Well, I don't know who was more excited the day of his Citizenship, NM or I. We got up and I rushed around trying to find exactly what I wanted to wear. (I had spent a couple of days on this, but as we all know, we have nothing to wear until the last moments.) I wore a black Abaya with leopard print trimming and a sienna brown colored Hijab. It was cold and snowy out, so I had some flesh toned leopard print leggings on underneath my Abaya, that I wore with a pair of brown boots. He wore a nice dress shirt, slacks, and dress shoes. We got all the paperwork around and headed uptown.
We drove around and around in the city near the courthouse trying to find a parking space. He was going to be late so he parked, hopped out, and I jumped in the driver's seat. People were honking and just freaking the heck out. He ran off to find the building and I turned the corner and drove trying to find a parking place. I found an open meter space on a bridge 2 city blocks away. The downside, I didn't have any change to go in it. The meter had the option for using a credit card, so I put mine in, hoping I had enough on there. I went back to the car and made sure it was all locked up, as I was locking it up, I noticed he had left his wallet. (I totally started to panic like a crazy woman about him not being allowed in and missing his ceremony.) There was no way they were going to let him in the building with no ID. So I grab his wallet and start running down the snowy bridge. I ran about a block before I had to turn the corner, to go up two blocks, to the courthouse. I turn the corner sliding along, I was probably a sight. A Muslim woman in flowing black garb, Abaya hiked up around my leopard print clad thighs, and my boots slip sliding in the snow. I got over half way and I saw a guard to the building and asked him where I needed to go. All I panted out was, "Citizen... pant pant pant... Citizenship... pant pant... ceremony... pant pant... where... pant... to go? pant pant..." He directed me and I hiked up my abaya and started running again. I'm sure the man was fairly amused by my wild lack of composure and decorum. My lungs were on fire, I felt like I had eaten saw dust, my throat and mouth were raw and tasted a bit blood-ish.
I finally get to the front of the building and find NM waiting in line to get in. I stand there panting, and coughing, holding out his wallet like some kind of prized life saving device. His dress pants bottoms have mud all over them, he too had had a bit of a searching jaunt around the buildings, and had traversed through a puddle or four before finding said destination. He calmly thanked me, seeming to not notice my disheveled appearance. I straighten my attire in a window reflection. So much for worrying about what I was going to wear...
We went through metal detectors and were also wanded before we were sent on up to the courtroom for the ceremony. A couple of people from NM's work had come to see him become a citizen. It was great of them to come along. So the four of us sat and enjoyed the ceremony together. NM got to register to vote, placed his hand over his heart and was sworn in, he walked up and got his certificate. There was a singing quartet that was quite nice, all in all it was a good day.
T.T.F.N.
We drove around and around in the city near the courthouse trying to find a parking space. He was going to be late so he parked, hopped out, and I jumped in the driver's seat. People were honking and just freaking the heck out. He ran off to find the building and I turned the corner and drove trying to find a parking place. I found an open meter space on a bridge 2 city blocks away. The downside, I didn't have any change to go in it. The meter had the option for using a credit card, so I put mine in, hoping I had enough on there. I went back to the car and made sure it was all locked up, as I was locking it up, I noticed he had left his wallet. (I totally started to panic like a crazy woman about him not being allowed in and missing his ceremony.) There was no way they were going to let him in the building with no ID. So I grab his wallet and start running down the snowy bridge. I ran about a block before I had to turn the corner, to go up two blocks, to the courthouse. I turn the corner sliding along, I was probably a sight. A Muslim woman in flowing black garb, Abaya hiked up around my leopard print clad thighs, and my boots slip sliding in the snow. I got over half way and I saw a guard to the building and asked him where I needed to go. All I panted out was, "Citizen... pant pant pant... Citizenship... pant pant... ceremony... pant pant... where... pant... to go? pant pant..." He directed me and I hiked up my abaya and started running again. I'm sure the man was fairly amused by my wild lack of composure and decorum. My lungs were on fire, I felt like I had eaten saw dust, my throat and mouth were raw and tasted a bit blood-ish.
I finally get to the front of the building and find NM waiting in line to get in. I stand there panting, and coughing, holding out his wallet like some kind of prized life saving device. His dress pants bottoms have mud all over them, he too had had a bit of a searching jaunt around the buildings, and had traversed through a puddle or four before finding said destination. He calmly thanked me, seeming to not notice my disheveled appearance. I straighten my attire in a window reflection. So much for worrying about what I was going to wear...
We went through metal detectors and were also wanded before we were sent on up to the courtroom for the ceremony. A couple of people from NM's work had come to see him become a citizen. It was great of them to come along. So the four of us sat and enjoyed the ceremony together. NM got to register to vote, placed his hand over his heart and was sworn in, he walked up and got his certificate. There was a singing quartet that was quite nice, all in all it was a good day.
T.T.F.N.
Anne
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