Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles

So we bought a new van. We needed a new vehicle and after researching vehicles and talking about buying a new car for over a year, we purchased a Kia Sedona. I wasn't sure I was ready to drive a van, but I actually like it. I love the automatic doors and trunk and I love all the room. But that isn't the story here.

Today I decided to get the license plates since our temporary tag expires while I'm in Florida next week. I thought I also needed to get an official copy of the title. So instead of going to the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles on Heatherdowns where you can get plates but not a title in a part of Toledo that I am very familiar with and feel very comfortable in, I ventured downtown to Madison Avenue so I could get the title and the plates during one stop.

I walked in and immediately was aware of the fact that I was the minority in the room. Out of the 20 or so people there, Willa and I were two of the only three white people. Everyone else was downtown Toledo black. But that isn't the story either.

This is the story...

After having to wait over an hour to be waited on, I was happy to be leaving with my new license plates in hand and the title I came in with (I found out I already had the official title). So I walked out onto Madison Avenue into the sunshine and WIND! A toothless, homeless man was standing outside and he walked up to take a peek at Willa. As he was looking at her and admiring my "cute little boy," my title (which was tucked in the license plates bag laying in the little basket at the bottom of my stroller) BLEW AWAY. I stood there for what seemed like a minute staring at my title blow down Madison Avenue. My important document that says I own my brand new vehicle was blowing down the street in downtown Toledo. Without thinking, I ran into the street dodging a city bus as I yelled "thank you" to the toothless, homeless man for his compliment. Then I looked back over my shoulder and realized I just left Willa with said toothless, homeless man. So I ran back up onto the sidewalk, grabbed the stroller, and pulled it off the curb into the street with me hoping the car seat wouldn't fall off the stroller.

I paused for a moment to search for the title blowing around with garbage and leaves and spotted it. I took off running with the stroller in front of me towards the little folded white piece of paper. It settled and just as we got close, the wind turned and the title started blowing again. It blew in the opposite direction this time. So I had to spin the stroller around, pause for a car to drive by, and start running the other way. Of course, the wind changed directions again and the title started blowing back towards me. Thoughts were going through my head of some downtown Toledoian finding my title and transferring my car into his name or having to wait in the line again and explain to Lartisha what just happened. But this time as the wind blew the title in my direction, it blew right to me and landed at my feet getting caught on my stroller.

I bent down and picked it up and let out a sigh of relief. I stood up and looked up onto the sidewalk at the toothless, homeless man and a few other downtown Toledo spectators staring at me and felt the need to explain myself. Explain why I was running up and down Madison Avenue between 16th and 17th Streets with a 2 month old in a stroller. But I didn't. Instead I just looked down and walked slowly to my car, got in, and drove away.