When I am asked to give my name at a restaurant – either to get a table or to later claim my food – I usually give my middle name:
Wade
It’s not exactly a common name – more so as a last name – but it’s also not that uncommon. Short, easy to type and say – and since I used to go by Wade when I was younger, hearing someone say it gets my attention.
And it maybe throws off some data points if someone is tracking me. Just saying.
Unfortunately, as simple as the name is, people still somehow mess it up. This usually shows on the receipt – sometimes, I’m:
WAYDE
What? Is that really a name? Looks like it should be pronounced
Waaaaaade.
Even when they ask me to spell it, that can go awry too. Today, at Wendy’s, I was W-A-D-E:
WADD
Yeah, not one of my finer moments.
I guess it’s not really a big deal – not like they got this wrong on my diploma or birth certificate – but… still…
We are not our names. We are something else that wears a name like a jacket or a pair of shoes.
And for a little while today, I was wearing WADD.
The burger tasted the same no matter how my name was spelled and I guess that’s what counts. The fries were good too.
And then it was back to work and back to Anthony. Can’t imagine how badly that one could get mangled. All those letters…