Martell

“Like Lindsey Lohan?” he asked with a kind grin, after lowering his mask to a bunched position under his chin. I smiled back. “Yes, my name is Lindsey, like Lindsey Lohan.”

He told me his name was Martell. Slowly, he limped to the chair across from the camera, leaned his cane against a nearby bookshelf, and sat down. I told him we were recording testimonials for the digital literacy and career readiness class he had taken with the organization. With labored breaths between sentences, he shared about the skills he had gained during the four-week program.

“If you don’t want to a job, don’t take this class.” He smiled. I ended the video clip and thanked him.

As he made his way back to the door, he added, “Lindsey Lohan is crazy.” He pulled his mask back up to his face to reveal a small, bullet-shaped scar on his neck.