My name is Annamarie. However this and my, up to now pampered life, was about to change, when at 6 years of age I entered St. Augustine’s Catholic elementary School.
My mother and dad owned a German bakery and restaurant. Mother was the cook and Dad the baker. Due to my mother’s excellent cooking and Dad’s delicious baking the “Store” was quite successful. However, because of the long hours my mother worked, I was taken care of by German “deindstmachens” (serving girls). These girls emigrated from Germany, as did my mother, to work as nannies, maids, cooks, etc. Because they could not speak English, we were a German speaking household. When I entered school, I spoke German fluently and very broken English with a heavy German accent.
When my Dad, registered me, writing my name in his beautiful flowery script, inadvertently, capitalized, the “M” in Marie and thus it became two names, and I was to become Anna. I did not understand this and when Sister Maureen, with her heavy Irish brogue, called on me in class, I did not respond to the name Anna.
This soon became a tug of war, she calling me Anna and I not answering. Finally one day, after my repeated non-response, she came down the aisle, tugged my ear and shouted “you are Anna” and I screamed back “No, Annamarie”. Well, I was promptly marched to the Mother Superior’s office. My parents were called. My poor Dad, who worked all night in the bakeshop and slept during the day, had to get up and dressed and come to the principal’s office to confront his rebellious daughter.
He was told in no uncertain words, that I had shouted at and disobeyed my teacher. If my conduct did not improve I would be expelled. My Dad who was a very gentle, kind, soft spoken man, was horrified at my behavior. He was told, by Mother Superior, that I would have to learn, when called upon in class to respond to the name Anna.
Very gently he took my hand and led me out of that office. Instead of going home, we went to nearby Forest Park. There he took me on his knees and explained how things happen as we grow up. How going to school and learning about so many new things and how to behave properly was all a part of this magic growing-up process. As he dried my tears, I promised him I would behave and answer to that horrible name Anna, as long as he promised to call me Annamarie forever. Which he did.
Anne Humbach
June 2002
Copyright © 2002-2010 Anne Humbach