A Ride for an Ear
Albertine Perez-Hope
I could be found searching the horizon for a ride on a dusty road waiting for another story to unfold. The car stops, ends the sun-baked silence. Cool air and faint radio chatter drift out of a rolled down window. “I’m only going one town over,” says the woman inside. Wisps of gray hair frame probing eyes. She recognizes in me a person she knows: a daughter, an old school friend. There are things, so many things, she's been waiting to tell her–this person–not me, but I’m here so I’ll listen. The rides aren’t free they’re paid in company, conversation– but most of all silent attention. I carry with me a well for pouring secrets and a mirror in which a stranger sees the ghosts that populate their mind. Out the window I might see fields, scattered houses, brush spreading over dirt and rocks and I might hear about unemployment, aliens, marriage, plastic shrink-wrap factories, a childhood spent very near or very far away. Words reach through the loneliness that fills the thin air between us.
Mariana Rodriguez Payan is a Mexican-American photographer specializing in environmental portraiture. Currently, she’s exploring the intimacy of her family’s interpersonal dynamic, showcasing everyday life through her photography. She wishes to expand her creative mind, taking a new interest in indoor studio settings and the incorporation of controlled, artificial lighting. Her art and journey in discovering herself can be seen at her Instagram handle: @hoii_im_mari_arts.
Albertine Perez-Hope landed in Phoenix by accident as she was hitchhiking to California. She’s currently completing an AA Degree with an emphasis in History at Phoenix College.
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