Exactly one year ago, I started going to work in my closet.

I put a microphone in here, some Christmas lights.

The closet's under my stairs.

So being in here can feel a little like being Harry Potter before he gets all the magic. But while I was shut inside a corner of my

house, my neighbor Nashan, every day he left for work, same way he always had. Nishon works for the MTA,

the New York City subway system. Back when I did leave the house, I'd run into him if I'd been at the

office late. I'd be getting back if I'd been at the office late.

I'd be getting back.

He was heading out.

He does overnight shifts, repairing the trains and the tracks, so the rest of us can ride.

Whenever I'm on the platform, I'm always looking at the tracks like, okay, what needs to be fixed?

What's messed up?

I wanted to talk to Nishan about his year being outside when so many of us were in.

Had you heard the term essential worker before this year?

Before this year? No.

So one night last week, I walked with Nishon as he went to work.

Well, actually, they, it was lightly used mostly when we had, like, bad weather.

They would tell us that we was essential to come in and to maintain service and just in case anything happened where they would have to send us out there

to help repair the tracks or anything. Here are some things to know about being a track worker for the

MTA. It's a good job, a union job. You have to qualify for it by taking an exam, and then you wait

for months or years for a slot to open up.

Yeah.

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