The brown UPS truck blocked my driveway. A sweaty man in his 40s with spiky, disheveled hair climbed out of the back of the cargo area and trudged toward my house with three packages — two of them arriving a day early. I didn't know what to do other than salute the guy, Army-style — back straight, eye contact, hand at hairline — through the window, where I watched. He nodded and shot a peace sign back.
This was in 2020, during the height of the pandemic when essential workers were our lifelines. Politicians, community leaders, me and everyone in general paid homage to our glorious essential workers, from doctors and nurses to restaurant crews, trash collectors and delivery drivers. They were the ones risking their lives to make sure we were healthy, had full bellies, our neighborhoods were clean and, sure, also got our packages; you know, with all the Lysol, bleach, whatever hand sanitizer was available, and all of that assemble-it-yourself lawn furniture for the countless outdoor events we would go on to have as we tried to figure out the coronavirus and what it was. Two and a half years later, it seems like many of these roles are now going unfilled, prompting many to ask: Where did they go?
