Registering for my Senior High School classes was something I had dreamed about all summer. Most of my required courses were done so I would be able to enjoy choir and art, as well as participate in a jobs program. As soon as I got there I headed straight for the English Department table to sign up for 3rd hour with my favorite teacher.
I told the girl behind the table my name and she fingered through a box of index cards. She couldn't find mine so she checked her class lists and said that I had already been there because I was signed up for 4th hour. Telling her that I just walked in the door I handed her my ID thinking she might have misheard my name. My maiden name is Polish and it was often misread and mispronounced. After checking her list again she told me that the person signed up for 4th hour had the same first, middle and last name with the exact same spelling. The only difference was that she was listed as a junior.
I was getting frustrated having to explain at every table that there were two of us. When I reached the last table and handed in my course cards the registrar was waiting for me. She asked for my Mother’s first Initial and when I said that it was E everyone at the table laughed. Amazingly, although the names were different, her mom’s first initial was also E. The registrar needed something to add to our computer records to tell us apart so she finally settled on our mother’s maiden names. Secretly I felt as though my identity had been stolen and I wondered if she did too. I guess I will never know because as close as she seemed that day I never met her face to face.
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