If I don’t see Mickey for a few days, I go looking for him. Mickey has a lot of friends in our town, and a lot of people who look out for him.

The Round House Cafe, where he often stops to eat, has been closed and may not re-open.

But things changed for Mickey. The streets are mostly empty still, most of the stores still closed.

And many people are staying inside, or just beginning to come out. Others are afraid to approach other people and get too close. Mickey always carries his mask, but sometimes forgets to put it on.

I have the feeling he is a bit lonely and disoriented by the Pandemic and all of the changes. Mickey is my only paid photographic subject, I saw him sitting on his bench in the heat as I left the bank.

We had a longish talk (for me and Mickey), he did seem a little bit at sea. He is eating well, comfortable, and feels okay. That’s usually as far as we go. I was wearing a red mask and he couldn’t stop staring at it.

I tried to explain to him exactly what was happening, and assured him things would become more normal over time. If he could remember, I said, it would be good to put the mask on when he was anywhere near people.

I paid him $5 to pose for me, he uses some of the money to buy lunch, and I think he uses the rest to get cigarettes, I don’t ask and it’s not my business.

Mickey looks good to me, clean, well dressed, and well-fed. But I know he values – and needs- predictability and routine, and I can see the last few weeks have been unsettling for him.

I love photographing Mickey, and he likes to pose.