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Episode 80: The Birth of a Babe Magnet

Writer's picture: Kristin LindstromKristin Lindstrom

As what was left of Xerxes’ hair hit the floor, little did he know this would transform his life. He went from being an attractive black man to a major Babe Magnet.


Xerxes was raised partly in Taiwan where his father was stationed in the army. He grew up around more white people than black. In general, he was attracted to white women. One day he was in a store with a girlfriend. Two black women saw him and moved in, adeptly separating him from his date. He barely got out alive.


Perry and I were meeting him at a restaurant for dinner but couldn’t see him anywhere in the lobby. I went around the bar and found him behind it, surrounded by six or eight women, basking in their attention. I was persona non grata when I pulled him away to get our reservation.


This kind of thing happened all the time, and he couldn’t have been happier. I once said Xerxes was a terrible womanizer. Perry corrected me and said, he was a very successful womanizer.


Xerxes was always snappy dresser and loved bow ties.


Every Christmas the Swedish Embassy Science office threw a party at the director’s house. One year we took Xerxes with us. To say he stuck out in the crowd is, well, obvious. The director’s wife was a short plump, homely woman who had the hots for the young men. She also designed hideous shirts and sweaters for women which were hung around the walls. All the incoming female guests were dragged around to see them all and received the hard sell on ugly outfits that sold for $200.


Xerxes settled comfortably into the crowd. Watching him from behind, Perry and I realized he’d seen an older Chinese couple at the far end of the room. He started cleaving through the throng toward them. Their mouths dropped open and they looked intensely uneasy at the approach of this towering black man. The closer he got, the more their heads tilted back as they had to look up at him.


Finally, Xerxes reached them. You could see from the astonishment in their expressions the moment he started speaking Chinese to them. They engaged in a lively discussion with him for an hour.


Xerxes and Perry made a funny pair. Perry was 5’7” and Xerxes stood 6’4.” One day they were waiting in line for an ATM at dusk, Perry standing in front of Xerxes. Soon Perry realized the guy at the machine was worried that he was about to be mugged. Perry had longish hair, wore a diamond earring, a goatee, and was wearing a leather jacket. Xerxes was well dressed as usual but certainly together they were unconventional. The man quickly finished his business and scurried away.


When the doctors first started treating Xerxes, he was their golden boy. He could withstand the heaviest of treatments. Until he couldn’t. They finally abandoned him, leaving him to waste away.


At his funeral, I told a sweet story about Mr. Xerk and the six-year-old boy next door. The little boy adored him and followed him around to help with yard chores. When Xerxes’ immune system became compromised, he couldn’t be around the boy anymore, as he was a walking, talking germ machine.


The boy collected hats, and seeing as how Xerxes was bald, he brought over his complete stockpile for him to use.


Xerxes was a remarkable man, hail fellow, well met, with flaws as well as good qualities. We miss him.

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