Name Game

I got caught up in another amusing name game over again.

I made a comment on an FB friend’s shoutout and here comes a guy who claims to be my batch mate in elementary. While I’m moderately good in remembering classmates, it was rather hard putting a face into his unfamiliar name so I just said hello. In a matter of minutes, he has already requested me to be his FB friend. Still trying to be polite, I accepted his invitation. Until he made another comment saying “musta na ang cute na classmate?” referring to me. I said huh? As far as I can remember, I have always been considered as one of the heavily built kids in class. I was never referred to as vertically “cute”. And it was only then that I understood. He must have mistaken me for the other Leslie, my 2nd degree cousin who grew up in Bislig, Surigao del Sur. I’m pretty sure she was the “cute” one as she barely reached 5 feet (shhh…).

A day after, I sent the guy a private message telling him he must have meant my cousin and not ME. I told him my cousin and I went to the same school in Davao City though not at the same time. I was there for my 6th grade and didn’t come back after graduation. The following school year my cousin enrolled in the same school, but being a year older than me, she came in as a 2nd year high school student. My former classmates who were incoming freshmen then, must have thought I have been accelerated! Wow!

It’s funny how we’ve been named exactly the same down to our middle initials although her name is slightly longer with the additions of (Leslie) Ann Luna (?). Our fathers were 1st degree cousins and have not been in contact for sometime until they met in Davao City while we lived there for a year. When I found out there was someone else with the same name as I had, I felt a sudden pang and wished I could move somewhere else away from that kid. No offense meant to you cuz, but I guess every one else would just rather be unique. Last I heard she became a nurse and worked abroad. She must have felt the same way I did!

I may have gone to 4 different schools in elementary and must have interacted with a thousand kids but familiar names will always be familiar to me. So my apologies to you, Cycris Pedrosa. I may have to unfriend you sooner than I thought.