Dream come true, Published in Times of India, edit page, Sept 6, 2008,

 link

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2008-09-06/edit-page/27940815_1_balcony-easy-chair-dream-home

DREAM COME TRUE: View From The Top

Kakoli Thakur,  Sept 6, 2008

Like any other couple, we were elated the day we were shifting from our cramped rented house to our own flat. It was just a one-bedroom apartment but nevertheless, it was our very own flat, no less than our dream home. It had been a long, tiring day and by the time we reached our flat, it was already dark. We tried to settle our stuff with the help of packers and movers. And when we'd settled the mess, we thought there could be nothing better than relaxing in the balcony with some coffee. Sitting in the balcony, we recalled the day we first came to see the flat on a casual visit. It was a corner flat and the biggest plus was the view from the balcony: a small river canal flowing by with lush green cover on both sides and crystal clean water. We felt lucky we didn't have to see those tall, boring, matchbox-like buildings all over.
The idea of relaxing in the balcony made us feel romantic. The night view of the stream with the reflection of lights from all around in the water was simply stunning. It felt like Paris. We started planning how to decorate our balcony. Arguments followed on whether to buy an easy chair or a swing. At last we came to the decision that an easy chair would occupy minimum space. We also thought of placing a two-sitter cane sofa with a small glass-top table so that we could sometimes have candlelight dinners. We planned to buy plants for positive energy.
Everything was exciting; at last our dream was coming true. After all the planning, we had dinner and went to sleep. I got up early the next morning. I thought the first thing to do should be to get a view of the sunrise from the balcony. What one saw was unbelievable. "Oh no!" I screamed. My husband came running to see what had happened and we started laughing. What we saw was rows of people blissfully attending to nature's call on both sides of the stream, unmindful of the curious onlookers, like us, from atop their balconies. We consoled each other by saying that at least ours was the top floor and the night view was very beautiful, no doubt about it. And, candlelight dinners take place at night, not in the morning!