In order to be eligible for tax breaks, many New York City landlords reserve several of their apartments for disabled residents. The second floor of my building houses primarily adults with mental illnesses and/or developmental disabilities. One set of male roommates is particularly attention-getting. Neither one has a job, so they spend a good deal of time in and around the building. One chain-smokes, calls me Caroline, and speaks very quickly about things that no one understands. He seems to avoid interacting more than is absolutely necessary. I sometimes wonder if he calls everyone Caroline, or if that name is reserved just for me.
The other roommate reminds me of a very large, goofy child. He adores my dog, and always greets him in a much-too-loud voice. I often hear "Hiiiiii Luckyyyyyyyyyy" from behind us as we're out watering the trees and fire hydrants. Lucky freezes midstream, and gives me a "do I have to?" look. He's uncomfortable with raised voices in general. I give him the "yes, you have to" look and he obediently sits and holds out his paw. Our neighbor giggles and shakes Lucky's paw, proclaiming loudly that Lucky is a "very very very good dog". Then we go our separate ways.
This morning was different. After loudly petting the dog, the guy asked me out on a date. Loudly. How on earth does one handle this situation?!