I ran into my building manager today while waiting for the elevator with my groceries.  As we had time to fill the awkward silence I asked him if there was way to address a long term problem I’ve had with the door buzzer.  He said only one number can be registered to the system, and that there was already someone listed for my apartment.  I told him that was odd because I only have one number, my phone is connected to the intercom, and most importantly I’m the only tenant.  He looked at me strangely and asked for my apartment number, and said the apartment was rented to a “bigger guy.”   I told him that was me, I’ve just lost weight, and then he laughed and said, “I just thought you lived with the bigger guy!  I wondered where the big guy went.”

I have waved to this manager and greeted him many times over the last couple of years.  He’s also seen me several times going in and out of the pool area over the last year.  At some point I stopped being myself to him, and became my own live-in boyfriend.  I’m glad he never hassled me about the pool, and his curious looks over the last year now make much more sense.