I’ve always liked my first name. It’s short and resistant to any nicknaming conventions (very few people have ever called me Marky). It’s old-school but not antiquated. And it sounds really sexy when women whisper it in my ear (or so I imagine). But whenever I have to introduce myself, people usually can’t catch it the first time around. The peculiarities of my disability cause me to struggle a bit with the hard “k” sound, so I’ll say “Mark” and people will hear “Marv” or “Murray” or even “Mara”. My life would probably be incrementally easier if my parents had named me “Joe” or “Andy”, but I don’t think I look much like either one of those guys. Besides, I need to practice my enunciation so that everyone will understand my coronation speech on the day I’m crowned Emperor of Everything.
