Paphos People

WHAT’S IN A NAME

Jeremiah Stynx had always hated his name.
It started as far back as nursery school, somebody would laugh and the rest of the kids would make fun of him, until the beleaguered lad broke down and cried. His mother would try and comfort him to some extent but whenever he had to go anywhere where his name would be called out, like the doctors or dentist, he would cringe.
All through his school career it was a problem and as a result Jeremiah became quite a good fighter, earning him a sort of respect. But that was not the way that he wanted to live his life.

He approached his parents about changing his name for something more ordinary. His father would hear none of it saying that his great great grandfather Jeremiah had been very famous in the days of workers emancipation standing up for fair wage and standard working hours.
Indeed Jeremiah Stynx was not a name to be sniffed at in the eighteen hundreds! He should wear his name with pride in this day and age.

His grandparents tried to make him feel better about it. They showed him all the newspaper cuttings and evidence of the old man’s determined struggle for the rights of the working man. They also told him that he should be proud to carry on the name Jeremiah Stynx into the present day.

Nevertheless he made inquiries at the registrar’s office but he was told that nothing could be done about changing his name until he reached eighteen years of age. However if his parents gave their permission something could be done. Realising that there was no chance of that happening Jeremiah was resigned to living with it for the time being.

What about girlfriends, who would go out with him with a name like that? He didn’t have the nerve to ask any of the girls out, fearing ridicule. Just imagine being introduced to a young girls’ parents with a name like that.

He made the decision to do something about it. On his eighteenth birthday he had an appointment with the registrar and changed that awful name. Armed with all the paperwork he returned home and prepared to confront his parents.
His father was disgusted, flew into a rage and stormed out of the house, His mother was more sympathetic and told him that when his father calmed down and got used to it everything would be alright.
She felt sympathy for her son but what had he done? His father and grandparents would probably never forgive him.

“What have you changed it to?” she asked tentatively.

“Thomas Stynx” he replied.