They’ve transferred me to another part of the Department, piled high with folders, and had me fill out the dreaded hiring packet once more. Single, no dependents, the bare minimum exceptions, the print all blurs as it’s hard sometimes to remember. And now they need all of the identification documents scanned over, like last time. “Don’t you have them from before?” I ask. Just a few months ago I took out my birth certificate and social security card quickly from the safe in my room and don’t like to re-open it, afraid of what I might find every time.
“Yes,” the secretary replies, “but those files are sealed and confidential.” Confidential from who? From me? I had handed them to this very secretary before but she says if I can’t open my safe I will have to order new documents and the whole process will be delayed for weeks. Should I open it quickly and hope for the best? Or just let another delay happen? Because when I eventually get transferred to another department I will continue to sift through endless paperwork and make sure that all of the files are sealed shut for a slightly higher wage than before. A failed phone call to the county where my birth certificate is held forces me to open the safe, and face documents that can never be sealed.