Bobby, Ryan, Samantha, Peter, William, Leslie, Kate and Kristi
She had two parents, who, although work-a-holics, loved Jackie very much. So much in fact, that they named her after America’s one and only true princess…Jackie Kennedy.
They loved the name…Jackie didn’t.
“I hate my name,” Jackie would tell her friends, even though all of them agreed that it was a very pretty name.
“Well I still hate it and someday I’m going to change it,” she would reply when her friends would try to convince her that her name should win beauty contests.
“So what would you change it to?” said Bobby, Ryan, Samantha, Peter, William, Kate or Kristi. (Leslie didn’t give two shits about Jackie’s name)
“Vanessa. I love that name,” said Jackie.
“Oh NO! You can’t change your name Jackie,” her mother would always say when the subject was brought up.
“Why not?” Jackie replied.
“Because.”
This answer did not satisfy Jackie so she went to her father.
“Because your mother said.”
This too was not satisfactory.
It was a Tuesday morning when she finally got the nerve to change her name completely. She woke up, put on her new Vanessa wardrobe consisting of a blue sleeveless blouse, a shorter than normal pair of shorts, and a pony tail. “Wait,” she said, “Something’s just not right.” She took the pony tail holder out of her hair and it fell like leaves to her shoulder. “Much better,” she said as she headed downstairs to grab some breakfast.
“Good morning Mother,” Vanessa said with confidence.
“Good morning Jackie,” Vanessa’s mother replied.
“That’s not my name mother, it’s Vanessa,” said Vanessa.
“No its not.”
“Yes it is. I changed it this morning. My name is Vanessa now.”
“Well that’s no good…no good at all,” said Vanessa’s mother who’s face now looked like the eggs she was frying. “Michael! Michael did you just hear what your daughter said to me?”
Michael, Vanessa’s father, was groggily stumbling into the kitchen with the morning paper and mussed hair. Michael had one hell of a time getting up in the morning and needed precisely three and a half cups of coffee to start his motor running.
“No, what did she say,” he garbled.
“She said she’s changed her name to Vanessa.”
“WHAT?” said a startled Michael. “Well that can’t be. Your name is Jackie.”
“Not anymore Dad, it’s Vanessa.”
“Oh. Hmmm…can I still call you sweetheart?” This was all Michael was worried about.
“Sure dad, just not Jackie.”
“Well then I suppose that’ll be fine sweetheart.” Michael smiled and turned his eyes toward a story involving tourism revenues in the eastern half of Birmingham.
“Fine? This is not fine at all Michael,” said Vanessa’s mother who was burning her eggs. “This is serious! Think of all the trouble this is going to cause! We’ll have to notify everyone we know! Your grandparents, your teachers, your doctor, the paper, the milk man, the post man, your girl scout troop, your future university, the local legislature, the President, Chinese immigrants, the Pakistanis who own the restaurant down the street, your barber, Mrs. Crandle…Mrs. Crandle…Mrs. Crandle…”
She was babbling incoherently now as she left the kitchen, grabbed her purse and headed out the door. Vanessa could hear her mother screaming, “VANESSA!” at Mrs. Crandle who was pruning her shrubs.
“I’m going to school Dad,” said Vanessa.
“Ok,” said Michael.
When Vanessa got to school that morning the first person she ran into was her longtime friend Kristi, who was a blonde girl with bad teeth. Everyone liked Kristi even though she had bad teeth.
“Jackie! Nice outfit,” said the fashion conscious Kristi.
“Thanks, but my name’s not Jackie…its Vanessa.”
“Vanessa? Oh, sorry…I thought you were someone else,” said Kristi as she turned and walked away.
Vanessa wanted to call out to Kristi to tell her that she really was Jackie but that she just changed her name to Vanessa because it fit better with her personality, but before she could get all of that out, she heard cat calls coming from behind her.
“Damn Jackie! You’re looking good today!” It was William and Peter, but not at the same time.
She tried to be a little more clear when dealing with William and Peter than she was with Kristi so she went about her announcement a little differently.
“Thanks guys, but I changed my name from Jackie to Vanessa this morning. You can call me Vanessa from now on.”
“Ummm…Ok Vanessa. See you later,” the two boys said in unison as they crossed the hall to go hit on Jennifer, the new red head in school.
The rest of the afternoon got harder and harder for Vanessa. She sat alone at lunch since none of her friends knew her anymore. When she tried to sit down at their usual table in her usual seat Kate told her that, “That seat is saved for Jackie. You’ll have to go sit somewhere else Vanessa.”
“But it’s still me! I just changed my name guys!” Vanessa pleaded.
“Whatever Vanessa,” and all of her friends chewed on greasy pizza.
When she tried to go to class and explain her name change to her teachers, things didn’t get any easier. She sat down in her usual seat and during role her English teacher said, “Jackie, is Jackie here today?”
“I’m right here Mrs. Lewis, but I’ve changed my name to Vanessa now.”
“Oh…well I’m afraid you’ll have to go sit outside until we can find a seat for you Vanessa.”
“My old seat is fine Mrs. Lewis,” Vanessa said.
“But that seat is already taken. You’ll have to go sit in the hall…Vanessa.”
So Vanessa went out to the hall and sat beside the door for lecture. She had to hear about Shakespearian sonnets from under the crack in the door. This is not a good way to hear about Shakespearian sonnets.
“This is horrible,” said Vanessa to Leslie when she saw her in the hall before last period. “Everyone is treating me so much differently now that my name’s Vanessa. But I’m still the same person I was yesterday, I just have a different name now!”
“Yep,” said Leslie who still didn’t give two shits about Vanessa’s name. It was comforting to see someone was staying consistent.
After her last period history class was over and she had finished learning about the Battle of Little Bighorn through the cracks in the door, Vanessa went to wait by the street for her mother to pick her up from school. She usually waited with Samantha because their mother’s worked at the same beauty salon and would get off work at about the same time. Today though, Samantha wasn’t anywhere around and Vanessa was waiting alone.
Vanessa’s mom would usually show between 3:45 and 4:00 PM. It was now 4:02 and the wind was beginning to blow in from the west. Soon it was 4:35…and then it was 5:00 PM.
“She’s never this late,” said Vanessa almost sure that her mother was picking up another Jackie and taking her to replace the Jackie she had just lost.
Tears began to smear Vanessa’s mascara as the time drug on. With her head in her hands, she didn’t notice the boy who was walking up behind her.
“Excuse me?” said the boy walking up behind her. “Are you ok?”
Vanessa was startled, but not enough to jump. She was more relieved to hear another voice than anything else. “It’s just been a shitty day,” Vanessa told the oddly attractive boy she didn’t recognize.
“Well I won’t make you tell me about it if you don’t want to. It’s cool. My name’s Zack.”
“Mines Ja…I mean Vanessa,” she smiled as she made the correction.
“Well are you waiting for anyone in particular?” Zack asked.
“I was supposed to be waiting for my mom but she’s incredibly late today.” Vanessa replied.
“Well I can give you a lift home if you need one, I just a new truck, its a standard but I'm getting pretty good at shifting.”
“It is starting to get a little cold out here and I could definitely use a ride.”
“Cool…well its this way,” Zack pointed and the two began the walk to his beat up red Chevy.
Zack gave Vanessa a ride home, took her out to pizza, movies, carnivals, parks, beaches, states, countries, cruises, honeymoons and family reunions. Zack’s last name was Westly and after he took Vanessa ring shopping she became a Westly too. Things don’t normally happen this way for high school sweethearts, but it did for this couple and I have to say that I’m quite glad about it too. Vanessa Westly was just so fitting for a young girl who had felt nameless for 17 years.