Saturday, September 28, 2013

Mass*&%$

I was all set to renew my license when I got a notice in the mail telling me I had not paid my car excise tax.  Initially annoyed, I opted to call and destroy it as soon as possible.  The inane notice had no cost on it which proved unhelpful in preparing me for the prospect of a gigantic debt that could have been growing since January, without my knowledge.  The convenient online payment site didn't recognize my license plate number, therefore I had to click through various website links to find the number of whatever government office I should call.  Since the days had melted into each other, having been inundated with tangles of newness during my beginnings in New Hampshire, I naturally forgot that it was Sunday.  The Massachusetts official who answered the phone naturally kept his irritation within his voice as he said, "And you're calling on a Sunday?"  I ignored his native cranky tone and thought to myself, typical Massachusetts, and forged ahead in making my case known in the most graceful and friendly manner possible, sticking with the facts: I had received a bill, couldn't seem to pay it and couldn't renew my license because of it.  There must have been something in my affect that grew on him which caused him to ask towards the end of the conversation, "So you moved up to New Hampshire?" I told him I had, and that I was here for school - I may have even told him my penchant for Live Free or Die Plates. "Because you seem like a pretty nice person," he said, "and I hate to lose the good ones!"  I laughed.  Oh.... you.... 

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