He had been reaching for his phone while the plane was still taxiing, but it wasn’t until he was boarding the shuttle bus that he got through to the number he dialled. “Sweetie, I’ve landed. Missing you already. You are my everything. I will call you in the evening. Kisses, my love,” he told her, beaming with joy. overhearing this from the next passenger seat, I was just about to say how nice it was to hear people talking to each other this affectionately in public… when Sweetie No.2 called
The almost film-like welcoming scene in the arrival hall that followed (the only thing missing was the overblown soundtrack) left little doubt about what I’d just heard. But the intention of this column is not to moralise about anyone. It will not be a rant on those who indulge in polyamorous pursuits. Oh, no – heaven can wait. No judgement to be found here. In fact, I think what that man had taken on is worth admiring! In a way, of course. A double love-life must be a whole heck of hard work. Just think about it: twice as much grocery and shopping to do, as well as double the leaking taps to repair and lawns to mow. And that’s on top of the non-stop anxiety of existing in minefield-like environment. So there’s nothing to envy in all this – except maybe the self-discipline needed for that kind of lifestyle. Certainly, many could be envious of the kind of integrity (sic!) needed for it. Starting with the members of Polish Parliament who have recently been discovered to be taking fake business trips. Property enthusiasts are also among those who only far too often see how fictions can be turned into money-making tools. Take project visualisations. Sometimes it is hard to believe that ‘Visualisation Sham’ is not actually a compulsory course in architectural schools. After all, it’s a genuine art form: creating a design that has nothing in common with the plot, its surroundings and the planned building itself apart from just the dimensions (and even then, it’s not so obvious that it does). And the game of deception only gets more colourful from there. The official owner (or/and creditor) of the property, which turns out only to be a fiscal façade of other ventures. The contractor, which is only a seemingly-solvent business. The imprecise (to put it mildly) names given to new projects are another story. Only a fraction of people in Poland can afford luxury apartments at this point, but looking at some of the names of new projects, it would seem to be a country of Manhattans, Residences and Resorts. Polish wealth has been growing at a rather slow pace, however, but this has not discouraged developers in the slightest. After all, who wouldn’t like to reside in “the unique and private Amber Chamber estate with its fabulous and elegant ochre façade” – even if it is really just a yellow, third on the right block of flats in a drab suburb? The frantic but hard-to-comprehend quest for just a semblance of luxury has turned into the growing demand for so-called ‘mini-penthouses’ or – in other words – quasi-luxury flats. Sadly, things are rather similar when it comes to office space. Moving offices into a green, energy-efficient building might very well make an impact in terms of positive PR. But once the headlines have been made, why bother with an eco-friendly fit-out? At this point I would like to make it clear that I am not claiming that the game of deception is completely without virtue. Anyone who has ever negotiated any-thing (either with a real estate agent, a supplier or a four-year old) knows how useful an ostensible display of enthusiasm or disapproval can sometimes be. Recently, in an attempt to beat the autumn blues, we carried out a small office experiment in which we basically generated artificial happiness. In short, everyone had to stop using the word ‘problem’ when speaking and those who forgot the rule had to put a few coins in our piggy bank. The experiment quickly turned out to be a success. After just a few days, all our problems had disappeared. Well, we stared having more ‘troubles’ and ‘challenges’ instead, but who said that success comes easy? ν
