The sky lighting dimed to gradually give way to the lights of the city's lampposts and the few beams of lights that emerge from the windows of the surrounding apartments. Night is falling, it is a Monday night and Toulouse is about to fall asleep. A shopkeeper lows the curtains of his newspaper stand and a little further a group of friends discussing the day at work
“Hard this Monday! I think we will have a bit of trouble getting this case closed on time! " Said one of them
"Oh yes ... but no choice. Another replied.
From where I was standing I couldn't see how people looked, I only saw them from behind, I saw their steps: slow for some, dynamic for others. Some seemed demoralized at the start of the week when others seemed more motivated than ever.
The subway being about ten meters away I think some people fear this moment. That moment of anxiety, locked in an automatic wagon speeding through under the earth. Calm reigned despite the sound of the footsteps of passers-by, it had nothing to do with the disorder that existed in the city center for a few hours.
The street gradually empties, the group of colleagues having already reached the subway tunnels, the shopkeeper was back home , there was only this man left with a brown jacket, black pants, he stopped near the escalator leading to the metro, cigarette and lighter in hand, he seemed to want to take a moment's break. He certainly needed to decompress or maybe was it just a habit he had? The smoke it released immediately faded into the air. Once the cigarette was completely consumed, he threw his butt on the ground, took his helmet, put it on his ears, took out his smartphone and took the stairs to reach the metro. There was hardly anyone in the street when he left. Just me, and a man walking to his car. Toulouse was indeed starting to fall asleep.
Vanessa