Dennis with an E

The first thing you should know is that my name is Denise. Lately, I've noticed a lot of confusion around my name. I've seen a lot of people spell it Dennise. Others, particularly anyone who comes from an Asian-based language, pronounce my name Dennis. I've decided to embrace it. Dennis has been my secret identity from childhood as my mother called me Dennis the Menace. A moniker that was earned. 

A girl named Dennis with her mom

Don't misunderstand, I was not a troublemaker. I simply had a lot of brilliant ideas that were not so brilliant upon execution. I did wondered what people thought when we were out in public and my mother called out for Dennis to which I'd answer. Not a typical name for a girl. 

It was interesting she would call me Dennis when you consider how I came to be Denise. You see, my mother's name was Doris. When she was in high school taking French, they asked her to take on a French name, Denise. My mother loved the name and knew she'd give it for her daughter, should she have one. Enter me. I was never comfortable with the name when I was younger. I wanted to be called Africa (I have no idea why). It was not until I grew older that I came to appreciate the name and my connection to my mother's youth. 

I do have other nicknames. DJ, D, and Sneezy are the most common. The other nickname my mother gave me was Niecey. That one is sacred now. No one is allowed to call me that except my brother. My father, on the other hand, refers to me as young lady. A term of affection that I appreciate more as I get older. Isn't it interesting how these designations shape our identities.

I recently learned that Urban Dictionary defines Niecey as "Sexy, dominant, and everyone's bae. Someone to look up to and someone who will always be there. Usually a short-form of a name including the word "Niece." I've never heard it used in that context, but am accepting the challenge to live up to that definition.  

Now you know my name, and all the derivates there of, let's begin.