I was about a year into my career at the Social Security Administration when I met Bobby. Let me back up and explain what I do and who I am, so the story makes sense.
After a few years of working various odd jobs after college, I got hired by the Social Security Administration Office in Philadelphia. My job title was customer service counselor. I wasn't one of the people who sat in the office answering calls regarding benefits. My job was to go out in the field and meet with and help any Americans who were on Social Security and needed further assistance outside of their monthly payment.
In other words, I was assigned a vehicle, and every day I had clients, I would have to go see in person to determine if the Social Security Administration needed to add onto their benefits or give them additional items, they needed to live their best lives.
As for me personally, I was a hard-working bright-eyed 25-year-old male, thriving for my place in the world. I was young and ambitious and I had put more time and energy into my studies, working, and making a name for myself than I had in dating or social relationships. I had always been shy, a bit of an outcast, and never had any luck with the dating life. At the time, I knew or had at least accepted I liked men more than women and had dated another closeted gay man during my last year of college. We kept our relationship secret and my friends or family never knew about my sexual preferences, because every time I was asked about any females in my life, my answer was always, "I got more important things to focus on than dating."
I had "girlfriends" throughout high school and my first year of college, none of which were ever very in-depth. It wasn't until I dated a man that last year of college, that I knew I preferred men, but I still wasn't going to put a lot of effort into dating, because I would have to eventually break the silence of who I was. And quite frankly, I wasn't ready for that.
On a Tuesday morning, my supervisor called me into her office, telling me to shut the door, after I passed the threshold. For a minute I felt my ass pucker because I thought I was out of a job.
"Sit down Matthew." She spoke, as her hands were thumbing through a file.
"Matthew, you have been doing good work and I am pleased with your progress." She followed up with.
"We have a troubled client, that no one can seem to get satisfactory results with. And since you have been doing so well, I want you to try and see if you can get his issues resolved."
"Okay," I mumbled, as she reached over her desk handing me a file.
"The client's name is Robert Flemming. He lives in those new apartment complexes down on 18
th
Street. He has been an absolute pain in the ass since he received benefits." She stated.
"Why?" I asked. "What's his condition?"
My supervisor explained in short detail, that Robert had a bad back and diabetic nerve pain in his feet, so he couldn't work and the apartment complex would not provide him with any other services. She furthered, that he is demanding new items for his back, and his feet problems and wants a live-in caretaker, all provided by us. She continued by saying Robert has been verbally abusive to other Social Security Counselors and is what we like to call a constant victim. I knew my boss had given me the case because she felt confident, I could help him resolve his continual complaints and abuse towards my co-workers.
After reading the file, I decided I was going to reach out to him on his cell phone and see what day I could meet with him. After a brief conversation, I agreed to meet him on Wednesday at 11:00 A.M. at his place so I could assist him further. I could tell he was an absolute dick, just by his tone and words while on the phone with me. But I wasn't going to let the proverbial complainer beat me. I was going to handle this.
I arrived Wednesday morning at the apartment complex a few minutes early and reviewed his file again. Seems Bobby, as he likes to be called, had two major back surgeries in the last five years for his lower lumber region, L4 and L5 and after that, he had been diagnosed with Diabetic Neuropathy in both feet. Robert was 47 years of age and had been receiving benefits for just over three years. The Social Security Administration had increased his benefits two-fold since he first became a client because he could not stand or sit for long durations, limiting his ability to maintain gainful employment.
By his file, Bobby had no immediate family members listed, just a cousin in California being the only emergency contact. He stood 5'9 inches tall, weighed about 180 pounds, and had last worked as a forklift operator at a factory in Hersey PA. The file didn't report if his back problems started with a work injury or just a genetic defect.
As I entered the building, I walked into the foyer, found his name in the directory, and buzzed his room number. He answered and buzzed me through the door, where I made my way to the elevator and up to his unit.
I knocked on the door and heard him say, "One minute." When he finally answered the door, I was almost taken aback by the man who stood before me. By the definition provided by my boss, I expected some big, burly, angry man, yet I was met by someone small and thin in stature, maturing, and in desperate need of more help. I re-introduced myself to him and walked into his unit. The unit appeared fairly kept, and clean and it appeared Bobby was handling his new living arrangements as best as he could.
"So, you're the next rep they've sent me." He bellowed. "What happened to Joyce?" He asked.
"Joyce has been reassigned to a different division," I answered assuring him, that this wasn't something personal.
"Well, that bitch never did anything I asked for." He touted. "I hope you can solve my problems, with your organization and this building."
"I'll do my best. What is it I can assist you with?" I inquired.
Bobby rambled on for about 15 minutes regarding the litany of complaints he had about my administration as well as the buildings. Things like, not enough money every month to support his lifestyle. Lack of a supportive back brace, a better walker, coupled with the fact that no one will bring up his Amazon packages, or his groceries when he orders them. The building supervisor refuses to send the maintenance men to fix his window frame. The building won't upgrade him to a three-bedroom unit, so "we" (The Social Security Administration) can provide him with a full-time caretaker, along with a bunch of gripes about the "Faggot ass doorman" who teases him, when he goes down to get his mail.
I almost laughed aloud, when he said "Faggot Ass Doorman", and Bobby could tell, I was laughing inside.
"What's so funny?" He barked at me.
"Well, you said, Faggot ass doorman. I guess I was surprised you said that. But I have to ask you Bobby, what's his sexuality have to do with anything?"
"Because I'm gay". He snapped loudly, "I know a cock sucker when I see one."
I could tell Bobby was an angry man. I don't know if it was because of his lot in life, or if he felt outcasted because he was gay, or if he was just one of those people in the world, who are just mad at everyone and everything.