When you move to a new city, there are always adjustments to be made. You have to locate all the important places, like schools, churches, banks, doctors offices, post offices, and the like. You have to get a new drivers license, license plates, and register to vote. If you're lucky, you have relatives or friends in the area that are available to help and advise you. Our move to an area considered a bedroom community of New York was frightening to me, to say the least, and I sure didn't have anybody to call on.
We knew no one, but I am known to be fearless when it comes to finding my way around and in no time, had the drill down pretty good about getting the boys to school, getting to the grocery stores, and doctors offices. Mendham, at that time, was a small, quaint little town where the whole town knew everybody. Newcomers were welcome, but you had to find your own way into the right circles. Once you did, you were included. One claim to fame is the fact that Mendham later became the home of Whitney Houston and the current Governor Chris Christy resides there now.
My first real project to become a valid "Yankee," was to register our vehicle and get my driver's license. I managed to find out from the phone book where to get this done and one day while the boys were at school, I took off to get this chore behind me. I sure didn't want to be stopped by the Police in New Jersey without a valid drivers license. My youngest child was too young for school, so I had her with me. I found the offices easily, and proceeded inside.
There was a line of people all the way out of the room and down the stairs - not uncommon anywhere you go in NJ. We got in line. Finally, when we got to the door, there was an officer who stopped me and said, "you can't take her in there." I looked at him dumbfounded and said, "what do you mean I can't take her in there?" Says he, "children aren't allowed!" At this point, I'm getting a little bit flustered, knowing that I had no where to leave her. I tried to explain to him, that we were new to the area, my husband was away on business, and I had nowhere I could leave my four year old daughter. I told him she was a very obedient little girl and wouldn't make a sound, and all I wanted to do was get my drivers license and license plate. He very rudely said, "Mam, that's not my problem!" I was practically in tears. I got the forms and the hours they were open and left. Oh, and did I mention that they were only open a couple of days a month for license testing?
Not to be deterred, I waited a couple of weeks until the next time they were open, picked up the boys right from school and zipped to Morris Township where their offices were, hoping I could get there before they closed. I was scared to death, but left the two boys in charge of the four year old in the car in the freezing cold, and dared them to move an inch until I got back. Back to the line that snaked all the way up a flight of stairs. Old mean -face was right in his place at the door and acted like he didn't know me from squat, but I remembered him. But I wasn't pushing my luck. I got inside, took the test for my license, thinking it would be a piece of cake. Epic fail!! Oh Lord! I cried all the way home.
I got out the study guide for the test and studied like crazy, thinking to myself that I would never pass the stupid test. Two weeks later, I went back to school to pick up the boys, raced to the DOT office, where I gave instructions to my children that to disobey me or to start fighting, was to surely die. Then I locked all three of them in the freezing cold car, and went back to the snake line up the stairs, mean-face man, and proceeded to take the test! This time, I aced that sucker and marched right past mean-face, smiling all the way down the stairs and out the door!
Now, I was a card carrying, registered, and licensed driver in the great state of New Jersey! Not sure, but I think the kids gave me a round of applause!
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