Working at a hotel, I made a lot of great friends, Rafael included.
Rafael always called me, Mally. It sounded like, "Mal-eee." It was okay. I never corrected him. I mean, it was faster to say than, "Mallury," and if I always answered to “Mally,” why wouldn't he keep calling me that?
One day at work he approached me eagerly:
"Mally! Can you take pictures of me? I want to send to my girlfriend in Ecuador!"
I was happy to help him out. I went to his apartment and spent a little time with him and his brother, Javier. We then went over to nearby Cummings Park (Stamford, CT) and then back to his apartment for a couple of more shots. Hopefully these images made it to his lady in Ecuador so that she would know he was doing okay.
Rafael was really easy and fun to photograph. He's a very sweet, humble, hardworking man.
