A New Name

I can't tell you how many years I've wanted a nickname. There are distinct memories from second grade when I realized I couldn't really shorten 'Erica' down to anything 'cool.' My best friend couldn't really either, but it didn't matter: I wanted a nickname. 'Air' was a bit awkward, and a bit too blonde. 'Rica' was just stupid. Friend did start to call me 'E' and in college I started signing this 'e.' (Yes, that is a distinctive lower case 'e'.)

When I lived in Ireland, I became known as 'Erica from America.' My dearest friend there coined the name and it stuck in explanatory terms. In other words, everyone called me 'Erica' but to clarify in situations where I wasn't there (or in people's mobile phones) I was 'Erica from America.'

Then I fell in love with a Brit who's sister had also fallen in love with a woman called 'Erica.' Given that 'Erica from America' popped up again for clarifications sake, and after stilted attempts to use the other Erica's home as a signifier, we gave up: she's 'Erica NOT from America;' it still rhymes.

In England, the name started back up again about two years ago, sometime around my first visit to my lover's home for Valentine's 2008. Here, I am occasionally called 'Erica from America' in family gatherings, and on Christmas tags from holidays past. It was until a week ago though, that the true potential of the nickname really came to fruition. Let me tell you how it went:

I sent a text to my soon-to-be sister in law, and to clarify, just in case, that it wasn't in fact her wife text her, and without taking up all those text letters, I signed my message 'efa.' The following day, Alex and I received a letter from her dad in Cornwall addressed: Ms. A & EfA. Holy moly, Batman--how'd that happen?!

THEN, my friend from Ireland, the one who coined the name in the first place, shows up to stay with us for a week (well planned in advance, mind you) and we start talking about my mouthful of a nickname. Then I tell her about the text message/letter co-incidence and she looks at me and says 'That's a great name!' From that point on this morning, she called me 'Efa.' My eyes have gone starry with excitement: a new name.