what's in a name?
early on
in
the
having-a-baby
discussion
grub and i
decided that
if it was
a girl
i would pick the name
and
if it was
a boy
grub would pick the name.
we both would
have veto power
but
should exercise it
with restraint.
most people
of my generation
seek names
that are unusual.
many of my friends
named their kids
names that i hadn't
heard before
and
then suddenly
it seemed
everyone had
collectively
named
their
kid
austin,
ruby,
atticus,
or
{fill in unusual name}.
it was like
we all shared
a collective
unconsciousness
in the naming
department.
i decided that
i wanted
to name
our daughter
after
an important
woman in my family.
someone i wanted
her to remember.
the choice
was simple
in my case...
my grandmother
valerie.
i never really
knew my grandmother
but always wished
i did.
valerie dhervilliez
was
my father's mother.
she was born
in nancy, france
and orphaned
during
the first world war.
she lived with
her grandfather
until he died
and then
was shuffled
around from
relative to relative
until
she was 16
and left france
to live with
her aunt in nyc.
we shared
so many loves.
she was crafty.
she embroidered,
knitted,
and crocheted.
she
salvaged items
from the trash
and
brought home
finds
from antique stores
(much to
my grandfather's chagrin).
when she traveled
she put together
detailed scrapbooks
and photo albums
with careful documentation
of everything
they did.
she died
when i was 5.
i have
few
scant
memories of her.
the one
i remember
most clearly
was of her
cooking
my brother and i
breakfast.
she was
pouring me
a glass of
orange juice
into
one of those
glasses
with the
oranges painted
on the side.
. . . . .
flynn,
on the other hand,
is one of those
trendier names
but both
grub and i
liked it.
the nurse
practitioner
who we saw
throughout
the pregnancy
in the states
was k. flynn.
we decided
that boy or girl
we would give
them flynn
as a middle name.
grub calls her
flynn.
i call her
vee.
but of course
oma calls her
valerie.
xo
