BONI, AGAIN (July 15, 2014)
Nearly a decade ago, I found the plural of my family name in a grocery store in Belgrade (“Boni,” May 27, 2005). Most likely the phonetic spelling of Bonnie or Bonny, it was on toilet paper produced in the Serbian capital. Today I found the very same toilet paper in the grocery store on Gradiziol. As the packaging shows, it is still produced in Belgrade. I bought a package at once, it goes without saying. And I showed it to everyone from the hilltown I met on my way home. “This toilet paper is only for my own family,” I explained. “Every family now has its own toilet paper!” There was much laughter. Of course, this sounds much better than the alternative interpretation, according to which everyone will be wiping his or her bum with my family name. Perish the thought.