My neighbour, who is a friend of mine, have a very strange name. But the doesn’t mind. When people laugh at his name or make jokes about it he won’t get angry. He just smiles.
‘I don’t understand you’, I once said to him, ‘I wouldn’t like it if people did this’. ‘Well’, he answered, ‘people think my name silly, but I don’t. I think it’s a very beautiful name. And what’s more: I’m sure that in the whole world there’s only one person by the name of Nosmo King, and that’s me’. Yes, that’s his name: Nosmo King.
When you hear it for the first time you may think that it’s a strange name, but not an ugly name. It sounds all right, doesn’t it? So what’s funny about it? Well, let me tell you how my friend got his name, and you‘ll understand.
When he wasn’t born yet his parents found it very difficult to find a name for their child. When his mother was already in hospital they still hadn’t found a nice name. Three days before he was born they found a beautiful name: Jeanette.
But that was a name for a daughter. What if it was a son? A few days before the birth they still didn’t know. They wanted a special name. Not just a simple name, but a name that would sound interesting and nice.
One day before my friend was born after his father was driving to the hospital where his wife was. And then suddenly he saw it. On two large wooden walls. On the left was written “Nosmo”. On the other was “King”. That was it!
If his wife had a son they would call him: “Nosmo King”. What a splendid name!
The next day my friend was born. It was the summer 1950. And because he was a boy they gave him the name his father had found along the road.
A week later, however, his father drove on the same road to go and get this wife and his new-born son. There was the wooden wall again. But what was that? It wasn’t a wall! There were two large wooden doors! The week before the doors had been open. But now they were closed. So the two words, which were apart when the doors were open, now formed a sentence, saying: ‘NO SMOKING’.
And that’s how my friend got his name. A very strange and silly name, I think.
But he doesn’t mind.
By the way: his family name is the same as a burned cigarette: Ash.
‘I don’t understand you’, I once said to him, ‘I wouldn’t like it if people did this’. ‘Well’, he answered, ‘people think my name silly, but I don’t. I think it’s a very beautiful name. And what’s more: I’m sure that in the whole world there’s only one person by the name of Nosmo King, and that’s me’. Yes, that’s his name: Nosmo King.
When you hear it for the first time you may think that it’s a strange name, but not an ugly name. It sounds all right, doesn’t it? So what’s funny about it? Well, let me tell you how my friend got his name, and you‘ll understand.
When he wasn’t born yet his parents found it very difficult to find a name for their child. When his mother was already in hospital they still hadn’t found a nice name. Three days before he was born they found a beautiful name: Jeanette.
But that was a name for a daughter. What if it was a son? A few days before the birth they still didn’t know. They wanted a special name. Not just a simple name, but a name that would sound interesting and nice.
One day before my friend was born after his father was driving to the hospital where his wife was. And then suddenly he saw it. On two large wooden walls. On the left was written “Nosmo”. On the other was “King”. That was it!
If his wife had a son they would call him: “Nosmo King”. What a splendid name!
The next day my friend was born. It was the summer 1950. And because he was a boy they gave him the name his father had found along the road.
A week later, however, his father drove on the same road to go and get this wife and his new-born son. There was the wooden wall again. But what was that? It wasn’t a wall! There were two large wooden doors! The week before the doors had been open. But now they were closed. So the two words, which were apart when the doors were open, now formed a sentence, saying: ‘NO SMOKING’.
And that’s how my friend got his name. A very strange and silly name, I think.
But he doesn’t mind.
By the way: his family name is the same as a burned cigarette: Ash.