Typically, at the hours of darkness of night time, I prefer to get out into the condominium’s dusty third flooring balcony and sit silently. I get to squint into the home windows and balconies of different flats. It’s from a distance however it’s revelatory nonetheless.
A person is shooing pigeons off of the clotheslines on his condominium’s balcony. The pigeons have dirty a few of the garments and the person places these garments on the ground of the balcony. Is that this for the maid to come back and acquire and redo this laundry within the washer? There’s a washer within the balcony. Are they even permitting home assist inside their dwelling throughout COVID? The pigeons refuse to depart. It’s darkish and the birds can not see, so that they return to the well-lit balcony. How did the person even know that there have been pigeons within the balcony? I hear them generally. Scratching on the highest of the metallic cowl of the air-conditioners put in at my condominium. Perhaps they did the identical at this man’s condominium. I can see an air-conditioner in his balcony.
My eyes wander to one thing flickering in one other window. It seems to be like a display – a big one. A tv maybe. However what’s with all of the scrolling? Perhaps it’s a screen-saver of some type? The scrolling stops. Ah. They’re scrolling by way of what I can solely think about are limitless choices on their tv. Think about as a result of I don’t have a tv out of alternative. Haven’t had tv, or the related channels and packages, in over 12 years. I’m guessing that the variety of exhibits will need to have solely burgeoned.
A small mild exhibits up in one other window, which is in any other case fully darkish. It seems to be like a smaller display. Bluish mild. The display is turned in direction of the window. Perhaps they’re attempting to take a look at one thing with out disturbing the sleep of whoever else is within the room? It’s too far for me to discern what’s on the display. This jogs my memory that I have to get my eyes checked. That is one thing that I’ve been which means to do for greater than six months now. I believe that I’ve not gotten round to doing this as a result of I’m going to seek out out that my eyes want glasses. For some cause, it looks like a betrayal. My eyes have betrayed me. My identify is “Naina”. I shouldn’t want glasses, ever. My ego is interfering with optical well being.
There’s a whiskey glass with gin and tonic in it, sitting subsequent to me. I sip from it intermittently. It’s 40 levels C outdoors. The drink has gotten heat. A minimum of there are not any mosquitoes to chew my naked legs. I shove a unfastened part of my over-sized t-shirt underneath my bra-less breasts. The sweat there will get absorbed by the t-shirt. I really feel barely much less uncomfortable, shopping for myself a number of extra minutes on the balcony.
My neighbor’s front room lights are on. It’s late for him to have his lights on. Don’t outdated folks sleep early? Particularly lonely outdated folks whose spouses have handed away? He lives alone. He took up school once more, after his associate handed. I ponder if he would ever discuss with his spouse as his “associate”. She was candy. However in the long run, most cancers had its approach.
Who am I calling outdated anyway? I turned 41 this yr. Once I was 20, I used to suppose 40 yr olds have been outdated. Now who’s outdated? I must be variety to myself. A minimum of in my very own head. I must be light. My therapist informed me that I ought to change the dialog in my head. Or was it a self-help e-book I learn? I can not recall accurately.
It’s too scorching now. The breeze has stopped fully. I get up, mud my shorts, decide up the glass and gingerly open the door. The air-conditioned air is supernaturally inviting. I take an enormous breath and really feel rejuvenated immediately.
I’ve no issues in my life. None which are what I might name “actual issues”. I’m informed that modern-day issues of modern-day people are additionally official issues. That simply because we now have higher medical science, the marvels of expertise at our finger-tips, all types of meals from all around the world spilling out of the fridge, it doesn’t invalidate the issues we face.
Having by no means been snug with that notion, I ponder, what are our largest issues these day? Somebody stated one thing imply to me on social media? Pigeons dirty my laundry? I wakened an hour after the alarm went off? Not having the ability to determine which lodge to curry favor with, for a celebration with my pals? Which kind of mango to eat? ( There are three varieties in my fridge proper now. )
No surprise my sister laughed her ass off after I informed her that I acquired a stiff neck, because of a muscle pull, although I did nothing all day.
