Yes, today I had to relinquish my PA driver's license so I could officially join the ranks of the South. I thought I had it all dialed in:
- PA driver's license — check
- birth certificate — check
- marriage license (yes, I actually thought to bring that!) — check
- the power bill with our new address on it — check...sort of.
The problem is that the name on our power bill is Ghost Hunk's, not mine. In fact, none of the bills have my name on them — not the phone bill or the trash bill or the cell bill. My name is not even on the lease! (At least my credit won't get hit if Ghost Hunk misses a payment!) So I'm looking at the DMV clerk behind the counter and trying to figure out what the hell happened to Ghost Girl?
I do have my own bank account (as every woman should), and a statement would suffice, but I get my statements online (Go Green!). I don't even have that in print! Well, I'll chance it. Yes, I drive all the way home (in the next county), scramble to find my power cord and USB cable for the stupid printer which hasn't been set up yet because my desk still hasn't arrived...
Sigh.
I print out my first statement (at this point, it's all I have), grab every piece of correspondence I have from the bank, and head back down to the DMV. Totally sugar-deprived, mind you. I haven't had lunch yet, and my blood sugar is taking a nose dive. I pity the person who crosses me now!
I get to the DMV, where a handful of people has grown into a full-fledged throng in the hour it took me to get my crap together. I finally get up to the clerk and...the computers are down! But somewhere in cyberspace, the binary gods take pity on me and the computers come up about 10 minutes later.
After a few furrowed brows and a final "ok," my documents are deemed acceptable, and I get my friggin' GA license!
But who is that wide-eyed chick staring up from the drab blue square, looking half baked? A married mother of 2 who somewhere along the way sacrificed perhaps a bit too much of herself for her own comfort. 20 years ago, my name was on a mortgage, a credit card, a bank account, a car loan, a payroll... Now, I just feel a bit pathetic. I guess next time I have to prove myself, I'll just have to take in my latest best seller with my stunning jacketflap photo and say, "There you go. 100% guaranteed legitimate woman. That's me!"
You aren't invisible to me... Mary Ann..... Notice I didn't use Ghost Girl because... well that is a little invisible right?? Mary Ann Scott/ Author... that's what I like. And when you get a chance.... get you're own credit card just in your name and keep it to yourself. You don't have to use it much, but it's a good idea to have one!!
ReplyDeleteI know how you feel. That's the way I felt when I first got married, only I had never owned a home before. I only had a car. Yes, get your own credit card and checking acct. But you are not invisible. And one day (soon, I hope) when you get a book published, your name will be on that cover and in the online catalog and how cool that will be!
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