The Window

40 Days Before...

I'd always heard that the main obstruction to the smooth movement of traffic in the semi-urban towns of India, were cows. I'd never visited the country of my origin, but all the stories of cows running loose on the road had made me chuckle. It also made me pity the drivers there...how were they to maneuver their vehicles in the midst of animals?!

Well, this morning's traffic right in front of my apartment, was making me empathize with them for the first time...

I lived on 69th street for Christ's sake! One of the most upscale localities of the Upper East Side in the Manhattan Burough of New York! I worked my ass off in order to pay the rent for my tiny studio apartment! The least I expected was some semblance of traffic control!

I honked the horn loudly as I waited for the two trucks in front of me, to clear the path. A number of cars behind me were doing the same thing.

I waited five more minutes, but the men unloading furniture from the trucks in front of me refused to budge.

I couldn't take the inaction any longer. I rolled down the window and yelled loudly in order to attract their attention.

"Hey, I've been honking the horn for ages! Move! I'm getting late for work!" I screamed at the African American man in the handyman's uniform.

When he looked back and spotted me, in my BMW convertible, he smirked offensively.

"Why don't you just take the Subway, princess?" He said in a demeaning manner.

Ugh! Typical dismissive behaviour! The man was surely from the Bronx! Of course they thought I was a rich brat! Never mind that I slogged hard in order to earn a living! I wouldn't take the Subway even if someone held a gun to my head! There were germs in there that I was sure scientists hadn't even discovered yet...

Who was this new resident in the neighbourhood, anyway?! And why did he have so much stuff?

Must be some old man, loaded with cash! That was the only possibility!

I kept honking the horn as my patience wore thin with each passing second. Finally, after a period of ten minutes, one of the trucks showed signs of movement.

As soon as it cleared my way, I accelerated and zoomed out of there as quickly as possible.

I looked at my watch, and noted the time-9:15 am.

For the first time ever in my entire professional life, I was fifteen minutes late!

I sipped my coffee and placed it back in the cup holder beside me.

I didn't know who my new neighbor was, but I was already cursing him in my head...

****

I unlocked the door to my flat and pushed it open. I took rapid steps towards the couch and crashed on it immediately.

I'd had a grueling day at the office today, and I just wanted to snooze till the end of time.

I looked at the clock hung on the wall in front of me. It was seven-thirty in the evening and I was dog tired!

The job of a mortgage analyst was definitely a tough one. In addition to that, being labelled the most capable employee among all my colleagues made the bosses burden me with even more work than usual.

I grudgingly got up from the couch a few minutes later, after dumping my bag on it. I quickly changed into my pajamas and started heating last night's leftovers using the microwave oven.

I took my laptop out of the bag, switched it on and placed it on my study table near the window. My work for the day wasn't entirely finished. I still had to review the finances of certain high risk clients...

Once the food was heated, I took the bowl along with some cutlery and placed it on my study table. My studio was so miniscule that I didn't even have a dining space.

I opened the window in front of my study to let some fresh air into my flat. It was only after I settled down on the chair, that I realised that something was different.

The building right in front of mine was one of the most sought after and expensive residences in Manhattan. The homes were huge, and each flat even had its own dedicated balcony with huge glass doors.

The flat in the opposite building, exactly at the same level as my own had remained unoccupied for the longest time. The owners had had a tough time renting it out or selling it, since the property rates were too high.

However, much to my surprise it seemed like someone had finally moved in. The once pitch dark apartment was now illuminated to some extent.

I finally realised what the commotion was all about in the morning. If any family had moved into this flat, it would have to be a particularly wealthy one.

I watched as the door to the apartment opened and a tall silhouette appeared in my direct line of sight. At the next moment, the lights in the apartment came on, and I could finally put a face to the silhouette.

The road separating both the buildings was fairly narrow, which allowed me to get a fairly good look at the new resident.

He was dressed in casual ripped jeans with a t-shirt to accompany it. There was a slogan on his shirt which I was unable to read from this distance. He had a thick head of hair, and a sharp jawline with a slight stubble. I couldn't make out much else from afar, but one thing I knew for sure-he definitely wasn't Caucasian.

Was he a Latino, or an Indian? I wished that he'd just come to the balcony so that I'd get a better look at him.

To say that I was surprised that he was the new resident of the flat would be an understatement. I had expected a wealthy middle aged man or a family to move in next door, but he was the antithesis of what I'd imagined...

I watched as he went into the bedroom, stood in front of the mirror and took his shirt off.

I stopped breathing for a split second, when he did so. The contours of his muscles were only faintly visible, but I still felt the blood rush to my cheeks when I observed him.

I fought the urge to take my phone and zoom in on him with my camera...that would just be too creepy...

When he turned his back towards my window, I noticed that he had a fairly large tattoo on it. I couldn't make out what the pattern was, but it only made him more beguiling...

I'd been cursing him in the morning, but I had to admit, maybe having him next door could turn out to be more diverting than I'd thought...

*****