August 25, Monday

“Junior, time to get up! Your breakfast is on the table. Today is our day to go through your clothes and see what you need to be ready for school.”

Junior stumbles into the living room rubbing sleep from his eyes. “Mom, does it have to be today?”

“Yes it does. It’s my only day off and I want to have a week to get things organized, since school starts next Monday. And we have dinner with Lupe and Juan at Joana and David’s tonight. I want you to take all your clothes out of the drawers and the closet and put them here in the living room.”

He grumbles a bit but complies, and we begin sorting out things to give away and things that still fit. When we’ve put everything in different piles Junior sits down next to me.

“Mom, I want to change my name.”

This is a shock but I resist the urge to react. “Tell me more.”

“I don’t want to be called Junior anymore. It sounds like a baby and kids sometimes make fun of me.”

I sit and absorb this for a moment. “I see. Have you decided what you want to be called?”

“Kai. Rhymes with sky. Spelled K-A-I.”

“Kai? That sounds nice.”

He lets out a deep breath, because I’m sure he thought I’d be upset. “Mom, my name is Luiz Carlos Caetano Lima Junior. Caetano sounds like Kai-tano. So Kai.”

I give him a hug. “That’s a lovely name, and very unique. And since you’re ten years old I think you’re old enough to choose you own nickname. Do you think Kai sounds more American? There are American kids called Junior, aren’t there?”

He looks up at me. “I don’t know any kids named Junior. Kai sounds more cool. Junior is not cool.”

“All right, then! Let’s finish organizing these clothes, Kai.”