What is a Loekie?

Throughout my life, I have been asked about my nickname, Loekie. Especially in school and at work, because my name is Louis. Or Louis Clemens Henricus. So I will bore you with what I was told by my parents.

It ends ups being like Robert. An older Robert may be called Bob, while the younger one will be called Bobbie. In Dutch, Louis becomes Loek. Why, I don’t know.

When my mother was carrying me, she was sure that she had a girl. So much so, they did not have a male name for the potential arrival. When I arrived into this world, unceremoniously ass-first, my parents realized they had a boy.

So I was named after my father, Louis. And since my mum, called my dad Loek, I became Loekie. It is that simple, yet is caused major problems as I got older.

When I started school, when teachers called on me, I did not react right away because I was used to being called Loekie.

Then as I started to gain friends, years later, Loekie was the name I used with my close friends. Something intimate and special for us. Of course this caused introductions to be confusing and halting. I have lost count when friends like Brian would say “This is my friend, Loekie ... ah Louis.”

But over the past few years, with the trials and tribulations I have had, my old skin has been shedding. Except for Holland and amongst Dutch ex-pats, Loekie is a unique name. So it is becoming more and more the name that identifies me.

So that’s it in a nutshell. Short for a change, not long-winded. And now I will leave you with one of my favourite quotes:

There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.
--- Edith Wharton