The story starts here : The Story of this Motley Crew – part II – TheGreatReset(of2020) (thegreatreset-thorn.com)
His story may be a bit scandalous, but if you understand his origin, you will have a sweeter appreciation for his loving nature.
XoXo is what you would call, The Ladies’ Man. Immensely popular, very loving.
And it comes from his very first breath. XoXo was born in a small “dorpie”. Now, to give context to our international readers, a dorpie is not a village.
If you are reading this in Europe, the picture you may see in your mind probably revolves around quaint cobblestone streets, old stone façade little shops on the street front, with pane glass windows displaying freshly baked croissants, or cosy pubs.
Contrary to that image, a village in the local milieu means a collection of reed huts, mud floors, or cow dung floors, around a central meeting area called the Olu Palu.
The Olu Palu is an especially important place. Important decisions are made by an audience of elders, sitting on logs around the fire while the headman speaks.
There are no shops, and no streets. But the air vibrates with the excited babbling of children herding the goats back to the kraal, which is in all likelihood, loosely stack thorn bushes and trees, creating safe sleeping quarters for the goats, against a backdrop of smoking cooking fires and delicious smelling potjies and pap.
Again, I must veer off to explain a potjie. Which a particularly good English friend of mine explained the best: It’s like a stew, only its cooked outside. To explain pap, you would have to visit.
Anyway, XoXo was born in an in-between village. In between the idea of streets and brick houses, in an African Village setting.
His family was large. Mom and Dad, Uncle Jam, seven siblings and a smattering of village dogs. Uncle Jam was a character of note. Wizened by the lessons of the veld, he knew how to find the bulbs that cured gout, or the bark that relieved toothache.
He also knew how to flatter the ladies. He clearly passed on some of this skill to XoXo. But still, XoXo started as XoXo even before then.
It is important that I share with you, the pronunciation of XoXo. You may be associating it with the town gigalo from that French Cobbled Street Village, Xavier. That would be wrong.
It is more guttural. Not quite machine gun guttural, but a back of your throat GoGo. In Greek, it would be something like ChoCho.
A “fun and loving” sounding name.
Finally, we get to the point where XoXo got his name.
His mom was a cheerful and chubby lady. She fell in love with his dad at the age of 16, and very quickly started “producing” as they say here. Xoxo, child number 5, was born to her when she had 21 years. (Another quaint expression from round here).
She did not attend much school and could not read nor write. But she understood hugs and kisses, and when the towns clerk wanted to know the name of the new baby, she “wrote” as best she could, XoXo. Hugs & kisses.
And that explains why, to this day, no matter where he finds himself, working amongst whichever crew, he will find a way into the hearts of the ladies. Through his most gentle caring of the horses for his Donkey-Cart. (Yes, I know, it is a donkey cart even if driven by horsepower).
Or the way his most gentle hands construct hammocks for the ewe who has difficulty giving birth.
Or the way he will provide for his late brother’s wayward teenage child. Or the way he shares what he can, with the lady from two jobs ago, that claims child maintenance even though he is doubtful that the child is his. And if it is time to let the chickens breed, he constructs, with as much care as he builds his own love shelter or love shack, pigeonholes for the hens to safely hatch their chicks.
Yes, XoXo may not look like a front-line soldier, but he has the warmest most loving heart. Hugs to you XoXo.
How does he fit in the end? –> The Story of this Motley Crew – part II – TheGreatReset(of2020) (thegreatreset-thorn.com)