Spelling Shame

Having to frequently reserve plane tickets by phone, I have to spell my own name using military code so that the ticketing officer I happen to speak with won't mispell my considerably peculiar nun-like name. Foxtrot-Romeo-Alpha-November-Sierra-India-Sierra-Kilo-Alpha. Space. Alpha-November-Double Golf-Romeo-Alpha-India-November-India.

I can only fluently spell mine, for frankly speaking, I don't really bother memorizing all the 26 alphabeth in the military code.

Problems arose when I dated foreign lads having even more weird names than mine and we planned to get away on a vacation somewhere. I would be the one who was in charge for making all the reservations needed since they didn't speak the language.

When I was seeing a guy having "Van" for a surname, my mind was totally blocked when I was to spell the letter 'v' during an attempt to book a flight. After forcing my little brain to think of something that could replace the letter to no avail, I finally burst out in a weak, half embarrassed voice:"'V' as in vagina."

"Excuse me?" The ticketing officer queried in a high-pitched voice. He either couldn't hear what I just said or couldn't believe what he just heard.

"'V'... as in ... vagina," Vanishing my shame all at once, I repeated it in an even weaker voice.

"You mean 'v' as in victory?"

"Oh yes, I meant that!"

Since that on, I then printed out all the 26 alphabeth in military code from the Internet and stuck it on my desk, that next time I had to make reservations for people with names other than Foxtrot-Romeo-Alpha-November-Sierra-India-Sierra-Kilo-Alpha. Space. Alpha-November-Double Golf-Romeo-Alpha-India-November-India, I wouldn't have to make fool of myself again.