What's in a name?

The other day, my friend Yvette and I were walking out to the parking lot after work and for some reason we got on the subject of names and nicknames. She told me that family members call her Vetty and that she didn't like it. She asked them to stop calling her that, but they never did. In return, I told her that my nickname was bunny, but it was more of a real name to me and that the only people that call me Victoria were the people at work and my ex-husband and he called me Vickie. Well that was the funniest thing she had ever heard and she just laughed and laughed and said you are sooo not a bunny...you are more of a Victoria. I just shrugged my shoulders and laughed a little, hopped in my car and started the drive home.

Then I started to think... Why don't I look like a bunny, it's my name for god sakes and what does a Victoria look like? Don't most people have nicknames? Usually given from birth or childhood and probably an interpretation of the original name. The
story goes...My father used to call me Honey Bunny Bucket as an endearing term, but when my mother found out that a "honey bucket" was the actual bucket solders used to empty the out houses, it was changed to"honey bunny" and then bunny. It's fine. It was fine then and it's fine now. This name has produced some interesting reactions like...as I said before, my ex-husband refused to call me bunny because he said that bunny reminded him of a party girl (little did he know)and proceeded to call me Vickie...who was that? After being hired in a Dr. office, one of the Doctors asked me did I have any nicknames and what would I like to be called. I think he was thinking I'd say Vickie or something like that, so when I said Bunny, he turned red, giggled a little and proclaimed out loud, how am I gonna explain your name to my wife? In my mind I'm thinking, this is a doctors office right, cuz if I'm at the Hefners mansion I can't find the love grotto...give me a break! My in-laws who are Austrian and have a little trouble with the English language, could not for the life of me say my name. It used to come out Bonnie. Their better now...it only took 20 years. Children have thought I was the actual Easter bunny too..how cool is that? I have been called, bunz, bunola, grunz, grunola, bunster, bun (the most popular) bunion, bunners, bunmeister and several other over the years, all of which I don't mind..I kinda like it. And why do I like it....because it's my name. I don't mind calling you all by your nicknames....Bedgie, Leenie, meej, Cyn,Torrie, Rocky so on and so forth. If you all didn't like it, you would of told me or let it be known. Nicknames are who we are and they are where we come from and there is always a story behind it. It's what makes us unique.

When I got home , I pulled my car into the garage, shut off the engine and texted Yvette. I wrote...."Your just jealous, cuz you don't have a bitchen animal nickname...I'm just say'in!