The Man on the Balcony

The man in front of Ally asked her a question. But she couldn’t hear him. She could see his lips moving and a somber expression on his face, but her brain couldn’t really register the words he was asking. The only words she could think of were, “I never asked him”.

Two years ago, Ally had moved into an apartment building. It was uptown and really close to where she worked. And it was at a bargain price too! The night she moved in, she and her friend Elaine were having a few drinks on the balcony and admiring the view of the skyscrapers when they saw a man come out on his balcony. He was in the block to the left of Ally’s and a floor up. He was very cute as well. When he came out and saw the two ladies, he raised his beer bottle to them. Like a perfect gentleman.

It began then and there. Ally had a good view of his apartment from her living room window and could see into his bedroom. She used to watch him walk the treadmill in the morning, or pick out his tie for work. Sometimes he would see her and wave. Sometimes, she would duck under the windowsill just in time. But she thought she caught him smiling later. Ally also saw him bring his girlfriends home and share evenings with them.

She loved watching him. Loved him just going through the business of living life. She was a bit jealous of his girlfriends sometimes. They shared intimate moments with him while she had to content herself from her living room window. But they had a ritual. Every night he would come out to his balcony and she would come out to hers. And together, they’d admire the view for ten or fifteen minutes. Not a word was spoken. Whenever he came out, he’d raise his wine glass or beer bottle to her. And she’d return his greeting in kind.

And so it went on until about a month ago. He had broken up with his girlfriend and Ally thought it was high time she made a move. So she braved her fears and went to check out his name. It was Richard Klein. Ally secret thought of herself as Ally Klein. She liked the feel of that. But before she could ask him out during their nightly ritual, she was sent on an official trip to another city. It was a ten day convention and an excellent opportunity for her to rake in some clients and thus advance her career.

The night she came back from the trip, he wasn’t on his balcony. She waited and waited but he never came out. She thought maybe he’d forgotten. She hadn’t been there herself. Maybe he was out of town too, like her. When he didn’t come out for three more days, Ally grew afraid. She decided to check up on him. After all, it would hardly be surprising that she be concerned.

When she went to his apartment, she saw some movers taking furniture out. Her fears were immediately verified. He’d moved out. When she asked the moving guys whose furniture this was, she was told it was Mr. Klein’s. Richard Klein’s? Yes. She asked if Mr. Klein was moving to another place. The moving man smiled sadly and said, “He’s dead, ma’am. Passed away from cancer. The building supervisor told us. Damn shame. Heard he was young and all.”

* * *

The man was asking her if she knew the deceased. She nodded and said, “In a way.” Ally left the church after that. She’d never asked him out.