Take Two

Dearest Rachel –

Well, considering that last week turned out to be a washout, I wasn’t expecting much out of this week’s attempt for the boys to get their licenses renewed and updated. At the same time, it’s not like we didn’t know what documentation we hadn’t thought to bring last time around, so maybe I should have had a little more faith in this second take. After all, we brought both a bank statement and the jury summons, to make extra sure about the proof of address. Because, who better for the government to trust on such matters than the government itself?

In any event, the errand started out much as it did last week, with a short moment of panic about trying to get a recent bank statement; the first one that turned up was dated from December, of all things, but eventually, Daniel managed to locate last month’s statement as well. Ironically, the jury summons might have superseded it entirely, since it included the entire nine-digit zip code, while the bank didn’t so much stop at five digits as file in the last four with zeros. At that point, it seems silly to even bother, but what do I know?

I would say that the longest part of our time at the DMV was spent, as with last week, waiting in line to check each of the boys in, but that may have just been my legs talking. Once Daniel was initially processed and sent on to the testing portion of the visit – at which point, Logan was completely through his renewal process, as all he needed was to update his address (although, to think that he was only expecting to stay for a year before getting up on his feet independently!) – I was instructed to let him be and sit in the main waiting area, and that probably took more time, but as I was seated and going through my news feed (and starting in on this letter), it didn’t feel like such a difficulty.

Of course, for Daniel, it might have been a little more nerve-wracking, but that would be his story to tell, not mine. All I can report on is what I dealt with firsthand. I will note that, unlike back when we used to go in personally to get our licenses renewed, the photo was the first thing done as opposed to the last; between that and the fact that the very next step was to pay for the license, it makes it feel like the receipt of said license was a fait accompli, with the tests merely a formality only required because the rules demanded them. Nevertheless, I rather doubt that Daniel was feeling that as he answered the questions and was taken out to the driving course in the odd streets behind the DMV.

While it had drizzled a bit as we made our way there, by the time he completed the written portion of the test, the sun had come out and dried everything up, so the roads were no worse for him to deal with than last week. And since we had all of his papers together this time around, it was surprisingly smooth sailing from one station to the other; the photo, the documentation (where he added his middle name to his license – since that was included on his passport and social security card – and thereby had to change his license number), the cashier, and the test sections all went one right after the other in quick succession. He had no time between each of them to get discombobulated and nervous like last week, and so I think he was sufficiently loose as to not tense up during the field portion in particular.

Not that it went completely smoothly on the road, though. He mentioned having some issues parking on an incline and applying the parking brake (although given how new the car is, I might have trouble knowing where that thing is). There was also a stop he rolled over, to the point where the examiner literally called him a ‘goofball’ for missing the line he was supposed to stop at. But when he pulled into the parking spot behind the DMV at the end of the test, the fellow dropped the “hard” act: “Well, you missed a few things, but not enough that you didn’t pass. You’re good to go.”

I imagine the guy sensed Daniel’s situation; I don’t know if he cut him any slack (I would hope not, to be honest, as the road can be unforgiving), but at least he didn’t make him feel smaller than he already does behind the wheel – which is weird, when he’s six-foot-two. But at least, to his relief, this moment is over for at least the next four years – or more, if he keeps his record clean between now and then. He might be able to renew on line, like I do, going forward.

And to that end, I’d ask you to keep an eye on him, honey, and wish him well. He did well enough yesterday, but I’m sure he could still use it.