What's in a name?
Author: Alicia
Summary: Just read it. It's about AJ's little brother and his name. For the purpose of the story AJ is 16 and his brother 12.
Disclaimer: If I owned JAG I'd show a little more respect for fans and I'd hire actual writers. JAG belongs to DPB and others. No copyright infringement intended.
Rating: PG
Spoilers: the name of the newest member of the Roberts' family. Other than that it assumes a lot of things that TPTB may or may not do.
A/N: This story started forming in the back of my head the minute I heard what TPTB had decided to name the new Roberts' baby. I think it probably comes from the fact my father named me and he got the name from a newspaper story about a belly dancer that had been performing in town. In my mother's defense, she didn't respond well to the anesthesia and wasn't very coherent until I was about three days old. (Wonder what Harriet's excuse is?) Anyway for the longest time I absolutely hated my name. At one point I even refused to use it and would write another name on my papers.
A/N2: I know that David has been used to death as Harm's middle name but I couldn't think of anything better.
1730h Rosslyn Middle School Parking Lot Rosslyn Virginia
I pull into the parking lot and find a spot for the van. I'm early but Jimmy's not expecting me to pick him up from practice. One of the advantages of having a 16-year-old is having another licensed driver in the family. AJ's really good about driving Jimmy places, but we do pay his insurance in exchange for his services as a chauffeur. He was ecstatic to have been excused from duty for once.
I know Jimmy will be surprised to see me here but I want to talk to him before we get home. The school called earlier. It seems every one of Jimmy's teachers is having a problem with him. He's refusing to write his name on his papers and he's refusing to answer to his name when called on. The teachers let it slide for a little while because they knew what papers were his and he would respond just not to the name Jimmy. The teachers were hoping it was a phase that would end quickly but when he told a sub yesterday that his name wasn't James it was JK and that the teacher had written the wrong thing in the grade book it was decided that I needed to be brought in. Actually that's not right. The school wanted to meet with both Bud and me, but I felt I needed to talk to Jimmy and get a handle on things before bringing Bud into the mix.
Bud and Jimmy have problems understanding each other. Oh, it's not like they fight constantly. It's more like they don't have anything in common. Jimmy is very athletic and intelligent. Not that Bud's not smart, but school didn't come easy to Bud and it does Jimmy. Bud wasn't very athletic before he lost his leg, now about the only sport he can participate in is swimming. He only watches football, which is one of the few sports Jimmy doesn't play.
Jimmy has at least one sport every season. He does soccer in the fall, basketball during the winter, soccer and track in the spring, and baseball during the summer. At school he's in the Algebra class, which is usually only for 8th graders. He's in the challenge language arts class and earns all A's every term. He goes to camp every summer to study geology and paleontology. The only science Bud likes is science fiction.
It goes even farther than that. The best way to describe it is with a comment Sturgis made a few years ago. He said that it seemed like Jimmy, and to some extent AJ, was more like Harm and Mac than Bud and I. The thing is he's right. AJ wants to go to the Academy and then flight school. He already knows how to fly. Harm taught him about two years ago. Jimmy doesn't know what he wants to do but he does want Uncle Harm to teach him to fly. He also wants Mac to take him fossil hunting in Arizona. He's even offered to babysit the kids on Harm and Mac's next trip to Arizona if Mac'll take him fossil hunting for a day.
What all this means is that Bud and Jimmy don't really understand each other. They love each other but they just don't understand each other. Here comes Jimmy. I stand up and motion to Jimmy. He stops and stares for a moment before walking over to me.
"Hi mom. I wasn't expecting you."
"I know but we need to talk. The school called today." Jimmy waits for me to unlock his door and us both to get in before responding.
"Really? What did they want?"
"James Kirk Roberts! Don't you dare play stupid with me! You know exactly why they called. Why are you refusing to use or even acknowledge your name?" We've both turned so that we're facing each other.
"My name sucks! I hate it! AJ got named after Uncle AJ and he's cool. Sarah was named after Aunt Mac and she rocks. I understand not naming my Harmon after Uncle Harm but David would have been good. But no! I get named after the lead character on a stupid show that dad likes! Guess we know what and whom he admires and respects!"
I'd gotten the car turned on but I now turn it off. We're going to have this conversation right here, if for no other reason than it's much harder to break the child abuse statutes in public. I'm glad Bud's out of the loop on this. I can count to ten and calm down, I'm not sure Bud would be able to after that last line.
"Your father does respect Uncle Harm. He just didn't want to name you after Harm. I think part of it had to do with some things that were going on at the time. I also think so of it was we were afraid to. We named Sarah after Mac and lost her. I think we were both feeling just a little superstitious about doing that again. What's so bad about your name anyway? You never disliked it before this." I've never let him watch any of those old Star Trek episodes.
"Remember the weekend I spent at Ari's?"
"Yes, what about it?"
"The 'movies' we watched were old Star Trek episodes that his dad had on DVD. His dad let us watch them after he found out my full name was James Kirk."
My first thought is not one I would ever say. Most people would be amazed that I even thought it. 'Oh shit!' I should have realized when Marc and Bud got along so well that they were both Trekkies.
"So tell me. What didn't you like about the character of Captain James T. Kirk?"
"Might be a shorter conversation if you asked me what I did like about Captain Kirk."
I can't help but chuckle at that. "So...."
"Well let's see. He's arrogant. He doesn't try to understand others. It's his way or the highway. Oh yeah and then there's all the women! Does Dad really admire that crap?"
Okay now I see the problem. It goes back to that whole the two of them not understanding each other. He thinks this is how his dad defines a man. The thing is to a certain extent he just describe what Harm was like before Paraguay and his marriage to Mac. Maybe this son isn't going to be in the military after all.
"Okay, I'll admit your father got your name from Star Trek. But you know what? It doesn't really matter. There are only so many names in the world. Where your dad got the name isn't important. What you do with the name, what you make of the name is important. Your father is named after your grandfather and they are nothing alike, personality wise. Your Uncle Harm was named after his father and according to Trish he's a lot like his father in some ways and in other ways he's nothing like his father."
"So you want me to quit going by JK right?"
"No, I don't. If you want to be JK Roberts that's fine. As long as you are doing it because it's who you want to be and who you think you are. Don't be JK because you think your father is trying to guide you into becoming a certain kind of man. Okay?"
"Okay. Mom I kind of like being JK. It's a more grown-up name than Jimmy."
"Well than JK, shall we pick up pizza for dinner on our way home?"
"Sounds good. I'm starving!"
I turn the car back on and put it in gear. As I head towards the pizza place I think that maybe the meeting with the school tomorrow will be okay. I'm also no longer worried about telling Bud what's going on. It's just his little boy trying to grow up.
~the end~ Good? Bad? What my cat did in the litter box earlier today? Let me know.
Author: Alicia
Summary: Just read it. It's about AJ's little brother and his name. For the purpose of the story AJ is 16 and his brother 12.
Disclaimer: If I owned JAG I'd show a little more respect for fans and I'd hire actual writers. JAG belongs to DPB and others. No copyright infringement intended.
Rating: PG
Spoilers: the name of the newest member of the Roberts' family. Other than that it assumes a lot of things that TPTB may or may not do.
A/N: This story started forming in the back of my head the minute I heard what TPTB had decided to name the new Roberts' baby. I think it probably comes from the fact my father named me and he got the name from a newspaper story about a belly dancer that had been performing in town. In my mother's defense, she didn't respond well to the anesthesia and wasn't very coherent until I was about three days old. (Wonder what Harriet's excuse is?) Anyway for the longest time I absolutely hated my name. At one point I even refused to use it and would write another name on my papers.
A/N2: I know that David has been used to death as Harm's middle name but I couldn't think of anything better.
1730h Rosslyn Middle School Parking Lot Rosslyn Virginia
I pull into the parking lot and find a spot for the van. I'm early but Jimmy's not expecting me to pick him up from practice. One of the advantages of having a 16-year-old is having another licensed driver in the family. AJ's really good about driving Jimmy places, but we do pay his insurance in exchange for his services as a chauffeur. He was ecstatic to have been excused from duty for once.
I know Jimmy will be surprised to see me here but I want to talk to him before we get home. The school called earlier. It seems every one of Jimmy's teachers is having a problem with him. He's refusing to write his name on his papers and he's refusing to answer to his name when called on. The teachers let it slide for a little while because they knew what papers were his and he would respond just not to the name Jimmy. The teachers were hoping it was a phase that would end quickly but when he told a sub yesterday that his name wasn't James it was JK and that the teacher had written the wrong thing in the grade book it was decided that I needed to be brought in. Actually that's not right. The school wanted to meet with both Bud and me, but I felt I needed to talk to Jimmy and get a handle on things before bringing Bud into the mix.
Bud and Jimmy have problems understanding each other. Oh, it's not like they fight constantly. It's more like they don't have anything in common. Jimmy is very athletic and intelligent. Not that Bud's not smart, but school didn't come easy to Bud and it does Jimmy. Bud wasn't very athletic before he lost his leg, now about the only sport he can participate in is swimming. He only watches football, which is one of the few sports Jimmy doesn't play.
Jimmy has at least one sport every season. He does soccer in the fall, basketball during the winter, soccer and track in the spring, and baseball during the summer. At school he's in the Algebra class, which is usually only for 8th graders. He's in the challenge language arts class and earns all A's every term. He goes to camp every summer to study geology and paleontology. The only science Bud likes is science fiction.
It goes even farther than that. The best way to describe it is with a comment Sturgis made a few years ago. He said that it seemed like Jimmy, and to some extent AJ, was more like Harm and Mac than Bud and I. The thing is he's right. AJ wants to go to the Academy and then flight school. He already knows how to fly. Harm taught him about two years ago. Jimmy doesn't know what he wants to do but he does want Uncle Harm to teach him to fly. He also wants Mac to take him fossil hunting in Arizona. He's even offered to babysit the kids on Harm and Mac's next trip to Arizona if Mac'll take him fossil hunting for a day.
What all this means is that Bud and Jimmy don't really understand each other. They love each other but they just don't understand each other. Here comes Jimmy. I stand up and motion to Jimmy. He stops and stares for a moment before walking over to me.
"Hi mom. I wasn't expecting you."
"I know but we need to talk. The school called today." Jimmy waits for me to unlock his door and us both to get in before responding.
"Really? What did they want?"
"James Kirk Roberts! Don't you dare play stupid with me! You know exactly why they called. Why are you refusing to use or even acknowledge your name?" We've both turned so that we're facing each other.
"My name sucks! I hate it! AJ got named after Uncle AJ and he's cool. Sarah was named after Aunt Mac and she rocks. I understand not naming my Harmon after Uncle Harm but David would have been good. But no! I get named after the lead character on a stupid show that dad likes! Guess we know what and whom he admires and respects!"
I'd gotten the car turned on but I now turn it off. We're going to have this conversation right here, if for no other reason than it's much harder to break the child abuse statutes in public. I'm glad Bud's out of the loop on this. I can count to ten and calm down, I'm not sure Bud would be able to after that last line.
"Your father does respect Uncle Harm. He just didn't want to name you after Harm. I think part of it had to do with some things that were going on at the time. I also think so of it was we were afraid to. We named Sarah after Mac and lost her. I think we were both feeling just a little superstitious about doing that again. What's so bad about your name anyway? You never disliked it before this." I've never let him watch any of those old Star Trek episodes.
"Remember the weekend I spent at Ari's?"
"Yes, what about it?"
"The 'movies' we watched were old Star Trek episodes that his dad had on DVD. His dad let us watch them after he found out my full name was James Kirk."
My first thought is not one I would ever say. Most people would be amazed that I even thought it. 'Oh shit!' I should have realized when Marc and Bud got along so well that they were both Trekkies.
"So tell me. What didn't you like about the character of Captain James T. Kirk?"
"Might be a shorter conversation if you asked me what I did like about Captain Kirk."
I can't help but chuckle at that. "So...."
"Well let's see. He's arrogant. He doesn't try to understand others. It's his way or the highway. Oh yeah and then there's all the women! Does Dad really admire that crap?"
Okay now I see the problem. It goes back to that whole the two of them not understanding each other. He thinks this is how his dad defines a man. The thing is to a certain extent he just describe what Harm was like before Paraguay and his marriage to Mac. Maybe this son isn't going to be in the military after all.
"Okay, I'll admit your father got your name from Star Trek. But you know what? It doesn't really matter. There are only so many names in the world. Where your dad got the name isn't important. What you do with the name, what you make of the name is important. Your father is named after your grandfather and they are nothing alike, personality wise. Your Uncle Harm was named after his father and according to Trish he's a lot like his father in some ways and in other ways he's nothing like his father."
"So you want me to quit going by JK right?"
"No, I don't. If you want to be JK Roberts that's fine. As long as you are doing it because it's who you want to be and who you think you are. Don't be JK because you think your father is trying to guide you into becoming a certain kind of man. Okay?"
"Okay. Mom I kind of like being JK. It's a more grown-up name than Jimmy."
"Well than JK, shall we pick up pizza for dinner on our way home?"
"Sounds good. I'm starving!"
I turn the car back on and put it in gear. As I head towards the pizza place I think that maybe the meeting with the school tomorrow will be okay. I'm also no longer worried about telling Bud what's going on. It's just his little boy trying to grow up.
~the end~ Good? Bad? What my cat did in the litter box earlier today? Let me know.