Our Girl’s Name
Most folks don’t know that Frau Reinke was named after a cousin, Evlynn Mahoney, who died very young. Given that Our Girl had that high school ring from Saint Dominic’s in Jersey City, her namesake died after high school. Like a dummy, I don’t remember any of the details. That ring was carried in her jewelry box from place to place over the years. It was never lost or far from her thoughts. When diabetes swelled her hands, my class ring and her wedding ring joined that ring in her treasure chest. We got some much larger rings for her to wear and never talked much about the swelling and what it portended.
Her first battle over her “name” occurred when she hit Holy Family Academy in Bayonne. She showed up and gave her name “Evlynn”. Tilt! She’s told: “There’s no saint named ‘Ev Lynn’. No one ever got anywhere arguing with Nuns. So she registered as “Ev E Lynn”. Not happy but that’s life.
Fast forward about four years. She’s graduated from her beloved HFA and it’s time to get a job. Off to AT&T in NYC. I have no idea what led her there? It might be interesting to know. That decision predetermined so many other events. One wonders what might have happened.
So she gets the job and is filling out the forms. She has her diploma, social security card, and her birth certificate. No problem. Turns them into HR and is waiting get her I’d card. Tilt! Big hub bub and consternation. Finally it’s determined she’s not “Ev E Lynn”; she’s “Evlynn” as far as AT&T is concerned. (You really had to her tell the story!)
The story doesn’t end there!
I got in the habit whenever asked “Wife’s name?” to reply “First Name Evlynn Spelled Funny ‘E’ ‘V’ and ‘LYNN’ six letters only one E”.
When we bought our first house, despite all the reminders about name, the papers were all wrong. She had to go through, cross out every misspelling, and initial it. And, had to sign an affidavit to that effect. Boy was she <past tense synonym for urine output> off. She may have even said an Irish Prayer for the lady who did it.
When we bought the shore house, guess what happened?
Yup, another cross out and initial session.
Airline tickets, drivers license, auto title … none ever went easy.
But she was EV LYNN! And, never got rude with the paid help, no matter how they butchered her name. She was much more patient with it than I would be.
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Reinke Faces Life 