aureliejc

“I wanted to name you Penelope, and imagined everyone would call you Penny.” said my mom when I asked her about my name.

It is another story for another time, but my mother brought me into this world in a foreign country, alone, at the age of 22.

I left the hospital several days later as Jo Ann Aurelie Cloutier.

Aurelie is a family name.. It was my dad’s choice for me. It has its roots in France and in my humble opinion, it pairs nicely with Cloutier.

In my imagination, (which is alive and well) I can hear my name being shouted from the rooftops—— I now present to you… a girl… born in Europe… on the 29th of April…

JO ANN AURELIE CLOUTIER

(pronounced Aw-ruh-lee- Clo-tea-ay). In my reality, I can hear my mom saying, “Jo Ann-Aurelie-Cloutier- YOUNG LADY! YOU get up right now and stop kicking the floor because you didn’t get what you wanted from the store! You just wait until your dad gets home!”

Sassy girl shoots back: “NO! My name is Penelope!”