The Ties That Bind

Chapter 44

Chapter 44

     Before meeting his father, Kasden was conflicted about the idea of changing his legal documents to reflect the name on his birth certificate or legally changing his last name to Williams, which was the name he felt comfortable with. He'd gone back and forth over the idea many times since he'd gotten a copy of the original (Lennox had mentioned seeing it, and with the information from it, he'd requested a certified copy from the state). Meeting his father had helped him decide; he now wanted to carry the same last name as his dad. His birth certificate listed his name as 'Kasden Ryan James'; all his legal documents, except for the birth certificate listed him as 'Kasden Williams'.

     He wanted to be known as Kasden James; the time felt right. He couldn't recall ever having been Kasden James, but at one time that was who he'd been. If he'd been raised by either of his parents, that is who he would still be. Williams was the last name chosen for him at St. Jerome's, since they had no way to identify his real last name after he was left there. Williams was the name he was used to but carrying his father's last name seemed like the right thing to do.

     There weren't a lot of documents to change, fortunately. His social security information, his personal information at the university, his information at work and his lease agreement. The lease could wait until it was up for renewal, but the others required some legwork; he decided to ask his Uncle Alexander to help guide him through the process. Alexander had mentioned Kasden changing his name when he'd called him in to discuss the trust fund. He'd signed as Kasden James on the paperwork for the trust at the time, as that was the name on the trust, and technically that was his legal name, the name the document had been created under.

     Alexander got him the application forms and submitted them for approval, sending them to the necessary state and federal agencies as well. He gave Kasden copies of all the legal documents so that he'd have them in order to update his driver's license and personal information at the university. There wasn't anything else besides those since he didn't have any loans or property to have updated. After that it was just a matter of time until all the paperwork was processed.

     "Do you feel any different now that you've changed your name?" Luke asked once the documents were all filed.

     "Strangely, I do." Kasden replied. "I can't explain it, though. Nothing else changed, but I do feel different; it's nothing tangible that I can put my finger on."

     "I like the sound of your name. 'Kasden Ryan James'. You should ask your dad if your middle name is after someone they knew or if it was a name your parents liked. My middle name, Allen, is after my mom's dad."

     "It's weird having a middle name, you know?" Kasden said. "I've never had one before; It's going to take a little getting used

     They talked about names for the rest of the afternoon. The topic turned out to be more interesting than either boy would have thought; they hadn't considered that names might carry a history before, like Luke's middle name. Kasden wondered if his first name had any historical significance to his father. Kasden wasn't a common name, after all; Kasden had never met anyone else with the same name either.

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     The girl behind the counter in the university services office was trying to be helpful, but she was having trouble grasping the idea that a male student would change his last name. It was common for girls who had recently gotten married to change their names, but she'd never had a guy do it before. Kasden was trying to be patient, but it was getting harder and harder to hold back his frustration. The girl shouldn't need a detailed explanation of the why, all she really should require was the necessary documentation, and Kasden had all of it on the counter in front of her.

     "Look, I get that you don't see a guy change his last name very often, but it isn't any different than when a girl does it." Kasden reiterated his point. "Can we just get this over with please? I have a class that starts soon, and I don't want to miss it."

     "But why?" The girl asked yet again. "I don't understand why you would do that."

     The girl was starting to get on his nerves. "It doesn't really matter whether you understand why or not. All you need to do is update my name in the system. You're asking personal questions that you really have no business asking. Do I need to have your supervisor come out and do your job?"

     "Well!" The girl huffed. "If that's how you're going to be..."

     She updated his name in the computer and pressed the 'submit change' button. The machine displayed a message that the update was successful. She turned the display to show him that it was done, then bruskly asked him if there was anything else he wanted her to do. He thanked her, informing her that there was nothing else as he left the counter to make his way to his class. What should have taken just a few minutes, had taken nearly half an hour; if he was lucky, he wouldn't miss too much of the lecture.

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     One last stop, and his name change would be complete: The Department of Motor Vehicles. He did have a driver's license, even though he didn't have a car, and rarely ever drove Davy's. Being able to drive when needed was important, or at least Kasden thought so. One of these days, he would get a car, but having one meant the expense of a parking pass to park on campus, licensing, insurance and maintenance on the vehicle; all expenses he could do without. His apartment did have a small parking area behind the building that he could use at no additional cost, but since neither he nor Luke had a car, the spot sat vacant unless another tenant had guests over.

     He was dreading this stop more than any other because there were always long lines and waits at the DMV. Kasden took a number and sat in one of the hard metal chairs that made up the waiting area. As he'd anticipated, the wait was a long one. 

     When his number was finally called, unlike the girl at school, the bored woman behind the counter didn't question anything. She checked his documentation, verified his address, pressed a few buttons and the update was done. She did look to see if his appearance matched the photograph they had on file, and when it did, she informed him that he wouldn't need to have his photo taken again.

     "Your new license will be mailed to you; it usually takes six to ten business days to arrive. Was there anything else you needed?"

     When Kasden replied that there was nothing more, she excused him and called the next number from the queue before he'd even stepped out of the way. Kasden chuckled silently as he stepped away from the counter, for once he was grateful for bored, uninterested customer service people. He was ready to go home and crash on the couch until Luke got off work.