This, That, and the Other

Poor little Dorothy. She couldn’t believe how cruel her friends could be towards her. She was nothing but kind and caring to everyone else, but all she got was grief and ridicule from her classmates.

They would call her “Dot” or “Dottie.” Even the girl she had been best friends with through the fourth grade recently started calling her “Dot Dot.” Some of the meaner kids in her class called her “SOS.” One particularly obnoxious boy called her “Morse.” She hated that nickname the most.

All Dorothy wanted was for everyone to call her by her real name, the name her parents chose for her.

She was so upset and depressed by what the other kids in her class called her that she didn’t want to go to school. Her parents became concerned and made an appointment to discuss the situation with her teacher.

“Good afternoon,” the teacher said to Dorothy’s parents, inviting them into her classroom at the end of the school day. “Dorothy is such a lovely child. She’s smart, she’s eager. But she is a little too sensitive, I’m afraid.”

“That’s what we wanted to talk about with you,” Dorothy’s father said. “She’s very upset about the nicknames people are using.”

“Well,” said the teacher, “kids at this age can be unintentionally cruel. I know they call her ‘Dot’ or ‘Dottie,’ but those are common nicknames for Dorothy. Maybe you can discuss it with her and let her know that she shouldn’t take it so seriously.”

“You’re right,” said Dorothy’s mother. “Thanks for hearing us out. We’ll speak with her about this.”

“Dorothy’s a lovely girl and I appreciate the two of you, Mr. and Mrs. Dash, coming in to have this discussion.”

“Oh, don’t be so formal,” Dorothy’s father said. “I’m Nicholas Dash, but my friends call me “En.”

“And I’m Emma Dash,” said Dorothy’s mother. “Most people call me “Em.”

This post is in response to today’s one-word prompt: Dash.