Breaking Character in What's Happening

When you meet new people and they ask you “What do you like to be called?” I usually answer with: “Anything that starts with a C-H sound.” My name is Charles but there seems to be endless nicknames for it.

The most common form of my name is Charlie. Even that ends up getting altered. For example, I don’t think I’ve ever heard my Dad pronounce the “R” in my name. He calls me “Challie.” That is common in the area I live.

I think my favorite variation is when Spanish speaking people call me Carlos or Carlitos.

I didn’t like my name when I was a kid. I thought it wasn’t cool. Cool kids were named Mike. That’s what I wanted my name to be.

When I got older I learned to love my name. My entire name is classic and timeless. It’s recognized as one of the most German names you can have. No one ever messes up when they guess my heritage.

It was nice out tonight. Around 45F degrees outside. I was sitting outside on the deck with a beer talking with my roommate.

For a second I broke character: I was staring at the busy street into an abyss of red brake lights. Something took over my thoughts. My brain was hijacked by what I was thinking.

I was snapped back into reality when my roommate said “Yo Chal’! What are you thinking about?” That’s not a common question for guys to ask each other, but he was genuinely curious based off the the look on my face.

I played it off good. I forget what I said, but I got right back into character.

I didn’t want to admit what I was thinking about. I took out the remaining portion of a half-pint of whisky I had waiting in my pocket and chugged the rest of it in front of him (an ability I’m ashamed to have). My brain deserved a break. It was the least I could do.

I put the empty whisky bottle down as I looked at him and smiled.

My thoughts were safe.

Last updated November 27, 2019