What's in a name? William Shakespeare said that "a rose by any other name would smell as sweet". But, how true is this fanciful statement? As children we used to chant "sticks and stones may break my bones, but named will never hurt". I couldn't begin to tell you how many times I repeated that chant to myself. Like everyone else, I was picked on by the neighbor kids, but I usually gave back as much as I received, as kids tend to do with their peers. There was no lasting effect from this back-and-forth banter with my peers or my neighborhood playmates.
Home though, that was different. That's where I chanted 'sticks and stones' the most. I would always chant it silently, though. The torment I would have received for chanting it out loud would have been too much to endure. When I was 8 or 9, my father had taken to combining two words and turning that combination into my 'name'. My brothers thought it so funny that they joined in, not understanding how viscous this 'game' would become. It started out with words like 'stupid' and 'dumb'. My name, for however long the game went on, would then be 'Dupid'. My father and brothers would call me that 'name' and I was expected to respond to it.
This game went on well into my teenage years. You can imagine the foul words they would use, combining them into even more disgusting and foul names to call me by. They are too vile to type here and don't deserve to be remembered any longer.
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The Story of Me: An Autobiography
No FicciónThis is my story. I thought that perhaps I should share it, for whatever reason. If you enjoy it, let me know. If you don't enjoy it, let me know. If you have questions or comments about it, please let me know! . Now, I'm by no means the best author...
