New License

Getting my new (or rather my temporary) Social Security card proved to be a very interesting experience. I found myself a couple of days later still mulling over the experience. I had decided that I was being overly sensitve. She was just trying to make sure that I was aware of the decision I was making. No big deal.

Getting my driver's license, however, made me question that conclusion.


Hi, I'm here to get a new license. I just got married, I gushed. It was amazing to me that those words continued to make me gush and display a very goofy grin on my face.

Do you have your new SS card?

Yes. I slid it across the counter.

Gre-nomeans? Greenowe? Green... What does this say?

Greene-Owens. I tried to really pronounce and articulate.

That's an awfully long name.

It sure is. (Here we go again!)

You know that no one will know how to say that.

Silence.

Are you aware that you will have to use all of this in your signature? Including on your license. It probably won't fit. You'll always have to write small to cram it in. I sure hope you have small handwriting.

Silence.

I knew a lady once who hyphenated her name. Big mistake. Those teachers never did know what do about her kids with those long names. So difficult to match them up to their parents.

Silence.

So, I'd just advise you to take your husbands name. Owens. That's a really nice name. I think Katherine Owens is a perfectly lovely name.

Were people really this opinionated? I had never met this woman before. Why did she feel the need to share this information. Was I really doing something that bad?

I got my new license. Yes, I kept the hyphen. Was I going to defend it at every turn?

Had my decision given everyone license to tell me what they thought?

I'd sure find out.

~warmly~
Katherine