Well how did that happen? 50 days have been and gone. It only highlights to me how time flies. How long I have been out of the UK. All the people I care about that I need to speak to since I left and how little time we all have to enjoy each other.
My next subject epitomises for me the ‘Brooklyn/New Yorker’. The two may say they are very different but for the rest of the world, pretty much the same. I saw Bob for the first time when he served me in Publix. It struck me in that moment, regardless of how good he was at his job, that he looked entirely out of place in his position. I got that perhaps this was a temporary, perhaps semi retired role for him and not to put it down at all but imagine a heavy weight boxer in a florists and it strikes you a little out of the ordinary. I am stereotyping I know, forgive me I’m of that generation. I also knew immediately that Bob had been a Police Officer, just a hunch.
My daughter was with me and we both knew he would be an ideal candidate for the project but as he was busy working so I couldn’t talk to him that day.
Today I considered I needed to go all out, where should I go, who should I look for. Then I realised that went against everything I felt about this project and I should just look for that every day ordinary but special person and I’ll know when I see them.
I got in my car and wasn’t sure where I was driving to.
Bob was outside Publix collecting the shopping trollies as I drove past, that was decided then.
As I started to talk to Bob his new wife joined us, Beverley..two for one. There are great offers on at Publix you know.
Name: Bob
Occupation: Temporarily Cashier Publix / New York City Police Detective Sergeant for 20 years
1.Where were you born and raised?
Born in Brooklyn, Raised in Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn
‘When my Dad grew up it was the vacation spot from the city, from Manhattan. My Grandad was an actor in New York, on Broadway. He was a headliner for the Albee Theatres and thats how my name is Pannell but I am Italian.’
‘I grew up with three siblings, an older sister, an older brother and a younger brother.’ ‘My home life was tremendous, I had a great home life. My Uncles name was Vincent Lombardi, that is what the Superbowl Trophy is named after. He was the Coach of all Coaches with the Green Bay Packers and at that time of course he was with the Giants. I grew up into football.’
2.Tell me a childhood memory.
‘The memories are family, it’s being over Grandma’s and having 40 cousins running around just all being together, eating & laughing.’
3.What is your favourite season and why?
‘My favourite season is Spring, Spring in New York, especially Long Island it’s gorgeous.’
4.Tell me about someone you love.
‘I came down to Florida and I lived in St Pete and someone said I have somebody you should meet, now I came from New York but she is from New York, it turns out that she was in the same circles that I was in but we never met. I had to come to Orlando to meet her. We are just married. We are newlyweds. Our wedding was very simple, it was a Justice of The Peace, I proposed to her on Christmas Eve and one day we were driving and I said there’s the Town Hall, lets go and we signed the papers that day.’
‘We like Wining, Dining & Dancing. We love Rock & Roll, we like the 50’s, 60’s.’
5.What words of wisdom do you have for the readers about life?
‘Live, Love & Laugh
6.Dreams for the future?
‘Never stop dreaming, my dreams? Right now we are dreaming about our two race horses and we are dreaming about getting back into that business again.’
I did wonder as I looked at their image if they were in witness protection, they certainly look like they are from out of town but I think maybe thats just my imagination going overboard.
Bob is aptly named, he reminds me of Robert De Niro in Silver Linings, do you know the one? He could completely pull off movie star gangster or troubled New York cop.
He loves American Football, horse racing. He has an eye for the glamorous lady, a cheeky smile, he’s wearing a ring the size of Ibiza on his finger so any minute now I’m expecting Andy Garcia to be joining us…heres hoping.
He tells me that he was single for 20 years, I’m glad he and Beverley have found each other. They look good together and I loved that she came to join him on his lunch break, romantic, the sort of thing people do when they are in love because spending 8 or so hours apart is too long for them.
I don’t know how old Bob is but perhaps this isn’t how he planned to spend these years, working as a cashier. Things happen in life and I respect him for doing the job he is doing after the career he has had. What he has seen and been a part of, a whole different world to the one he is living right now.
He is a happy guy, happy in love. I can imagine these two on a Friday night sipping cocktails and dancing the night away, rolling in at all hours and sitting in the sun, dozing it off the next day.
So there it is. 50/50/50. Fifty Days, back to back. Fifty Amazing people and their wonderful, diverse stories. All photographed on my little old 50mm manual 1.2 lens. I bought that lens secondhand, who knows where it was or who it winked at before I took it out on the streets. The stories it has to tell, the lives it has witnessed. Pretty special for a little piece of glass.
I hope you have enjoyed the stories, I have enjoyed telling them.
Now I am looking forward to a few early nights.
I’ll be back soon, with a few more faces, a few more stories. Look out for me because I am looking out for you.
