Edgar

While on the way to work using the Metro Gold Line, a several young girls and their teachers boarded the train. It must’ve been a field trip. The only open seats were around one man, all alone. He looked miserable. I waited until he had a solemn face, then snapped a photo.

The man sitting next to me chuckled at the girls and their conversations. He laughed after I took the photo.

“He looks so miserable, I couldn’t help myself,” I whispered, snickering quietly.

We talked between Lincoln/Cypress station and Union Station. He asked me if photography was my career (not yet). His roommate, Travis Tanner, is a photographer.

“Where is your accent from?”

“Columbia Colombia, South America,” he told me. “What about you?”

“I’m from here.” I knew he meant my ethnicity.

“Where are you parents from?”

“They’re from the Philippines, but I was born and raised here.”

Edgar was between jobs. He’s been working in television production for the past ten years, but was let go. They were all with Spanish language television channels — I forget which ones specifically. He said he was going to apply for jobs with other networks, like CBS and NBC.

Before the train stopped at Union Station, I asked him if I could take his portrait. Since we were inches away, I used my 18-55mm lens.

Good luck finding your next job, Edgar.

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