Identity



This is my id card on the left, and this is a recent photo of me on the right. Quite a difference wouldn’t you say?

The dreadful photo on the left is the one on my id card. It was taken three years ago, when I finally managed to get out of the house after having a broken shoulder and broken ankle at the same time. I couldn’t use crutches because of the shoulder, so I’d been stuck indoors for months, and I certainly hadn’t been to the hairdresser.

The photo on the right was taken a week ago, when I was all glammed up for a Christmas dinner. I’d made a mess of blow drying my hair, but I like the cut and colour. Well, these days I have a friend who’s a hairdresser, lucky me. But I’ve looked more or less like this since a week after the id photo was taken.

Here’s the fun part. Every time I use a credit card, they ask to see my id card too So I hand over an id card and they check the names match.

I’ve had this card three years. It looks nothing like me at first glance. And yesterday was the first time in three years that a shop assistant did a double take. I wonder what would happen if I covered up the photo on my ID card with a picture of Mickt Mouse. Do you think anyone would notice?

Posted by sheila

Sheila came to La Palma with a six month contract and has stayed 24 years so far. She used to work as a software engineer at the observatory, but now she's a writer and Starlight guide.

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