Back from work

I had sent a message to my wife and asked if I could work a little extra. She replied that I could. My colleagues stood up from their desks, packed their things, smiled and said "good afternoon". I replied a "good afternoon" and smiled back to them. Then it started to be quiet. I looked at my papers. A door slammed. Some footsteps. "Good afternoon" I heard behind me. "Good afternoon" I replied. It was the director. The captain who left the ship. It was silent again. I looked at the paper. Wrote something on the PC. The door slammed again. Some footsteps. "Good afternoon". It was the custodian who went around, turning off the lights, leaving the one in my office.  When the custodian was left, I was for sure alone in the building. I looked at the paper again. Wrote something on the PC. Found something to read on the PC. What would the others think of me? "There he sits again, working late again"? But I had to, when the amount of papers was so huge.

Finally I finished and stood up. I made everything ready for the journey back home and went down the dark stairs.

-Hey, there, working late as well?

Gee, I wasn`t alone, as I thought.

-Yes, I replied. -You too?

-Yes, he said. -But...are you going to drive your bicycle now?

-Yes, I will.

-Now, in the darkness?

-Yes, you know, I got my reflexes and bicycle lights, I responded.

-But is it not very cold now?

-No, no.

-But it must be very slippery on the road?

-No, not at all. I smiled to him and made my bike ready.

-Oh, well, pleasant journey, he said and went towards his car.

Out on the road the cars passed me in a hurry. Everyone wanted to get home as soon as possible. I passed some Christmas lights in a garden. They made the garden look green and joyful. A car came up behind me and quickly passed me. The car honked at me. A car behind him hung on the back end of the first car and rushed up on the side of me. He squeezed himself in front of me, just soon enough to avoid a collision of a meeting car. I sweared and pointed my finger at him. But no one could see the finger, because it was hidden inside a mitten.

At work we talked about certain types of motorists. Those who always drove in one, average speed, regardless of the speed limit. And those who always hung on the rear end of another car. Terrified to discharge the back end. Maybe it was a social issue, to always indulge in the back end of other people.

I came out of the densely populated area. Away from Christmas three lights in the gardens. The small light of the bike struggled to show me the road when I dived into the dark forest.

Work

-Oh, dear, have you been biking today, as well?
The colleague came behind me. The bike was parked. I opened the door to work, still with my helmet and safety vest on. And a tired and sweaty body inside the vest.
-Yes, I said. -I have been biking today, as well.
-But is it not terribly cold now?
-No, no, it`s not cold.
-But it must surely be very slippery on the road now?
-No, it`s not slippery at all.
-But you must be using studded tires, then?
-No, I don`t, I replied.
-You don`t, he said and glanced at me.
-No, no, I said.
I went to the shower used by employees. I tore off my sweaty clothes. Felt the warm water that engulfed my body. Turned my face up against the soft stream. I found some new, dry clothes. Went over to the cafeteria and a cup of coffee. Some colleagues said "hi". I replied with a "hi". I sat down at the office. The coffee was playing around in my body.
I looked at the work desk. It was pretty messy. Work matters. A huge stack of paper. I opened the computer to check how much work it actually was.

Winter bike

Two walls of dark and snowy spruce threes hung over the road that I rode on. The cold air was floating in and out of my lungs. I noted that one of the feets was something cold. It most likely was caused by the development of a hole in one of my boots. Not so good when salt and mud smashed around my legs. A little light from the bike told me that the road was full of slush and dirt. In contrast to the pure snow out in the ditch and up on the threes.

It was frustrating that the road was salted every morning. If there only was some snowflakes, the Department of Traffic was out there with their big monsters, throwing out tons of salt. It was something hysterical by it. A collective anxiety that one tried to cure with salt. The road got so ugly. It destroyed the impression of snow, cold and winter. And my bike got rusty and destroyed.

I had finished the bus. I found out that it was better to use the bike. Everything was sort of tiresome in the bus. Tired faces. Tired sounds. Tired landscapes. A bus driver who never gave any smile (nor did I, actually). The bike gave me time to hide away from all this tiresome. To be alone a bit. Once an elk trampled across the road in front of me. Otherwise it was only me. And the road. And the bike...yes, and cars who came behind me.

I heard the sound of one far behind there. It started as a weak whisper. It increased in strength. The strong light made the surrounding forest to shine. Then a "vosh", and the car was past. The mud splashed on to my boot with the hole.

I had done my best to be seen by the traffic in the darkness. I had a safety vest. Even a safety vest on the backpack. And a reflex around one of my legs. It was shining up and down while my feets pedaled. In addition it was blinking red behind me. I thought that all my lights and reflexes might look as a policeman who waved. it was the only illusion that could make car drivers to slow down.

A car came against me. I turned down my face to avoid the bright light. A new car came behind me. I could hear that the motorist back there had no thoughts about slowing down. Instead he increased his pace. He sputtered up on my side, and squeezed himself between me and the meeting car. The powerful air pressure from well over one ton of steel struck against me. "What the hell" I shouted. But the car was already gone behind a turn.

My back got sweaty. My thighs was aching up a long hill. The cold air made my lungs sore. I was out of the desolated forest and came to an area with houses. The traffic thickened.  A motorist who past me honked aggressively. I came to a roundabout and stared angrily against a motorist who would like to get into the roundabout before me. Then I swung into a calm bike path. I jumped off the bike and walked the final, steep path to the job.