Every story below is a composite, drawn from the experiences of our companions and neighbors. Names and details are changed, and images are illustrative.
Rosendo, 79, retired from a Kodak Park machine shop. Imani, 24, studies nursing at MCC. Thursdays after class, they play dominoes. “I do not talk to her about my knees,” he says. “I talk to her about baseball.”
Walter, 72, is Deaf and had spent a lonely year after his wife’s death and his friends’ moves south. Mei, 48, is a Deaf software tester who grew up in the Rochester Deaf community. They meet Tuesday mornings for coffee, signing about the Bills, the news and their grandchildren.
Hodan, 16, arrived from a refugee camp in Kenya two years ago and wanted to practice English somewhere other than school. Daniel, 52, uses a wheelchair and knows every path in Highland Park. Together they have photographed all of Rochester’s lilacs, and argued about which is best.
Mrs. Lim, 84, lives alone in Greece and speaks Mandarin and Cantonese. Her grandchildren are in California. A volunteer from Hello Calls set up a tablet in October. Now there are calls every Monday, a Mandarin-speaking caller on Fridays, and tea every time.
Mateo, 22, has Down syndrome and loves graphic novels. His weekends were empty until he met Jordan, a 20-year-old student at RIT. Saturdays are for the library, the comic shop and a long debate about superheroes.