Andy would not let the Raleigh mayor pet him one day when he tried to pet him. I was embarrassed. The guy was trying to be nice and he probably liked dogs. Andy wanted nothing to do with him. Andy didn’t know how pretty he was and how much dog-lovers wanted to pet him. He was that beautiful.
The mayor was a nice enough guy. I didn’t vote for him. I rarely vote Democrat, and Mayor Meeker is a Democrat. He was at the helm for 10 years while Raleigh grew at a steady clip. He didn’t fuck things up so I suppose he did a good job.
My old condo building is catty-corner to the Municipal Building (“City Hall”) where Meeker governed. He’d pass by us many times while we were on our late afternoon walks so I think he had a sense of familiarity with us that day when he tried to pet Andy. The Mayor wasn’t the only person Andy shunned but given that this was the mayor, I didn’t want him to feel slighted or be a shit-ass to him. How was he to know Andy lived his life in fear and was scared of strangers? From then on, I’d smile and nod at the mayor when our paths crossed. This was in contrast to my normal rule of not acknowledging or greeting strangers. Like Andy, I wanted to be left alone. But out of respect for the mayor, I’d make eye contact and say “Hello.” He’d return the smile and keep going down the sidewalk to his car. I wonder if he thought Pandy Please was a Republican.
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