I met Victor on Wednesday evening as we were both waiting for buses off Van Buren Street and Central Avenue. Eyeing his uniform, I asked him if he had just finished work.
“Yes, ma’am,” he replied.
Ma’am? I paused for a moment, pleasantly surprised by his formal address and manners. I asked him what he did for a living.
“I’m a roof loader,” he said. “Somebody buys material for roofing — I work for the store. I help deliver it.”
His shoes were spotless despite what I assumed was intensive labor. I kneeled on the ground and angled my Canon upwards to take a photo of him. My shutter speed was 1/100 of a second and my aperture was f/6.3.
Victor and I then shook hands, and I crossed the street to board my bus.
Contact the photographer at Carolyn.Corcoran@asu.edu. Contact the columnist at Courtney.Pedroza@asu.edu.
