Welcome back to Weekend Writing Warriors, a weekly Sunday hop where writers share 8 sentences from a book or WIP. For two more weeks, I’m sharing from the opening chapter of my recent release Little Ragdoll, a Bildungsroman (growing-up story) spanning 1959-74.
Adicia, four of her sisters, and their surrogate mother are at an uptown Woolworth’s, where they ran into some of the mean girls from the nice part of the Lower East Side. Though the Troys live just inside the boundaries of what was to become the East Village in less than ten years, they’re decidedly not as gentrified or well-off as these girls. One of them has just asked what 5-year-old Adicia’s name is.
***
“Her name is Adicia,” Emeline says. “It’s an ancient Greek name, the Latinate form of Adikia, who was a goddess.” Though Emeline typically bubbles over with her wealth of knowledge, she leaves out the fact that Adicia was named for the goddess of injustice because their parents thought it was an injustice to be saddled with a seventh unplanned child and yet another girl in a row.
“Ew, Greek mythology is so boring. I’d rather read fashion magazines and love stories, not stupid stories about made-up gods and goddesses thousands of years ago,” Linda Hopkins scoffs. “And I love having the same name as a lot of other girls. It means I’m popular and boys will pay attention to me.”
“Oh, people will pay attention to these losers too,” Karen Becker says haughtily.
***
The names booklet I found the Troy siblings’ names in claimed Adicia means “mal-treated.” When I looked up the name when starting over with this story so many years later, I found out it doesn’t exactly mean mal-treated, but the real meaning fit the intended symbolism just as well.
Adikia being beaten with a hammer by Dike, the goddess of justice.
Welcome to My Magick Theatre 
They sound pretty shallow as well as mean.
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I see you have an obsessive thing about names. A noble trait (since I have it myself.) Those mean girls don’t sound like the types I would have been willing to spend time with at that age.
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What we need here is an avenging goddess to smite these brats upside their heads. Sheesh.
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lol–at Sarah’s comment! I’m inclined to agree!
I love the spunky nature of the Troy girls. And though the mean girls are mean, I suspect that they will get theirs. As the saying goes, they’ve come unarmed to a battle of wits.
Excellent snippet, Carrie-Anne. 🙂
Are you still open to a guest post on my blog–researching historical fiction?
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…”she leaves out the fact that Adicia was named for the goddess of injustice because their parents thought it was an injustice to be saddled with a seventh unplanned child and yet another girl in a row.”
Sounds like she has mean parents to contend with as well as mean girls, ha! A lot to overcome. I hope she’s up to the task 😀 Nice 8.
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Fascinating backstory to the names, both in the book and in mythology. Really enjoyed learning something new and I always admire your research. Another great 8!
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I love name meanings, too! 😀
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