The Guy on The Roof

There is a guy on a rooftop across from my building. I see him every day through my window. He lives in the apartment at the top. The guy on the roof takes phone calls outside. He walks back and forth, around and around the roof: the same steps, same cycles, his hand on his phone, and his phone on his ear.

I stop my work to watch him. He looks happy from a distance. Sometimes his body language and hand movement tell me he is unhappy with the person at the end of his call. Sometimes he paces faster than usual trying to make a point. Sometimes he stops, leans on the roof bars but not for long. Sometimes he walks on the roof on his phone with a teacup. He likes walking on the roof always talking on his phone, he never tires.

The guy on the roof is tall, light complexion, and plump. I presume he is single. (Married men do not live on building rooftops with their families.) The guy of the roof has swag. It is in the way he walks, confident, head high in the air. He has a bounce in his walk. He has an ego (don't most men though hahaha) and a superiority complex. He has a need to be on top of the building. It expresses his need to be on top of his life, business, and relationships.

I watch the guy on the roof way too often. I am like a bird watching from a distance. Amazed at how much I know him. He intrigues me. His behavior and need to be on the roof for the sole reason of answering calls is bewildering. I can sense his pride.

He knows in his groin that someone is watching him. Yet, he puts on a show every day for hours. When he gets into his house, I miss him. I find myself glancing outside, wishing he would come out on a phone call. But it does not work like that. He is in control. He grants me his presence when he deems it fit. It's like clockwork, and he is the timekeeper.

The guy on the roof has several watchers. I don't think I am alone here. He may have more admires than I thought. From his building, all ladies have come to know of his character and behavior. All they need to do is be on the roof at the same time as him. The adjourning building occupants see him and maybe eavesdrop on his conversations. My building is too far for me to hear anything.

However, until he goes back to the office, the guy on the roof is entertainment. Women want to meet him, and men want to hit him. He is attracting attention, and you really can't nit-pick who will look up. Some men admire him while others despise him. He is living life on the rooftop. He is a show-off. He is both.

The guy on the rooftop does not care about anyone's opinions. He is happy, oblivious to the torture he gives his audience. It is a routine that he has formed. Walk up; take a stroll on the rooftop. Shower, have a cup of tea or coffee on the roof. Get a call, take it from the rooftop. Bored, catch some fresh air on the rooftop. Sunny, put on some shorts and sit on the roof.

I am jealous of this guy to be perfectly honest with myself. All this time you thought I had a crush on him, didn't you? Well, I do, but his arrogance quickly suffocates it. His confidence is refreshing; I won't lie. I can see him, but he can't see me. I am an introverted lover with him.

Yet, he taunts me every time I look out the window and find him there. I wonder how he looks like. I wonder how he smiles. I wonder how he smells like. I will always wonder what his conversations are about.

I have a fascination with houses on the rooftop. They are an escape from the world where no one can bother you. It is quiet and private, with peace, fresh air. I can hear myself think up there. I recently moved from an apartment I adored and was on the fourth floor (only because the house on the roof had an occupant).

I would exercise on the roof, meditate in the morning, and do yoga in the evenings. I took a few calls on the roof but not like this guy. The time I spend on the roof was calming. The air was fresher, the sky closer, and the view marvelous. In every apartment I go to, I want to live in the top house. The stairs are a mess but healthy. I would go up and down just for the fun of it. The feeling of being on top of the world is priceless and rear.

The guy on the roof this morning is in a black long-sleeved turtle necked vest and blue jeans. Yes, it is creepy and I get that, but I am a creative person. Creepy has never stopped me from speaking or writing my mind. I may never know the guy on the roof. Like many other creepers of onlookers, we are well entertained, and our thoughts are left to run wild with all sorts of fantasies.

Maybe one day, the guy on the roof will read this post.I am the secret admirer. Let me savour as much as I can because even this will be short-lived. I have rewritten and edited this post the whole time my subject entertained me with his rooftop presence.