Esslie's Name
The Bells of St. Anthony's Episode 14
Esslie’s Name
As told by Dinah
I've vaguely known Esslie Yun since fifth grade at Our Lady of Tender mercy, but it wasn't until high school that I heard something about her that flipped me over my head.
I found her sitting on a bench near St. Lucy's tree, strumming an unplugged base guitar. "Leslie?"
She looked up without breaking her melody. "Oh, it's you. What's up, Dinah?"
"Your name's really Leslie?"
"Well, yeah. Esslie's just a nickname. I thought everybody knew that."
"I dunno, we just never had a class together, I guess, so I never heard a teacher call for you. Then this morning, at the assembly..."
"Right." She was still idly strumming. "You know, it's actually roll call that got me this nickname."
"Do tell." I sat beside her.
"I dunno if it's much of a story. But in third grade there was a typo in the roster, and the teacher didn't notice. It was super embarrassing. Before I knew it, that's all anybody would call me."
"You don't seem embarrassed now."
She shrugged. "I just kinda ran with it. Nobody meant any harm, and I dunno, it made me feel sorta special, I guess."
"Well, that's good. Better than the nickname I used to have?"
"What was that?"
I didn't have to answer. As soon as she got to the question mark, she made a face that told me she knew exactly what it was. In fact, I'd forgotten that Esslie was one of the kids who'd called me that.
Esslie hit a sour note on one of her strings. "So you were..."
"Go ahead and say it."
"Look, I'm sorry. We were just kids. You know kids are jerks."
"I'm not mad." I was, but I wasn't interested in a fight. "In fact, we can drop it now." Like she said, kids can be jerks, especially when it comes to insensitive puns on someone's name, especially when they result from falling butt-first into a mud puddle in white pants.
Her strumming slowed to a stop. "I really am sorry, Dinah."
"Sorry for what?" As long as she was apologizing. Maybe I'm pettier than I realize."
"For... You know... Dinarrhea. Can you forgive me?"
I made a sigh big enough to be sure she could hear it. "It's all right. We've all had some growing up to do. And it's not like you came up with it."
"Heh, true enough." She plucked a last note. "I better get going." She raised the strap over her head and opened up her case.
"Yeah, me too." I got my backpack and headed inside, where Maeve was waiting by the window facing St. Lucy's Tree.
"What were you talking to Esslie about?"
"Oh, just old nicknames."
"Gotcha." She chuckled. "Heh, that reminds me of this really awful one I came up with in fifth grade. This girl fell in the mud, and it looked like she..." Her smile faded. "So we called her..." Her face became a tomato as I glared into her eyes.
I briefly wondered if Esslie would let me use her bass as a blunt instrument.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" she said. "I switched schools in sixth, so I forgot it was you!"
"Oh forget about it." I should never have even brought it up.
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