The trophies represented our time together.

He engraved trophies for tee-ball championships and outstanding choral students. He would bring home a trophy with a defective engraving and ask, “Can you see it?”

LOLA BY ELLEN BURNS 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 113

I once dated a guy who lived out of his car. His name was Griffin and his car’s name was Lola. Lola the Corolla. He talked about her like an ex-girlfriend. I would find myself getting jealous of how much he cared about her. All the things she’d seen with him. Her being there for his vulnerable, quiet moments.

When I asked Griffin why he lived out of his car, he said he had commitment issues. But I think it was because he was just smarter than the rest of us, wasting our money on rooms full of junk.

He worked at a family-owned trophy shop. It wasn’t his family so he got along great with them. He engraved trophies for tee-ball championships and plaques for outstanding choral students. The trophies made people feel special. They were something to show for their accomplishments, w…