The Orgin of Kayleah...or Something Like It

There was a girl I knew back at Milwaukee Washington High School in 1986 that kinda helped make me who I am today. I doubt she'll read this, so I'll tell you her name-Jayleah D. Caldwell. She was a senior pom pon cheerleader back then, yours truly was a happy-go-lucky sophomore. I had seen her at a bus stop near McD's one Friday afternoon and tried to talk to her, but I didn't know her name. I tried to strike up a brief confrontation as she was waiting for the bus. All she did was smile. I later found out her name from a picture in the Milwaukee Community Journal newspaper. How nice! She was wearing a similar outfit to what she was wearing that day at the bus stop. She had a lovely coiffed puff of brown hair, some decent, yet patchy skin and a nice rack to match! 

In the fall semester of this year we both had the same driver's ed course with our instructor, Mr. Wendorf. During my days at the "Wash House", I kept my composure as the days got shorter toward the end of the October. It was right before those damn parent-teacher conferences (I loved to hate...my G.P.A. was never that impressive) when the school got a call from someone. The message said that Miss Jayleah had died from a drug overdose. Everybody who knew her was shocked. Then they started grieving, sobbing, weeping tears away. Even yours truly shed some tears. Of course I wasn't trying to be her then-boyfriend...just a friend, ala Biz Markie. Yet some of my high school friends knew I had a thing for her, just never mad a move to say or do anything. Dad never told me much about that "birds and bees" thing. Remember? 

Later in the afternoon during my sixth hour algebra class, the principal had received some disturbing news. It seems that Jayleah DID NOT die of an overdose; she was the "victim" of a mean school prank! Son of a bitch!! At least the school was tricked. I actually walked from my house on 19th st to her house on 15th just to pass her a note, hoping all was well. She never responded...to that. I can tell you she eventually was suspended from cheerleading for about three weeks due to this near-tragedy. Hell, I was just thankful that I got to see her face one week later at school!

That was the only class I had with her. Last I hear she turned up in West Virginia (of all places), working with a phone service. She's happily married to someone for over a decade now. I believe I saw her info on one of those alumni pages. Not sure though. When I sent her an email asking if she remembers me, she rarely did remember. So much for my high school crush! 

As for the college years, there was Marsha, Erica, Alyssa, Alarice, Bridgette, Carrie, Samantha, Sandra, Lisa x2, Rhonda, Kim, Kristie and her high-voice-pitched sister Karla (who wore lots of makeup), Alicia, Sophia....that's a lot of young women I had crushes on.   I was a guy. We're supposed to look at the "eye candy". Yet again, I didn't actually make a move on them...until Lydia,aka Kristie ( a different one). I hope by this time you are paying attention to what I am posting, 'cause I almost got myself lost here. Oh yeah, I know now what to talk about!

After college, that urge from my younger years resurfaced. That's when in 1997 I started exploring way to get that urge back. The girl inside of me wanted to come out, and I kept it inside during most of the college years. Even made myself into a wannabe pimp...for myself. Placed an ad in a local community paper that included an adult section ( you had to pick this up in so many areas around town) and asked about making me up. I received too many contacts thinking I was a call girl or something. I passed on that.  

Then in April 1998, as you should already know, the girl inside of me FINALLY was out and refused to remain invisible. That bondage dominatrix painted me up and I saw myself...WOW!!! Then she asked me what to call my "new" gender alter ego. This took me little time at all. One name surfaced in my head....Jayleah. So there's how it all began...almost. 10 years later in 2008, I changed the name from a "J" to a "K" to give it a style of its own. There ya go.

Now, my question for you, which I have asked before but I never got enough answers, how did you, my fellow transwomen of color (plain-skinned TG's can answer this too), get to choose your "new" name and how was it obtained? Why? I want to hear from you on this, so tell me now!!!