A.K.A. Pal

People call me Lito for short of Julito. Unknown to some of my friends and even family members I have another nickname that is Pal. It’s an acronym of a flag carrier and coincidentally it’s where my late father used to work as ticket clerk. One might wonder how in the world did it happen I got that name when it’s far-sounding from my original name. Well it traces back during high school days. My classmates coined that name for me. Despite my strong objection I was helpless in stopping them from calling me in that name. They just love it with passion and it carried on until I went to college. That misnomer only stopped when I transferred to another school. Of course, this time, when I introduced myself to new friends I would use my real name.

Name calling is part of our culture especially in the younger group. My younger brother’s name is Prospero whom my classmates fondly call Posporo. Since my nick is Lito, they also changed my name to Palito, the brother of Posporo. Aren’t those names compatibly funny? This brought laughter in group conversations and it kept going on and on until a Pal was born, the nick for Palito. That’s how it started.

The Palito we know in the movies is the gauntly thin comedian who portrayed roles of a dead person in comedy flicks. I am the opposite of him because I was never thin in my whole life.

Those who had no inkling of what’s the story behind this other name of mine just called me Pal casually.

In the beginning it was awkward to be called by Pal because of its unflattering connection to the comedian. I was like a new me. Somehow I’ve learnt to live with it. Some friends still call me by that name until now and I don't mind. It has become part of me and my past. With it cling happy memories and friendship that I will forever cherish.