first time in my life, I do believe I wanted to just hang out with the clerk behind the counter. 

She input all the info and then said, “Have you held a Virginia license before?” And I said yes.  This was not one of the 3,592 questions on the form I’d already filled out.  I asked her why.  She said that she had a picture of someone who kind of looked like me from years ago.

I asked her if I could see it.   She turned the screen and there I was.  Young me.  She said, “What were you?  Twelve?”  and started laughing.  Funny thing is I remember that day.  I remember the sweater.  The DMV.  Where I lived.  I was 25.

Again, she said “Don’t go back to the blonde.  Now, back up to that screen and let’s get a new picture of you.”

She took the photo and then said, “Now let’s replace that girl…WHAT DID SHE KNOW ANYHOW?  Let’s get you out of here a little older, a little wiser.”

Sounds good to me lady.  Sounds good to me.