The Lover Left Holding the Daffodils

When I first saw him, he was sitting on the stoop. I wouldn’t have noticed him except he was clutching a bunch of daffodils. Daffodils are symbols of unrequited love. The flowers, which were bowing their buttery brows in a nod to nighttime, and probably a lack of water, were married by a piece of crunched-up tin foil. The man, who had lost his youth long ago, looked a little sad. He petted my dog, so I said hello and remarked upon the beauty of the blooms. He smiled. I continued my walk and…

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The Friends and Family Fellow

“Good morning, Jerry!” George Kavadias follows this wake-up-and-smell-the-coffee greeting with a hale-and-hearty handshake. George at his command post. He performs the same ritual when Super Dave and Kathy and all the other regulars stop in at Family Corner Restaurant. “I try to keep my family and friends close,” George says. “And I consider my customers friends who are like family.” Family Corner, the pint-sized coffee shop with the big-diner menu, has been…

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The Be-Positive Being

Fast and furious, the rain falls. Brianna Mercado, wearing a shirt the color of sunshine, is intently watching it through the living room window. There’s not a tear in her eyes. In fact, there’s a serene smile on her face. Brianna has a positive attitude. She’s not going to let it — or anything else in this world or the next — get her down. “I see myself as un-messable, which is a word I made up,” says Brianna, a tall woman with short auburn hair and intense…

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The Novel Teen

The bedroom, painted bright blue, looks like a little girl’s idea of a fairy tale. The fantasy furniture is covered with curlicues, and pictures of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella hang next to Broadway’s and . Loli, 16, just published her first novel. A sisterhood of American Girl dolls sits in a corner, staring at the spectacle. So it’s all the more surprising when 16-year-old Mariadolores “Loli” Alvarez walks in carrying a bunch of books about…

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