Isobel and Emile Read Free Page A

who had gotten on the train while Emile was looking out the window. He had not seen them getting on the train. He had been looking out the window.
    There were too many people on the train.
    Everyone was trying to get off the train. They all moved slowly towards the doors. There were too many people to move quickly. Emile was in the middle of them. They all moved slowly.
    They got off the train and they were standing on the platform inside the station. The light coming through the glass ceiling was muted and dirty. They walked off the platform and into the station.
    Emile went with them. He had no choice. There were too many of them.
    There were more people in the station.
    There were people from other trains walking into the station. There were people in the station walking out towards the platforms. They ran up against each other. Emile thought they would slow down. They did not slow down. They sped up.
    Emile had forgotten how people walked in the city. It was hard to keep up. The people around him were walking faster. He had to keep up. He walked out of the station and into the street with all the other people walking out of the station and into the street.
    Emile was in the street. He had to catch a streetcar.
    Emile walked into the street. He went to the place where the streetcars stopped. He waited. He stood with his knapsack on and his suitcase in his hand.
    It did not take long for a streetcar to come.
    Emile got onto the streetcar. He stopped in front of the fare machine. The fare machine was at the front of the streetcar. It was beside the driver. He put some coins into the fare machine. The driver of the streetcar gave him a ticket.
    He went to sit down. There was nowhere to sit down. He put his suitcase between his feet. He held on to the handrail over his head. He tried to look out the windows.
    He was looking for the street with the bar on it.
    Nicolas puts a stool upside down on top of the bar. Then he puts another stool upside down on top of the bar. He puts stools upside down on top of the bar until all the stools are upside down on top of the bar.
    The chairs by the tables are already upside down on top of the tables.
    Someone else is mopping the floor. It is the bartender who made Emile ’s first gin and tonic. They are the only people in the bar.
    The bar is closed.
    Emile is standing outside the bar. He has his knapsack on his back. His suitcase is on the ground beside him. He is rolling a cigarette.
    Nicolas is doing the things that need to be done to close the bar. When he has done the things he needs to do he says good night to the other bartender. He comes out onto the street. He is wearing his fancy scarf again. He locks the door behind him.
    Emile hears the door open. He looks up from his cigarette.
    Emile says: ‘Are you done?’
    Nicolas nods his head. He puts the key to the bar in his pocket.
    It is starting to get cold at night. Emile wishes he had a scarf with him. He has his collar turned up.
    Emile lights his cigarette. He passes it to Nicolas. Nicolas starts to walk away from the bar. Emile picks his suitcase up. He walks away from the bar with Nicolas.
    They walk to the next block. It is where the streetcar stops. It is where Emile got off the streetcar on his way here. They go to the plat form in the middle of the street. They wait for a streetcar to come.
    They pass the cigarette back and forth between them.
    A streetcar comes. It stops in front of them. They get on it and they put their fares into the fare machine. The driver gives them tickets. They sit down on the streetcar and the streetcar moves again. They sit on the streetcar for a while. Then they get off.
    They are standing on a platform in the middle of another street. There are shops on this street. They go to a door between two of the shops.
    Nicolas puts his hand into his pocket. He takes some keys out. He opens the door.
    He says: ‘Welcome home, Emile.’
    There are stairs on the other side of the door.