Author: ruhlwrite

Does it smell like cigarette smoke? Jim Ruchalski, a pack-a-day guy, has gone to a lot of trouble to clear the stale-smoke scent out of his apartment. That’s why the candles are burning and the fans are humming on high. Jim’s a geologist for the city. “I can open a window,” he says, looking at the hookah in the corner and the empty ashtrays in the living room. Jim, who has neon blue eyes and smile lines etched into his weathered face, has been smoking since he was 13. He’s…

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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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“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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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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