story

                                  ECHOES

 

'Marybella, where are you?'  Her voice could have been heard while Niagara Falls fell. Three times she called me, three times I ignored her. The fourth time my anger escaped, became nasty, rude.  Her bellowing, would stop, if only she wouldn't call me Mary bella. In at least five of my 13 years, I've begged her to call me to dinner, call me to take a bath, but don't call me Marybella.

 

The last call had her usual threat, 'Daddy will put his strop to your rear, Child, if you don't show me respect.' I couldn't let her nagging get to me again. I answered her call,' Mean Machine, leave me alone. ' I hurried down the stairs with her right behind me. 'Careful Old Lady. Your knobby legs are showing,' and I escaped again. Outside I made an ugly face to her and ran like the wind, slipping a little on the snow that was just starting.

 

Daddy told me yesterday that we were having company for lunch today and I should behave myself. 'Who? Who?' I asked. 'Wait and see. They're family you never met. You'll love them. Wear a nice outfit, comb your hair, be polite.' That was a lot for him to ask me to do but I promised–if he would tell Momma not to call me Marybella.

 

At 11:30 a.m. the little bell over our front door tinkled and Daddy headed down the steps to see if family was waiting. I was right behind him. Everyone shook hands...except me. I got patted on my blond curly head. Momma had taken off her apron,  put on too much lipstick. Daddy introduced my cousin Alan to me. 'Alan,'this is our Marybella. She is tall for her age, isn't she? She must take after you.' Momma winked at Alan. I fell in love.

 

Darn, I was angry. 'Cousin Alan, 'Momma calls me Marybella and I hate it. Tell her to stop.' Alan  just waited while his beautiful wife came in. She had been in the bathroom taking off her black leather galoshes that had black fur around the top and high heels. She had to be a movie star. In comparison to Momma,  Momma was a witch. My cousin Alan looked at me, smiled, patted me on the head and did the 'no no'. 'Marybella, what grade are you in?' If I were a bit older and a lot taller I might have clipped him. Instead I stared at his gorgeous wife and her goulashes.  My snow boots had metal clamps that cut into my skin when I had to buckle them. If only I had real goulashes. Stop dreaming,' I told myself.

 

Cousin Alan introduced me to his new wife. 'Marbella, this is Valereigh. She is from France and doesn't know too many American words.' Then he whispered in my ear, 'I'm teaching her. I saw you  looking at her goulashes. Do you have any like hers?' I wanted to say I had two pairs but couldn't lie. 'No, Cousin.'

 

'Valereeee? Spell it for me please. I never heard that name before. It is so much nicer than what Momma calls me. Alan brought a folding chair into the living room and motioned to his wife to sit down. As soon as she did, he removed her goulashes and put them on me. Oh, my lord, I felt tall and beautiful and French. Valereeee still had her black furry hat on.  Something odd came over fourteen year old me. My name was going to be changed. 'Announcement, announcement!' I said loudly as soon as Alan and Valereee left. 'My name is now changed. It is Valeere and if you do not call me that from now on, I will neither see nor hear you. First thing the next Monday I told my friends, my teachers , that unless they called me Valeere, I would not not speak to them. Oh, how they laughed at me–but I stood straight and determined. Finally my parents gave in. They often stuttered, stopped on Mary–.

 

I fought the world. I loved my new name and gradually I won, reached eighteen and had my name officially changed at the Court House.

 

It became Zel Valeere Bass, then Zel Valeere Magee. So now you know that determination, desire, CAN work. I close, suggesting you not do as I did. It was tough going just to get my way and made too many people miserable.

 

I still don't have goulashes with fur on them.