I Wouldn’t Because Why?

When I was younger, I hated my name and wanted to change it. I knew when the teachers got to my name that it was me. They had difficulty saying it, and it never would fit when we were tested. The scantron only had enough spaces for nine letters for the first name and more than enough for the last name. I remember finding a paper with a list of names that could have been mine. Those names were Kimberly, Jennifer, and Noreen(for my dad, whose name is Norris). But they decided against those. My paternal grandmother wanted my parents to name me after her. Her name was Wilhemenia Beryl, and she wanted Beryl as my first. My mom decided that she wanted something that sounded like hers, Juanita. She and Ms. Lily came up with Arnittress….How is that anywhere close to my mom’s name? Follow me now. Her name is JuaNIta, my name, ArNIttress(R-knee-tress, yes the A is silent.  So, the Ni or Nit are similar in the pronunciation in both of our names. I’ve always heard oh thats such a pretty name and have been asked. What does it mean? Thank you, means nothing, my mom made it up. For years, I hated the name and always asked why not Kimberly or Jennifer? I could have been called Kim or Jen. As I got older, I got used it and grew into my name. I am the one and only Arnittress, but I have given the Anittress version of my name to someone who I’ve had the pleasure of meeting many, many years later after she was born. I needed a newspaper sale, so in exchange, I gave the father Anittress instead of Arnittress.

I love to hear people say my name correctly, and I look like Arnittress, so if I could, I wouldn’t change my name. I am Arnittress, and Arnittress is me.