With All Your Might

I recently had the pleasure of going to my local DMV office to get a copy of my driving record.

Now, I know some of you will think, “Why in the world would you do that when you can get it from their website?” It’s true, you can, but you need a PIN to log in and if you don’t have one and I did not, you have to sign up and then they will snail mail it to you, which will take 3-4 days if you are lucky.

Just writing that exasperates me on how their processes, as well as many other local, state, and federal government entities operate. If you want my list, let me know. I’m happy to share, but I hope you will have time because it’s quite a list. >>>> Oye vey!

Now back to this story, my apologies for my digression.

While I’m sitting there after I went to the “Customer Service” front desk to get my ticket, which was E637, I see I have some time on my hands because they just announced “Now serving E631 at window number 5”. All I could do was laugh about it and smile to keep my head from exploding.

So, what did I do with this time while waiting to hear the intercom announce my ticket? I checked my emails and sent a few text messages on my mobile, but that only took 10-15 minutes, and by that time, they had just announced “Now serving E632 at window number 5” as I sent my last text.

A quick scan around the room, which was nearly full with people eagerly awaiting their calling to one of the two, and I repeat two windows utilized by this fine establishment, which is another story unto itself, when they have 10 windows and several employees in the back room just hanging and chatting away like people do at work standing by the water coolers. Breath in, breath out, I’ll get through this, I know.

I had taken a seat in the back of the waiting room next to the restrooms and water fountain. I typically like to sit in the rear because there is always something to see and experience in front of me that may bring a smile to my face or a quiet chuckle inside. And today was no exception.

There was a woman waiting there just like me and I watched her walk across the room and head in my direction. She had been standing to wait for her ticket to be called, and there were a few open seats next to me, so I thought maybe she was coming to occupy one of those seats.

Nope, not the case. She was going to the restroom. But wait, she couldn’t open the door. And there was a sign next to the door stating “Please lock restroom while using.” Apparently, someone else was in there. So, she waited for that door to open.

Several minutes passed and the door remained closed. I then heard her ask another woman who was standing in the back of the room if she had seen anyone go in there. The woman said no, and she had been there for about 15 minutes and had not seen anyone come or go. So, this woman decides to tap on the door. No response, no reply, nada. She waits a few more minutes and taps again. Same result, no word or sounds to be heard.

By now, she is really getting concerned because she has to “go”. She asks the same woman if she would mind watching the door if she slips into the men’s restroom to take care of her biological needs. The woman complies with her request, but before taking such a drastic measure, she decides to go to one of the windows and ask if someone can come open the door. She heads back over my way from the window exuding more confidence and relief knowing the door will be opening soon so she can empty her bladder.

Then I hear “Now serving E635 at window number 5.” Sweet, this will all be over soon.

Several minutes pass since she went to the window, and the door still remains closed. So, I decided to try and help her by going to the front desk where you get the little ticket and see if the woman there can be of assistance. As I approach that desk, I see 5 people standing in line to get their ticket, but there is no one behind the desk to help. All I could think was “Absolutely ridiculous”. Hey, I gave it a shot, but to prevent myself from having an aneurism, I had to go back to my seat. Not to mention fear of missing my ticket being called resulting in having to get another ticket and wait even longer. Not going to happen.

I head back to my seat and the woman is still there standing next to the restroom, and she’s doing those body motions indicating she’s about to bust or something. I think we may all know that feeling and get the picture, so I won’t elaborate any further on that.

So, what’s it going to take to get that door open?

The woman goes up to the other window to see if perhaps that customer service person can help get the door open. The rep looks at her and grins, then leans toward her and responds. The woman immediately turns and heads back to the women’s restroom, and tells the other woman standing there, “She told me…With all your might, push the door as hard as you can.” So, she did, and vualah, the door opened.

And then I hear “Now serving E637 at window number 5.” :-) :-) :-)