Lorenzo, Panorama City

“I was a teacher, a substitute teacher, but a teacher nonetheless. With this pandemic, I’ve volunteered to pack meals for the many students in my school district that usually get 2 meals a day, 5 days a week from us. It’s been a challenge having to adapt to this new job which is more physically demanding than I’m used to. My parents, in their 60s and retired, are more house-bound than ever. My younger brother had a temporary job with the U.S. Census but that is being delayed, so he’s doing more gardening (his real passion) My older-brother, a 27 year old with Downs Syndrome, is the same. I worry even more about him. He’s practically nonverbal and it’s difficult to tell when he’s feeling sick. So the rest of us are being extremely cautious when we have to go out. Amidst all this, we somehow got a dog. As of this writing, we’ve had them for nearly 3 weeks. Longest we’ve ever had a dog in more than 20 years. The neighborhood we live in is quieter than usual. Less traffic, thank goodness, but more speeding on the wide main road. The stores are busy as ever but everyone is wearing masks. For all of those who get to work from home or are sidelined, lots of folks here work at the different shopping centers in the neighborhood. I worry about them. We have two major hospitals and many nursing homes in this area. I’m surprised we haven’t become an epicenter of infections with all the folks still working around us.”

Lorenzo, 25
Panorama City
4/16/20

 

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