six- Anthroponymy

When asked whom she named her daughter after, Janie Carlisle would reply that she named her after Dylan Thomas. She would then explain that ‘Do not go gentle into that good night’ is her favorite villanelle and that the third and fourth stanzas remind her of every man she ever loved. The truth is that Janie named her daughter after Bob Dylan and though she only likes one of his songs, it brings her to tears every time she hears it. The first time she heard ‘It ain’t me babe’, she was sitting on the hood of her boyfriend’s dad’s Stingray, wearing a yellow bow around her ponytail and a letterman around her homecoming dress. While her best friends were off becoming women on flatbeds and motel beds all across town, she was getting her heart broken to a soundtrack. It was as if her boyfriend called up the radio station and requested the song to help him make his point; that he couldn’t be what she hoped he could be for her.

Inside The Original on Southwest 6th Avenue and Oak Street, tourists come from all corners of the earth to try the Voodoo Doughnut Burger. The main attraction of the self-proclaimed “dinerant”, an amalgamation of the words diner and restaurant, it consists of a juicy beef patty with cheddar cheese on a glazed Voodoo Doughnut, served best with a sack of fries and a potent local microbrew. Nine people are having this meal. One of them is Henry.

“That looks disgustingly delicious…” Chloe is in a trance, watching Henry consume such an unhealthy meal and knowing how little it will affect his fit physique.
“It tastes better than your soup. What is that?” Henry looks out through the glass windows as he talks to her.
“I don’t remember… chicken vegetable something. So, why are we having lunch here instead of up in my apartment like we always do? Do you think we have time? There’s a handicap bathroom behind the bar. I can hold myself up on the railing...” Chloe’s hand massages Henry’s knee under the table.
“We can’t fuck around anymore,” Henry declares decisively, still looking out into the street. Across the street, both members of a teenage couple are yelling at each other over a cryptic text-message from one’s ex. Henry thinks of the song ‘Your Ex-Lover is dead’ by Stars. He looks at Chloe and almost chokes on his beer.
“What are you in love Henry? Are you fucking with me?! We go through this every month, every time a cute little girl with glasses and “something about her” actually falls for your bullshit. We both know that it’s me you call when you find out that that “something” is just baggage and a gag-reflex.”
“It’s none of your goddamn business how I feel about her. Besides, this is about you not her. I can’t sleep with you anymore. You’re bitter and pretentious, you smell like cigarettes and taste like vodka. Sorry babe, but I’m done.” Henry stands up and drops a twenty on the table. He leans forward, kisses Chloe’s cheek then turns for the door.
“Wait Henry, we both know she won’t last a couple of weeks. There’s nothing this bitch can do to you that I can’t do better and longer! And you can tell whatever her name is that I’m only letting her have you for now.”
Henry stops and walks back to Chloe. He takes her hand and looks her in the eyes. “Listen to me very carefully, babe. First of all, go fuck yourself. She’s not a bitch and I don’t fucking belong to you. Second of all, her name is Audrey.”

Francis Carlisle wanted to name his daughter Mirabelle after his mother. His wife, Janie, decided that Mirabelle was a cow’s name and chose Audrey instead. On their first date, Frank took Janie to see Two for the Road, starring Audrey Hepburn and Albert Finney. It was Janie’s first exposure to Audrey Hepburn and she was in awe. Days later she went to a free screening of Breakfast at Tiffany’s in the basement of a local church. She left the church that night a different woman than the one that walked in earlier. It was Holly Golightly that changed her forever.
Janie met Frank only months after Homecoming and had become cold and increasingly cynical. Frank would have succeeded in thawing her heart completely had it not been for Holly Golightly. Walking home from the church that night she determined to live like Holly. She would put on a show for those around her and protect what she had left inside. She would forget about the ridiculous notion of love and instead focus her efforts on status and security. Lucky for Janie, Francis Carlisle was born of old money. And though she was merely using him, Frank truly loved her.
It might have all turned out drastically different if Janie had actually seen the ending to Breakfast at Tiffany’s. That night, in the church basement, a fuse blew and everyone was guided out with candles and flashlights. Janie never saw the ending. She never saw Holly run after Paul in the rain. She never saw Holly run into his arms and submit to love, proving Paul’s belief that people do fall in love and people do belong to each other.
She never watched the movie again until a few days before she went into labor. Frank had bought her a VHS of the film for her birthday. Alone in bed with a pint of strawberry ice cream, she watched the film in its entirety and was drowning in tears when it ended.
Janie had lived her life wrong. She felt as devastated as she did when she learned that Santa Claus wasn’t real, and that her high school sweetheart didn’t love her. She no longer had a reason for closing her heart off and could no longer justify withholding love from her husband. She resolved to start anew with Frank, and with her daughter due in a matter of days. She didn’t know that it was too late.
Janie died within an hour after giving birth to her second chance, a healthy baby girl named Audrey Dylan Carlisle.