You Were Stuck on the Balcony

     It all happened abruptly in the blink of an eye. The carelessness of one’s own in the midst

of a scorching afternoon. You were on the apartment’s balcony, doing the typical routine of

hanging dry your clothes. Your body was drenched in sweat as you squatted while tirelessly

washing a few of your filthy socks in the bathroom. Loincloth was the only thing that covered

your clammy self at the moment. But as far as one’s mind can wander, you were currently

positioned yourself chilling in the cafe, visualizing what you would do after completing this

mundane task, which is overwhelming your body in the cool breeze under the aircon. Fantasizing about the heaven you would later visit, but in fact, unfortunately you were stuck in hell. The six-story apartment building whose balcony was oriented toward the afternoon sun, depicted a scene as if you were spending some summer day on the beach. Thus, in fact the setting opposite of you was nowhere near a beach, but a tall building covered in white, which reflected off extra heat. You walked to the balcony, closed the door like you usually did, and thanks to your damn finger, your thumb accidentally clicked on the door lock. You were completely locked down in a four square metre solitary confinement cell with a single loincloth wrapped around you, and the smooth wall of the balcony which was impossible to climb. There was no possible way out. It all happened on a quiet Monday noon, when no one could be seen walking in or out of the building.

     You recalled seeing a paper stuck on an announcement board saying “Do not forget the key,” because there was no one monitoring the building during noon. However, if it was really the case, you would need to phone the officers and wait for them to unlock it for you. The first time was free, but you would be charged for 40 baht if that ever happened again. There would be a bill every time you forgot the key. But as for now, nothing you recall from the announcement board would be beneficial in the current situation. You could hear your cell phone ringing from the bed. The ringtone screamed continually, indicating that there were incoming calls. Aside from the sweat that soaked your body due to torridity, if ever possible, by now the bleed from your heart would also burst from the tip of your nose. Those calls were from your wife. The different ringtone that you set up according to who called you was what distinguished your wife from other callers. You left your hometown in the countryside for several months to write a book, not a day went by that you fell out of contact, but suddenly you failed to pick up her calls. Your phone buzzed again, the same ringtone rang as before, “I’m not afraid” by Eminem. Ironically, the meaning of the song totally contradicted you right now. You that sat on the balcony across the other side of the room were in extreme anxiety, looking down at the ground, trying to find someone who could flake off your foolishness. There was no one in the parking lot in front of the building, although it was full of parking vehicles a few hours ago, when you took a glimpse while brushing your teeth. But at this point, not even a single motorbike was in the vision. The hopeless feeling gradually possessed your body while you sat there burning in the middle of a blistering afternoon. The phone had stopped ringing a while ago and other people were carrying on with their lives. Nevertheless, you were a loser who sat up here on the balcony, waiting for someone to rescue you. There were people walking past the building from time to time, but they could not help you. You tried it once and that person walked toward the room on the ground floor where the surveillance camera was installed. After peeking into the room, that person waved his hand a little, signifying that there was no one there, before he would roughly

point at his watch, conveying that he was in a hurry. Only people with keycards could enter the building so there was no way an outside resident could help. You are trapped in a room with double doors. The only way out was to call the building resident to help phone the building officers, telling them to unlock the door for you. Hence, there was still no sign of any resident that could possibly assist you at the moment. People were passing by, looking up at you on the balcony and carrying on walking. You signed, led out a deep breath, thinking that at least there was a wash basin outside on the balcony area that could cool you down. You turned the faucet, washing your sweaty body with water. Your body was a little freshened up which somehow brightened your mood. You gently smiled as a dog jogged by. Forget it! It was merely one of the unfortunate days of yours, you thought to yourself as you sat on your knees behind the balcony’s wall to avoid the blazing sun.