Three: Naming
Another two weeks passed, and even though it bothered him in the back of his head, Russell thought less and less of the girl as a wandering kid and more as his own kin. She wasn’t quite a daughter, and him not really a father, but there was a bond. She soon became a fixture in the shop, learning how to organize and advertise, though there came a point where she was going to have to learn to interact with children her age. And to do that, she would need a name.
“Hey kid,” he said one afternoon as a customer left the shop. She looked back at him from her perch by the front window, hands pressed to the glass.
“What what what?”
“You need a name, and I’ve got one for yew.” He stood up from his seat by the cash register and made his way towards her, excitement bouncing in her wide-open eyes.
“Really?! Really really?! What is it?”
Russell looked down at her and smiled, exhaling through his nose as he placed his hand on her shoulder. “Your name…it’s going to be Tatiana. Tatiana Rhys.”
She stared back at him with those innocent yellow eyes, them sparkling in wonder at the words. “Tatiana….Rhys…” she repeated before the biggest smile he had ever seen came to her face. “Tatiana! Tatiana Rhys! That’s my name!” She then lunged forward and hugged his waist, burying her face in his stomach. “Thank you thank you thank you - !”
“Easy there kid,” he chuckled, grinning and pulling her off. “Now there’s a reason I gave you that name.” She looked up at him again, curiosity shooting back to her expression. “You see…I once knew someone with that name. Back in the day, I knew a gal named Tatiana.” He paused, recalling the memories of the woman. “She…was very close to me.”
No words were coming from the child, which unnerved him more than anything. She didn't do anything. She just...listened.. “And I…I lost her.”
“How did you do that? Did you put her somewhere and forget?”
“No it’s uh…bit different than that. …But that’s enough of that, kid.” He shook his head and grinned, regaining his composure before patting her shoulder. “I don’t think you’re much for a big name. So while technically yer name is Tatiana, I’m going to call you Tati. Is that okay?”
“Tah…tee…” she said slowly, enunciating the syllables. “Tah –”
“No – Tati. Tati. Say it quick.”
“Tahti. Tati. Tati. Tati Tati Tati Tati Tati - !”
“Okay okay okay.” He clamped a hand over her mouth. “That’s it; I think you’ve got your name down. So…you okay with it all?”
“Yeah!” She again attacked his waist in a hug, but this time stared up at him, smiling. “Thank you Russell. Thank you so much.”
He looked down at her, eyebrows quirked, before awkwardly returning the hug. “Yer welcome, kid. I mean – Tati.”
The way her face lit up was something else. “Tati,” he saw her mouth before she broke out grinning again. “I have a name!”
“You like it that much?”
“Well it’s – it’s just…” She rested her forehead on his stomach, looking down at the ground. “Everyone else has one, and I didn’t, and it was…” She squirmed around, searching for the correct word. “I felt like I didn’t belong.”
Russell again raised his eyebrows before unconsciously squeezing the girl a bit tighter. “It’s alright. Yer no more out of the loop than the rest of us, Tati.”
Her head swung up, eyes wide, a look of surprise on her face. “That’s really…my name!”
“Of course it is, I didn’t just tell you that stuff only to take it away from you.” He made a face at her. “What kind of guy do you think I am, anyway?”
