Initials

My initials have changed three times over the years. With my maiden name of Rider, my initals were CAR. When I married the first time, they changed to CAB. Upon my second marriage, my initials reverted to CAR. My second husband passed away and I later remarried current initials are CAL.

As a youngster I was known simply as CAR. Mom didn't like this. She said that Carol, the name she and Dad gave me, was perfectly good and I didn't need a nickname. I rather liked CAR myself. It distinguished me from other Carols in school. There were four of us in my class alone. I guess Carol must have been a popular name at the time of my birth. An added excitement was my last name of Rider. I had no trouble picking up, "Hey, CAR Rider," across a crowded playground. I didn't have to ask twice if it was me they wanted. Somehow, I thought it added stature to m being.

Years later I married Ray Beshers so my initials became CAB. This caused somewhat of a dilemma. Some of my friends who had called me CAR as far back as they could remember refused to change. Those who had come to know me as CAB ribbed me. They said I had gone into commerical transportation. I now had two nicknames. This marriage didn't last long; not because of my nicknames, but for other reasons.

I later married Joe Rankin and I went back to being CAR. Those who called me CAB teased me by saying my venture into commercial transportant went "belly up." Those who had never stopped calling me CAR said they knew it should have been CAR all along. Joe didn't like either nickname. When I asked why, he simply said, "Because I drive a city bus."

With Joe's death I was single for a number of years and I continued to go by CAR; that is, until I met Richard and remarried. My initials are now CAL. They don't spell anything, but he was a commercial truck driver at the time.

I have gone from CAR to CAB and back to CAR over the years. Now, my initials are CAL. They don't spell anything, but since Richard was a trucker, it seems I've been in the transportation business all of my life.