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.