A boy named Alice
Have you ever heard of that song “A boy named Sue”? If you have you might get an inkling about what my life is like. Supposedly the father of the boy named him Sue so he would get teased and bullied in school in order to toughen him up. Well my sire liked that philosophy and named me Alice. Needless to say very much like Sue’s my life isn’t very nice because of it. That is also why I call my sperm donor “sire” I just can’t bring myself to call him “dad” or “father” even. Complete and utter moron, spineless too.
One day a few years ago when I needed to get a haircut again my sire took me to the barber. So far all normal except this was a new place since my former barber retired. The new guy asked me for my name, I told him my name was Alice and he told my father that he didn’t cut women’s hair, obviously under the impression that I was a girl. Can’t really blame him with my name. Of course the big idiot was too ashamed to admit he named his son Alice and instead made a flimsy excuse of being new in town and not knowing the location of a salon. He got directions to a salon and since then I’ve worn my hair long. Yes I know plenty of girls wear their hair short, but those haircuts are decidedly more feminine than just wearing it long. I don’t have to explain you that a boys’ crew-cut wasn’t an option at that place.
“Why didn’t you just go to the barber when you got older?” you ask? Well despite being a massive coward in public he has made it clear in no uncertain terms that I was not to set foot in that place. He wasn’t going to be humiliated by having that guy know I was a boy after he said to him I wasn’t. And that was that, end of discussion. He clearly didn’t think things through when he declared my birth. And by that I mean that people would get on HIS case too for giving your son a name that is tantamount to child abuse. The issue also never got raised at school, at least not until I forced the issue due to PE. At kindergarten I was considered a girl by all the staff and my sire made no objections when I was referred to in the feminine form, coward. At least one good thing came from that, I didn’t have to play with the boys. Stupid little idiots the whole lot, always trying to show how tough they are, really not my cup of tea.
Speaking of schools, ever notice how people ignore the gender marker on your ID if your name is obviously female or obviously male? Well I did, when moving up from kindergarten I was registered as a girl, despite the gender box on my birth certificate we had to provide said male. I didn’t find out until I had to change for gym. I refused to go change with the girls since I was a boy. The teachers obviously didn’t believe me since my records told them I was female. I was very persistent however and they took me to the school nurse, something about me possibly being transgendered. The nurse started to ask questions about why I wanted to be a boy, and if it really would be that upsetting to change with the other girls. I told her that I was a boy and that my sire named me Alice on purpose. I also dropped my trousers and showed her, knowing that that probably was the only way to get the point through. She did. She told the headmaster that a mistake has been made with my registration and that I was definitely male. That got the headmaster going. He wasn’t well pleased with my sire naming me Alice and was ready to call child services.
Fortunately he did think to ask me if I actually was abused back home, my name aside. Since I actually was properly taken care of, well fed, well clothed and no signs of physical abuse. In the end he didn’t call child services but he did lay into the man over the telephone. He also asked me if I would prefer to be called by another name in school, he didn’t normally condone nicknames but he felt that I was a proper exception. Sadly this was well a week into the school year and the damage was done already. I was known as Alice and after the gym incident well… let’s say my sire finally got the teasing and bullying he wanted. Of course I was also grounded for a month for humiliating him, and when I asked what I was supposed to do, shower with the girls? He extended it to two months for talking back to him, no talking sense in him I guess.
Which brings me to today, I’m 13 now and about to start highschool. Can’t say I’m looking forward to it, since it’s probably exactly the same as earlier. Me being a social leper for being a boy with a girls’ name. It probably doesn’t help that I got a haircut yesterday and with me being distracted with trying to think of ways for damage control, I accidently agreed to my hairdresser to give me bangs. By the time I noticed it was too late to go back. I was either going to sport bangs, or a girly bob. I chose the bangs. Sigh, hopefully it isn’t worse like the usual crap at least.
Author's note: It seems like my writingblock for Selene won't dissolve anytime soon. Instead I give you this, the boy named Alice. Hopefully I can keep this going for a bit longer. Anyway the prologue is told in an autobriographical format, I will change to first person and present time for subsequent chapters. So if this format bothers you, it really only is there to provide background information.
Comments
Looks very promising!
The format looks fine to me. :)
HUGS!
S
what a mean dad
interesting start
"Dad"
Yup, "Dad" isn't a very nice person in this story, although he would refrain from physical violence (because that would mean he gets blamed for that and if there is anything he hates it's negative attention).
Nice start
Nice start
It's a start
Definitely a good start, hope to see more.
Names have changed over the
Names have changed over the decades and centuries, from being a girl's name to being a boy's name or being used by either gender.
I have a grandson Bailey and a grandniece Bailey; and a grandson named Dakota, and a grandniece Dakota.
My grandson Dakota, when he was around 6 yrs old, thought it was really cool that two States decided to name themselves after him. Needless to say we had to correct his thinking on that issue.
I think this story has lots going for it, and I for one really want to see how Alice deals with High School and what comes his way in life. Especially life in the fast lane. :-)
Usually One-Way
Heh! So two of your grandsons have female second-cousins with the same name. Do any of second cousins know each other?
For girls at least, the change often goes so much faster than decades and centuries. Madison was an uncommon boy's name, a more common surname, and (thanks to one of the US Presidents and Founding Fathers) known for certain places. Then a mermaid in her human form spotted "Madison Av" in NYC, and the rest is history. (Now, over one percent of all high-school girls in the US is named Madison.) Something similar apparently happened with "Riley", although I haven't found out what.
-- Daphne Xu (a page of contents)
Names of people and places
There's also a town Madison, Wisconsin. There's a town in California named Baker. My dad was getting along in years and when the young lady behind the cash register found out that was his last name she asked if they named the town after him to which he replied "sweetie, I'm so old they named everything after me."
Chris
When he becomes an adult ...
... he might consider opening a restaurant.
Truly a Coward
Sire is a bully and a coward. He bullies his son, because his son is so much smaller and weaker than him -- or was years ago. Now, the habits and programming are ingrained as with fleas in a flea circus. He grounds his son because the headmaster laid into him, and then grounds his son further for "talking back". Bullies are mindless incompetents as well, with no respect for the truth.
I hope to see this story taken further, especially if Alice can break the programming and slug his sire when the time comes.
I hope that Alice doesn't become butt monkey or the chew toy of the story or the town.
-- Daphne Xu (a page of contents)
Songs and real life
Nor all songs mimic real life. "The Boy Named Sue" is a real good song, but any rational parent would be moraine naming their son Alice. People in songs only get hurt if written into the song. People with such names get hurt in real life.
The son being grounded because the father felt humiliated? Who was the moron who named their son Alice? Maybe he should have thought of the ramifications before naming his son?
Others have feelings too.