Last summer Reetu and I decided to get a place of our own. I have always been a recluse to some extent. I had lived all by myself despite so many difficulties and objections from friends and family. My mom often asked me to get a roommate not only for financial reasons but her regular worry about how i would fall sick some day and wouldn’t even have a friend to fetch me medicines.But, I loved my privacy and freedom. And that same element started to haunt me after a while. I had been away from home for almost three years and i had very few friends that i could relate to. In my solitude i would imagine myself sharing a little space with the one i loved.

When we rented this space it was almost in desperation to meet deadlines. We had not even seen the actual apartment until we first got the keys to the place. Reetu had a gut feeling about it of some sorts. We looked at the model (which is usually well furnished and made to look attractive) and she decided she wanted it. I initially thought it was a little too small, but then how much space do you need for two people. It met our price range , was close to work and of course we had to meet those deadlines. One thing that lingered at the back of my mind was that it was on the third floor. I kept imagining heavy grocery bags and pictured myself out of breath carrying them upstairs. But all that changed in a split second when we got to the apartment for the first time. We were already overjoyed by the idea of a nest of our own “extra privacy” , and the view we got after we entered just stunned us. For those who have lived in mid-priced apartments here in the US know that majority of these apartments are not made for anything else but to accommodate you.

A chunk of sunshine all day and an amazing view of Texas plains all the way to the horizon. At night the absence of stars in the sky is replaced by endless flickering lights. Almost all of north-west Dallas/Fort Worth metropolis is visible from our patio. Its not the best view i have ever seen ,but in an ever growing city like dallas it is my little oasis. Every now and then we will entertain friends , wind down the day with a drink watching the sun go down or sometimes while Reetu is at work i simply go out, smoke a cigarette, and gaze.