The issues of that second (or third) name

When I sit obediently on such a green formica chair at the town hall, I am called up by my official first name (by the way, read here too what I think about the double surname). You know me as Adeline, but I still have some secret principles. First, I look around because I think there might be secretly family of mine in the waiting room and then I realize that it is me. It also goes like this at the airport and in the hospital by the way, even though I am called up there very little fortunately.

My parents saddled me with three initials. I am talking about saddling here because it is certainly not a gift. Now I was also raised in a good Christian Protestant manner and then you have to deal with baptism names and a calling name, which makes the situation even more complicated if someone gets wind of your initials. And that was the case this week, it does make you think.

For clarity, I do not want to offend grandmothers, mothers, great-aunts, great-grandfathers, and the like. But honestly, with that second, third, or fifth name, there is always something going on. Most of the time they have such an Old Dutch character that you spontaneously start speaking in terms like rascal (that's how it is with me) and otherwise they are just plain vulgar. But really bloodily vulgar, of such a caliber that you think of hard curls, diamonds in the nails, and a hint of orange on the legs.

Next week I will be an extraordinary civil registrar for a day. I find it a great honor that I get to go to my friends marry, but then you have to voluntarily pronounce your full name. It goes a bit like this: then I declare, full name times three in my case, that you are connected to each other through marriage. There you stand, with sixty people in front of you revealing your biggest secret. I dare to bet that there will be snickering, that someone will give an elbow nudge to their neighbor. Or that they will look weird, because where has Adeline gone in this story? Yes, difficult I already told you.

But I know one thing and that is even sillier. If you find your second name prettier than your first. How in the world are you then? I think it would be so nice if your parents let you be free in your preference. And no, I won't reveal them. A person can have secrets. I can tell you that there are many more Theresa's, Michelle's, Janneke's, and Kirsten's wandering around the editorial office than you think. And maybe one of them is mine.