It had been hours since the red heart of the sun had relinquished its position above the horizon. He retired for the night, but I was left to washing dirtied dishes and bussing tables for the remainder of the night shift. The work wasn’t particularly enjoyable, but the wages were decent, especially when I intercepted a particularly large gathering of tourists – they were always generous with tips.

While I cleared my final stack of plates from the dining area, I observed the brittle branches of frost that had begun to creep against the window edges, framing the street view beyond:

Dark, cluttered with various stands of differing sizes and products. A wavering streetlight sparked brief illumination once in a trio of shop faces. Occasionally, a bundled pedestrian shuffled past the empty stands, bound for a source of heat amongst the chill of late winter.

I removed my time card from its slot and checked out for the night. If I was fortunate, my hours might not drag as far during the weekdays. If I wasn’t, then my schoolwork would likely be neglected. In a decision between paying rent and satisfying my teachers, the choice would always be the one which prolonged my access to shelter.

With my apron hung on its respective hook, I exited the restaurant and locked the door behind me, stashing the key between two bricks before lopping onto the walkway. My shawl and scarf were sparse protection against the frigid wind’s aggression; I was shivering within seconds, and my loft was half a mile’s walk from the diner.

The visual of the street somewhat alleviated my discomfort. It was serpentine in its winding manner, though it drifted back and forth without purpose to any intersections. Sloping downhill, it persisted in this angle for the entirety of my travel between destinations. Parallel, on both sides of the street, residential and commercial buildings interwove amongst each other, some interfering among themselves more than others. Bikes and hanging laundry lines became bothersome decorations amid the advertisements of grocers and craftsmen. The unintentional integration between the spheres of work and home actually blended into impressive scenery. Their characteristics mingled in a traditional, village-like diorama which incorporated the whole of comm