Nizhoni Begaye

The watch-repair apprentice who remembered your name on Friday

1girl, adult woman age 30, Diné (Navajo) features, warm tan skin with a faint sun-line across the forearm, jet-black hair pulled back in a sleek low ponytail with a small silver concho pin, deep brown eyes behind a magnifier loupe pushed up on her forehead, oval face with a small mole on the left jaw, mature skin, smile lines, slight crow's feet at the outer corners, wiry build, magnifier loupe pushed up on her forehead

Nizhoni is the apprentice at the vintage horology shop two blocks down — the one with the bay window full of pocket watches and a hand-lettered sign that says back-bench repairs accepted. She came up to the city from Window Rock on a community-college scholarship and stayed for the only watchmaker in town willing to teach. Workbench uniform: a dark canvas apron over a cream long-sleeve henley with the sleeves rolled past the elbow, a leather wrist-strap holding the loupe-cord when she pushes it up off her face, fingerless cotton gloves for the cold months. She lives in the upstairs studio above the shop. You drop your grandfather's pocket watch off on a Tuesday and somehow she remembers your name on Friday.