The lights in the carriage are always darker than those on the platform, like coffee diluted by the night. Lin Wan pressed her forehead against the slightly cool glass and looked out at the rapidly retreating tunnel wall, with the white noise of the subway running in her ears.
This is the last train before Friday night.
Just half an hour ago, she turned off her computer and stuffed the seven version revised plan into her bag. There was no celebration banquet or small talk among colleagues, and everyone dispersed into every corner of the city like water droplets at low tide. The farewell of adults is often like this, with a glance, a phrase ‘Have a nice weekend’, and then each person turns around, leaving the exhaustion behind the office building.
There aren’t many people in the carriage. Sitting diagonally across from him was a man in a gray suit. His tie had been loosened and hung around his neck like a tired snake. He closed his eyes and gently swayed his head with the movement of the carriage; There is a girl in the corner, with her headphone line hanging down on her chest, holding a cup of no longer steaming milk tea in her hand. Her gaze falls on a certain point in the void, as if lost in thought, and as if recalling a small incident that happened today.
No one spoke. In these few square meters of mobile space, everyone comes with a transparent cocoon.
Lin Wan adjusted the straps of her backpack and her shoulders were a bit sore. She remembered the manager’s casual remark of ‘hard work’ in the pantry during the day. At that time, she felt polite, but now looking back, she also feels that there is an unspoken understanding between adults hidden in those three words. We are all making gears in this huge urban machine, occasionally lagging, occasionally heating up, but most of the time, we are just silently rotating.
The train arrives at the station, open the door, close the door.
A gust of wind rushed in, carrying the unique dust and disinfectant smell of the platform. Lin Wan took a deep breath and felt her lung lobes gently compressed. She looked at her reflection on the glass window: her hair was a bit messy, there was a faint green shadow in her eyes, but the corners of her mouth seemed to have a slight curve, which was unconsciously raised when she saw a yawning cat on the billboard outside the window just now.
Life is probably like this. There were no earth shattering twists or sudden redemption. We are just wearing ourselves out a little rounder or tougher in one round trip after another.
The phone shook and it was a message from my mother: “Are you home? There’s soup in the fridge
Lin Wan lowered her head and lightly tapped her finger on the screen, saying, “It’s almost there, there are still two more stops
She lifted her head, and the lights in the carriage seemed to have lit up a bit. The next stop is her exit. She stood up and followed the crowd towards the car door, walking slowly but steadily.
This subway, returning alone, carries the silence and worries of the carriage, as well as countless ordinary people who are ready to have a good sleep and continue their journey tomorrow.
The car door opened, and the night breeze was gentle.
