Zakariyya's Personal Struggles, Life Circumstances, and Emotional Journey

Key Insight

Zakariyya, nearing 50, resides in an assisted-living facility, having qualified due to his deafness and near-blindness without glasses, after previously being 'on the streets'. Despite holding multiple diplomas in fields such as welding, refrigeration, and diesel, he faces persistent unemployment due to his criminal record, which includes past charges for assault and drunk and disorderly conduct. He is currently on probationary status at his facility for being 'loud and aggressive' with other residents. Physically, he is described as five feet eight inches tall and weighing just under 400 pounds, often using a metal cane similar to his sister Deborah's.

His difficult upbringing significantly shaped his personality, with his sister Deborah attributing his 'hate' to their abusive relative, Ethel, who 'taught him hate' and 'beat every drop of it into his little body'. Zakariyya himself corroborated this, stating that living with Ethel was 'worse than living in prison'. He recounts an incident where he knocked out a man for calling him 'Joe', emphasizing his strong aversion to misnaming. His apartment is sparsely furnished, containing only essential items like a Formica table, two chairs, a mattress without a frame, and a small television, with bare walls except for photocopied family pictures, including a retouched image of Henrietta and a 'breathtaking picture' of his sister Elsie.

Initially, Zakariyya presented as hostile and withdrawn during the visit, slamming down a magazine and yelling, and having his hearing aid turned off to avoid children. However, a significant emotional shift occurred when Deborah presented him with a photograph of his mother's stained chromosomes, representing her DNA. Upon receiving this image, his 'eyes filled with tears', the 'dark circles' around his eyes 'seemed to vanish', and his body 'relaxed'. He expressed gratitude ('Hey, thanks') in a 'soft voice unlike anything we'd heard that day', and, holding the picture at eye level, agreed to meet the doctor who provided the image, signaling a newfound willingness to engage with the scientific aspect of his mother's legacy.