u/itsamike

I just wrapped up a lovely weekend as an invited guest at a large public event.

The day before, I got a prepatory note from the organizer containing the following bullet point:

• Zio is the Transport Coordinator.

I felt my eyebrows raise.

I consulted the Stand With Us chatbot, which assured me that Zio is a perfectly common nickname for people named Enzio and Fabrizio and the like. I asked and it confirmed that it would likely be pronounced "TSEE-oh." I breathed a sigh of relief.

When I landed, he was my driver. I didn't ask. But over the course of the weekend people constantly referred to him as "ZEE-oh."

At the closing ceremonies he was introduced by his full name.

"Zion."

I smiled a little smile.