Curtis Braxton - Portland, Oregon, USA

Camera Nine

"This is Curtis Braxton, Team Supervisor for the Red Cross blood collection team. I gave blood this morning, and I went in loudly fussing and complaining because there weren't any signs on the building that identified it as a Red Cross collection site, and while I had the right address, nothing indicated that I was in the right place until I entered the building, passed through building security, and approached someone who was working at the front desk to ask.



David, the fellow who collected my blood, claimed it was his fault and was deeply apologetic. It was one of those days, he explained. His assistant, the person who usually puts the signs up, called in sick. They arrived a little late, they couldn't find a parking place for their three trucks, they had to haul their tables and partitions and equipment around the block, and David explained, "When Curtis, that's my boss, asked me, 'Are the signs up?' all I could do was slump my shoulders and say, 'They're still in the truck, boss.' We had people waiting for us, and we had to get going."



I felt pretty bad about being so fussy, and when, after I'd given blood and was drinking a bottle of their water and eating a bag of their trail mix, Curtis came to me to apologize personally, I found him so charming I ended up being the one to apologise.

I asked Curtis if I could take his picture for the project and he obliged with his big genuine warm-hearted smile. I told him Joanne Braxton is an author I very much admire, and he said, "Well I sure hope I'm related to her.""

Stranger by: kendallishere