Chapter-1
Pacing in the room, covering the lengths of the floor, wearing a shiny crimson top Juliet was contemplating if the reason her mother just gave her could justify the hurt and bullying, she endured all these years. Her eyes narrowed to a point where one would feel she was sleepwalking and her eyebrows scrunched with annoyance. Her pace getting faster with time, and one could hear her heavy breathing merge into the air of the room, or maybe the loud noise of the air conditioner.
"I swear that was the only reason!", a voice interrupted her solo marathon. A woman sitting on the couch looked at her daughter with worry. One could easily tell this middle-aged woman is always complimented for her beauty and must often be called Juliet's sister rather than her mother.
"Mom! You can't just name your daughter Juliet because you liked a movie!", Juliet finally spoke up exasperated at the reason her parents named her after one of the protagonists from a tragic love story. A name that was the misery of her life.
"It was a beautiful movie, but we liked the name too!", her mother replied not quite able to understand what this sudden discussion about – 'I want to change my name!', is all about.
They have called her Juliet for 18 years, and not once did she ever have a problem with this name, then why now? And her mother would have named her something else if she would have known, this name would be a curse to her daughter. She was nothing like the Juliet Shakespeare talks about, her Juliet was deprived of great love!
"Mom, people laugh!", she said with a sigh and finally sat on the chair next to her mother's couch.
"Why do they laugh? Why would anyone laugh at a name?", her mother was still unaware of this generation's lack of humour. The only humour this generation understands is making others feel miserable.
"Mom you won't understand! A Juliet is supposed to be perfect and beautiful!", this was the most she had ever talked about how she felt with her mom.
"You are beautiful, and perfection is just a myth. No one is perfect. And I don't understand how changing your name will solve all the problems. You are Juliet!", her mother spoke in a decisive tone and without any further discussion, walked out of the room. For a few minutes, Juliet sat there trying to not scream in anger. She couldn't or else it would just make matters worse.
Juliet was not perfect; on the contrary, she was damaged in every way possible. But now school was over, and tomorrow is her first day at college in a different country, and rather than worrying about homesickness she was more worried about her name. Childhood traumas do lead to constant anxiety and fear in adulthood.
Juliet finally got up and walked to her room, another disaster! Mess is just a word until one walks into the room of Juliet Elise Iverson. She sat on the huge pile of clothes stacked up on her bed, looking forward to getting packed in those huge suitcases, which were impatiently waiting to be picked up from a box of leftover pizza. Staring at her ceiling, again beige and plain, she smiled. That's how Iversons are, fighters. They cry and scream but then get back on their feet.
"Tomorrow is a new beginning! Maybe college will be different!", she whispered to herself. But then our little Juliet still wishes on seeing a unicorn every night. Who knows if college will be different or not?
Sleeping is a luxury some people can't afford. People who are hustlers, or maybe slaves of their dreams. Juliet was one of them. A scientist aspiring to become a writer, might not be a very talked-about field, but to her it was everything. Spending her evenings learning about the working of the brain and different proteins, her nights belonged to her characters desperately waiting for their story to move ahead. Even tonight, when she has a long flight, she was busy writing about Macy and Aiden. She swore never to name her protagonist Juliet! She hated Juliets!
"You haven't slept yet?", Mr. Iverson, walked in.
"Sir! I was just about to sleep!", she said keeping her laptop aside and making some space on her bed for him to sit.
"How many times do I tell you J, call me dad!", he said sitting in that little portion where the bed was visible. Keeping his one leg on the other, Mr. Iverson was trying his best to balance in that limited sitting area.
"Why are you up this late?", Juliet asked not including Mr. Iverson or dad. She still needed some time to call her ex-history teacher from high school, dad!
"I just came to check up on you! And, to tell you I might have overheard your conversation with your mom today!", he said carefully studying her stepdaughter's expressions.
"Oh! You did!", she muttered clearly embarrassed.
"I am your dad now, so I give you permission to use your middle name as your actual name. will that be fine?", he finally got her full attention. She smiled. Her middle name Elise was the name she loved for all the different reasons. Reasons close to her heart.
"Yes, yes it would be great!", she exclaimed smiling which made Mr. Iverson chuckle.
"Here, I have signed the change of name application for you! You can submit it at the office. Your normal student ID will work as proof as I have already talked to them!", he said smiling at his daughter and handing her the envelope.
"Thank you so much Mr. Iverson!", she responded. In her head, she tried her best to let out Dad, but her heart was still not ready. Mr Iverson looked at her and smiled but didn't say anything.
"Then, have a good night, Elise!", he said and left the room leaving behind a smiling daughter. Maybe everything will be different in college!