At Pedro L.’s selling spot on Broadway and 14th Ave N, the light is so short that there’s not a lot of time to talk. But that doesn’t stop him from bonding with his customers. In the early mornings and mid-afternoons, Pedro’s sunny disposition is a welcome respite on three very different commutes.
Shannon Meadors, minister to children at Nashville First Baptist Church, hopes to get a red light on her way to work so she and Pedro can catch up.
She hears about his brother in Florida, his upcoming new teeth, and makes sure he has a safe place to sleep. He asks about her kids, and her daughter’s soccer career.
Meadors says her goal is to help him buy more papers and do his job well. So she’ll give him some extra cash each week. Pedro collects treasures like masks, candy, and packages of tissues to give back.
“He always has a gift for me, it’s so fun!” she says.
Shannon grew up in Evansville, Illinois, and Pedro used to work there as a garbage collector.
“Ever since I told her I used to be in Evansville, we connected,” he says.
Shortly after Sandy Tormey, a member of her church who was also a Contributor vendor, passed, Pedro came into her life. Shannon feels this was no accident.
“He’s very kind. He’s always there, he’s a hard worker. He’s gracious. He’s generous with his words and with his things,” she says. “When I’m on the way to work and tired, it’s nice to see a smiling face that is asking how you are, and in return to do the same. Pedro is a blessing, a great way to start my day.”
Before she pulls away, Pedro always says “God Bless You.”
Woodworker Nicholai Turner has been building a rapport with Pedro since he started taking a route to work that passes his spot in early 2018.
Nicholai says he started buying the paper just to do the crossword puzzle, but eventually started reading the articles inside. He was struck by a piece Pedro had written about how the sorrow he felt when he killed a bird as a kid led him to caring for those that cross his path today. Nicholai thought of a book that had been sitting on his shelf for some time, Birds of North America.
“I felt like he was a worthy candidate that would probably use it more than me,” he says. “That was my way of trying to return the favor from his generosity.”
Pedro had been collecting handwarmers he was given and passing them to Nicholai since he heard he was going to be taking frequent trips to Wisconsin. Having grown up in Chicago, Pedro knows the cold.
“He seen me feeding the birds. I said yea, I’m interested in birds,” Pedro says. “Then he gave me a book! A book about birds. It shows pictures of all the different kinds. I know now what kind of birds they are.”
When Pedro recently got into his own apartment, Nicholai gave him a wooden bowl that he made. Pedro keeps candy in it.
Sometimes Nicholai will sit through an extra light just to talk to Pedro.
“He’s always a joyful guy,” Nicholai says. “He’s always happy to see me. If I wake up late or somebody cuts me off or something like that on the interstate, it’s nice to be able to have a little respite there just for a couple seconds at the light and be able to chat with Pedro. Especially now with everyone trying to maintain some physical distance, any connection you can get, it’s nice.”
Debi Krause used to see Pedro most days on her way to work as a paralegal in the U.S. Attorney’s office. Each time, she would bring him two hard boiled eggs and a thermos of coffee. She even got him two containers so they could switch out each day. Her job has changed because of the pandemic and they don’t see each other very often anymore. Now, they stay in touch via text.
At the beginning of the year, she read an article in The Contributor where Pedro said he liked watching Chopped, so she took him to a local spot where one of the chefs from the show cooks. To make the evening extra special, she took him to get a haircut and shave at an upscale barbershop. Pedro loves to tell the story of the barbershop even offering him a beer, which he declined.
Pedro’s fatherly instinct comes out with Debbie’s granddaughter, and he holds on to candy and other prizes he’s given to pass along to her. He has two adult daughters of his own.
Early in the mornings, it was she who would get up to make the coffee, heavy on the sugar, while Debbie prepped the eggs.
“It was a great opportunity for my granddaughter to meet him,” Debbie says. “He is just socially superpowered, he’s so good. She was a little awkward and he was very kind.”
For his new place, she’s planning to get him a new coffee pot, but hopes to get back to the daily coffee and hard boiled eggs soon.
Pedro says he’s gotten a fair amount of rude comments on his corner, with people yelling at him to “get a job.” The customers he’s gotten to bond with are a bright spot. He believes he’s an especially good judge of character.
“I enjoy talking to these people. You can look in somebody’s eyes and tell if they’re a good person or not. I believe that. Did you know that?” Pedro says. “I feel I have a bond with them. They enjoy the paper and I think they see something in me, something special in me. And I see something special in them.”