Sitting on the train, waiting for it to leave Angers St Laud Station I am observing the people around me. The car is full, a few people are even standing with their suitcases at their feet. It’s not very noisy. Two high-school girls are gossiping and laughing, the man next to me listens to music so loudly that I can hear it through his headphones, and he smells strongly of cigarettes. At the back of the car there is a group of women Their voices weave a tapestry of familiar laughter and shared stories, hinting at years of friendship. How they are doing at school, how mean or how good are the teachers… Other passengers are silent, some listen to music, others work on their computer or try to sleep. Some people get on and ask what the destination of this train is, sometimes they disembark and go elsewhere, sometimes they stay. Sometimes we hear the sound of a train arriving and braking and the feminine voice of SNCF announcing departures and arrivals. She announced the destination of our train several times since I am here. Behind the voices I can distinguish the roar of the engine, ready to go.
