Me and the DMV: Round 2

As I opened my eyes this morning, the butterflies came to life in my stomach.  Today was the day I was going back to the DMV to try to get my license.  I had an appointment to take the written test and could not make an appointment to take the behind the wheel test (which I still didn't understand why I needed to take two years in a row) until I'd finished the written test.

Last night I took a couple of the written tests on the internet and was going to take more of them this morning.  But first I needed to finish writing my review of The Fantasticks for the Enterprise.  I had written the review for the News and Review the night before.

I had a bit of breakfast, but it didn't sit right and the butterflies didn't like it.

I got the review finished.  I really liked the production.  I remember wanting to see The Fantasticks for a long time, but when we were in New York we didn't have time.  It's theater history, after all.  It is the longest running musical in the world, having run first for 42 years and then a revival, which opened in 2006, still running now.

I reviewed it twice before and remember being disappointed in it and wondering what the fuss was about to keep it running for so long.  However, I "got" the magic this time and it was all due to the young girl who played Luisa, the girl in the production.  She's only 15 but held her own with a stage full of theater professionals and I found her mesmerizing.  

So the review was easy to write, and then I turned to the driver's tests again.  I aced the first one and felt confident, got 2 wrong on the second tests, and failed the 3rd test (missed 4 questions).  It's all those damn 20 mph, 15 mph, 25 mph questions and the ones about big trucks that do me in every time.  I finally decided I needed to stop taking tests and just do the damn thing.

My stomach was in knots and my hands sweaty when I was driving toward the DMV and then, walking to the office, I realized I was more nervous than I was going to the doctor or dentist. 
I saw the first clerk who asked, my paperwork in her hands, where my paperwork was.  For the first time that day, I explained my problem.  She did a lot of searching on her computer and then suddenly her head popped up with a smile and she handed me F023, my number to get my written test.

There were so many people there I expected to wait a long time and settled down with my Kindle, but, in truth, it was only about 5-10 minutes before I was called.  I was called to the desk of the women I dealt with last time, who didn't understand why I didn't have a receipt and kept telling me that the last person who worked on my file (her) did it wrong.  I was being pleasant and wasn't going to remind her that she was the one who apparently had handled it wrong.

She explained that they should have taken my picture to complete the first part of the renewal process.  She also didn't understand why I was back for the second year to have a behind the wheel test.  She gave me the eye test and was shocked that I got all the letters so quickly. I explained again about the blindness and the cataract and she finally went off again with my paperwork, came back and said she didn't understand but to go get my photo taken.

So I went off to get my photo taken.  The guy taking my picture was the guy who gave me my behind the wheel test last time.  The guy who said I would now have to have a behind the wheel test every year.  He said it couldn't possibly be him because he wouldn't say that.  I wasn't going to argue with him (Mr. Birt .. putting in his name here in case I need to name him at some point!).  He took my picture and told me to stand aside while he checked things on the computer.  I waited a bit longer and then another guy called me over.  He and Mr. Birt conferred and Birt told him to replace such and such a number with such and such another number, which he did.  Birt went back to his station and the other guy handed me a temporary license with a now May expiration date and told me I'd have my license in two weeks.

I did a double take.  That's IT? I asked.  No behind the wheel test?  No, he said.  I didn't say anything about the written test, nor did he...and I didn't realize until I got home that at no point did anybody ask for any fee. But according to Birt and his pal, I am now a licensed driver, waiting only the final license.


I'm not going to relax until that license is in my hand, but my butterflies are gone for the moment.  I still don't quite believe it.