passport? check!

the man at the counter eyed me over his dark-rimmed spectacles as i leaned over his counter at the post office, alert and ready to shove my birth certificate and already completed passport paperwork at him. when requested, the papers flew to his hands as if they had a life of their own, and i was ready! ready to give him my hundred dollars and even let him keep my drivers license if he needed it. all to have my freedom... freedom in the form of that little booklet called a "UNITED STATES PASSPORT".

::queue the hallelujah chorus, please::

yep, he had all the paperwork, my money, and everything he needed. as he eyed me with an amused "i wonder where she's going" expression, he glanced from my face down to the paperwork with a little chuckle.

he didn't even need to ask. i volunteered the information in an excited rush of words. "africa. i'm going to africa. kitale, actually. my parents bought my ticket and now i'm going to see my friend daniel who started a nonprofit over there. i'm excited."

he looked at me like i was a nutcase. i didn't blame him. poor guy... he was the only person within earshot for me to talk to. oooh.. unless i took off around the corner and into the post office packing area to regale a helpless postworker grandmother with my excited squeals about how i would have the freedom to travel the world once i received that beautiful little book with blank and stampable pages for recording every place i will go...

sigh. no... i wasn't in the mood for a strip search and night in jail when they cuffed me for crossing the painted yellow line and jeopardizing the privacy of united states citizens and their private mail. Lord only knows what i would've seen. oh well. the poor passport guy would have to suffer through my exuberance all on his own. after the first squeal of joy when i signed the papers with him as my witness, the following four or five didnt really phase him.

as a matter of fact, i believe he was genuinely excited for me and my adventure, and shared that he has an aunt in kenya. ha! i invited him to come. heh heh.

when i walked outside i saw the world in a whole new light... it was mine. mine for the taking!! the world was my oyster! i squealed as the door shut behind me, and i could've sworn i heard the passport worker chuckle as i walked away.