I Don't Exist

Yesterday I ordered my birth certificate. Don’t know what I did with the copy I used to have. Lost in a move perhaps.

Not knowing how to drive a car I don’t have a driver’s license. No way to prove I’m whom I claim to be.

Several years ago I went to the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles here in Durham to get a state ID. Turned out my birth certificate wasn’t enough. I needed something with my social security number on it.

The clerk said I could bring tax or insurance documents. I returned with both. This time a different clerk refused to accept them stating that I would have to actually bring my social security card.

I haven’t seen mine in decades. I got one as a teen, memorized the number and eventually lost the card. I was surprised. There are probably few documents easier to forge than a social security card.

So I gave up.

Then came 9/11.

A few days ago I was wondering if I wanted to visit a distant friend if I’d even be able to board a bus. So I’ll replace my birth certificate and social security card.

Pity after all these years to need bits of paper.