Put Respect On My Name Novels & Stories

Petition to restore former name. I wrote it in careful block letters. Aurora Bennett. The name I was born with, before I gave it to a man who filed it in a drawer. The clerk stamped it, bored, like she hadn't just handed me back the only thing that was ever really mine. She slid the copy across and called for the next number before I'd even lifted the pen. That was the whole ceremony. A stamp and a stranger already looking past me. It was more than the wedding got, in the end. Then, on the clinic paperwork, I filled the line that had frozen me.

“Let’s just go with that.” “Great. So, what do you want to be called? Do you have anything in particular?” “Before you blurt out anything, you can only name me once. Once you call me by a name, there’s no going back. You can’t change it. So, until you’re sure of a really… really nice name… don’t blurt out random words.” “O…okay!” I scoffed lightly. “You have an attitude, but we’ll deal with that later.”

"Ew." "I didn't mean it like that." He looked out the window. "They just… don't fight but aren't friends right now." I nodded. "Like gym buddies who never talk." Then I poked Mom's arm. "Are we going to change our name today?" She moved a bit. "No, baby. That takes time. Paperwork. Meetings. Probably some weird man with a computer." "Cool," said Michael. "Can I pick a middle name too? Like 'Michael Storm Rhodes'?"

With that said, she looked around and proposed, “Why don’t all of us change our names together, then? That way, no one can say I'm favoring one person over another. Prosperity should be shared by all.” “I'm the president, so I'll take the lead. How about I change my name to ‘Brilliance Gold’? What do you all think?” Everyone in the room fell silent. How could they respond to this? Saying the name was good wouldn't work, and saying it was bad wouldn't either. “Mr. Shimsor, you can change your name to ‘Leopard Gold’.” “Mr. Royce, you can be ‘Beetle Gold’.” “And you, you can be ‘Cudgel Gold’.”

"Once you submit that documentation your name is on a formal legal record. Whatever comes after that is public and permanent." "I know." "I want to make sure you know that I—" He stopped. Started again. "I want to make sure you're not doing this because you feel like you have to. Because of Clara. Because of Preethi. Because of anyone other than yourself." I sat with that for three seconds. The question deserved three honest seconds. "I am doing it because of all of those things," I said. "Including myself. And I have decided that is allowed." I paused. "Are you okay with what happens to your name after tonight?"

They’ve never loved me that way before, everybody hated me so much but they started to love me after I started to see life from another perspective and that was because of Lily but I was already done with her. “Thank you all for coming,” I said as I began to address the people. “You all want to merge with my company because you want so many people to know about your business and patronize you?” “Yes,” their voice echoed at once. “That is very nice but then, as a business owner, you should make sure to have your name. Merging with our company can only take away your name and that means that you do all the work while I take all the glory. You should make your names first and I’m promising to m

I argued. She smiled then, as though she found me quite hilarious. "You see, if I don’t start calling you that, then, I would mistakenly take your name in front of the Alpha, and that is a problem." She paused a bit as she continued. "I know it is not my place to advise you on such things. But, I think it is time to step into your new role to avoid disrespect from others. You were once like me, and it might be harder for some to look at you with respect. It would be in your best interest to make sure that this doesn’t happen."

“Yes and no. Please call me Brian.” For the love of God call me Brian. “Ah, you like being called by your nickname,” Horace commented. “Yes,” Blake answered quickly. “But I had to make the reservation with my legal name because that’s what it says on the credit card I used,” he said, trying to joke a little, but failed. “We understand. We get that all the time. I can put Brian as a preferred name in our system if you like,” Rebecca said. “Yes,” he nearly shouted. “Please do.”

Let them underestimate you, they won't know what hit them. Finally taking my seat, my smile widened even more as my eyes fell on the name card in front of me. "Lucas Carmichael," it read. They'd used my full given name, an uncommon occurrence that strangely felt like another affirmation of my true self. Everything was falling into place, aligning in a way I hadn’t felt in a long time. It was almost intoxicating.

I hoped we could find a good solution for both of us. Roby looked skeptical, "Oh, you always talk like that without any proof, Rico. I'm tired of hearing your empty chatter that never gets realized," he said, dismissing my statement. I felt the need to emphasize an important point. "Stop calling me that name," I said firmly. "You might slip up in public when mentioning my name. I've told you, call me Eric! That is my official name recorded in the civil office. So watch out if you repeat the same mistake by calling me by my old name, Rico. I don't like it."