Page 85 of Wish I Were Here
Mustache Man stares wide-eyed, and then he slowly pulls his elbows off the desk and tucks his hands under his legs. “Um. Miss?”
“What.”
“What I’m trying to tell you is that I don’t need to check again, because you’re in the system, and this ID is legit. Everything seems to be in order.”
I open my mouth to keep arguing with him, but then his words register. “I’m—what?”
He hitches his chin at the computer. “I see you right there. Catherine Moonstone Lipton.” His mustache twitches. “Moonstone? Really?”
I stare back.
“Anyway…” he mutters awkwardly. “It’s all right here.” Mustache Man waves at the computer, and then his gaze flies to his hand, and he quickly tucks it back under him. “We—uh—we issued your license back in March of last year. It’s valid for another three. I don’t know who told you it’s not, but I think they were yanking your chain.”
“But—” As impossible as it was that my identity disappeared from the system, it seems even more farfetched that it’sback. Both Tonya and Officer Bill checked their records. Not to mention Helen over in HR. All of them couldn’t have beenyanking my chain.
But it doesn’t make a lot of sense to sit here arguing with him. I still need to get to the Social Security office. “Well, thank you so much for your time.” I stand and gather my things.
“Uh,” Mustache Man mumbles. “Are we good? You know. With the…” With one hand, he makes a chopping motion over his wrist.
“Yes. Of course.” I bite my lip. “Sorry about that. It’s been a hard week.”
He lets out a sigh and sinks back into his chair, which emits another creak, and I make a run for the door.
When I arrive at the Social Security office, Uncle Marco is waiting by the door. For a moment, I wonder if he’s there to finally arrest me. But instead, he raises a beefy hand to give me a friendly wave. “Catherine.”
I stop in front of him.
“Luca called and told me you were coming.”
“He did?”
“He wanted to make sure Tonya saw you right away. She’s waiting over here.”
I follow Uncle Marco across the Social Security office, my heart in my throat. I insulted Luca, called him irresponsible, and stomped off. And yet he’s still rallying the troops to help me?
We approach Tonya’s desk, and she gives me a cold stare before turning to Uncle Marco with a wide smile. “Well, hello, Marco.”
“Hiya, Tonya. I was wondering if you might help out my friend Catherine.”
I hold up my red file again. “I have everything you asked for.” I set my driver’s license on the counter with a loudslap. “Valid government-issued ID, confirmed by the DMV.”Slap.“Valid original birth certificate, complete with embossed seal.”Slap.“Original Social Security card. I’d like you to make sure I’m back in the system.”
“Hmmmm,” Tonya says, gathering my papers together. “We’ll just have to see, won’t we?”
Tonya turns to her computer and begins typing, occasionally glancing down at my paperwork and then back to her screen. I wipe my sweaty hands on my pant legs. Her brows knit together. I shift my weight from one foot to the other. She mumbles, “Hmmmm,” a few more times. I chew on my thumbnail. And then she looks up, her expression softer than I’ve ever seen it, aside from the times she was mooning at Uncle Marco.
“Well, it seems it’s all there.”
I freeze. Did she say—“What?” I ask, just to be sure.
Tonya nods at her computer. “You’re back in the system.”
Uncle Marco lets out a triumphant whoop and pumps his fist in the air.
“Really?” My body sags with relief. “It’s really there?”
Tonya nods.
“Thank you so much,” I say breathlessly. “I don’t know how you made this happen, but I’m grateful.”
