Idling
A coffee shop, two floors, empty. It's raining outside, but despite the rain, all the tables there are used. Inside... just me. A couple of calls, a coffee that doesn't taste as well as it usually does - and someone enters. Oh, she's just going to the cigarrettes machine, buy a pack and leaving - sitting in the rain. I still can't believe that this coffee shop is empty.
I need to buy a book, so I wait for the rain to stop and there I go. The book store next to me is closed (vacations, I guess), so I walk towards the next one. In the path I notice that the music store that used to be there is nowadays closed - turned an online-only business. It doesn't really surprise me, after all that's one of those stores that lost me as a client since they just don't figure out that to make business you must not treat your customers as they did. Well, anyway, this walk was for nothing since the book store I was walking towards to has closed. Walking towards the next one - closed. Once again a music store in the path, this one a relatively new one to the town, and one that has changed its store location twice - always to a bigger place. I guess that this one knows how to do his business. Nope, this book store also closed its doors. Well, there's another one, even if small, up there... No, also closed. What the hell is happening to book stores? Are all of them closing because there's a FNAC in the city?
A long walk downtown, and finaly a bookstore. I need to buy a book, but come out of there with two. Curiously I think the unexpected one will turn out to be a better reading than the first. I guess I'll postpone the reading of "Cobweb" yet again... And that kind of worries me, since I'm really enjoying the book.
Finaly, I find in the long walk a coffee shop with more people inside than outside. I guess people will get used to the fact that now you can't smoke (almost) anywhere. A small visit and some tea, waiting for the rain to stop. Walking slowly, back again, to the location of departure, I do a little stop to that Academic place that - now with nothing but some empty sofa's - gives you access to an University Wireless Access Point. As I should expect, there's no free IP address for me. I feel less and less from this city. Pity.
I need to buy a book, so I wait for the rain to stop and there I go. The book store next to me is closed (vacations, I guess), so I walk towards the next one. In the path I notice that the music store that used to be there is nowadays closed - turned an online-only business. It doesn't really surprise me, after all that's one of those stores that lost me as a client since they just don't figure out that to make business you must not treat your customers as they did. Well, anyway, this walk was for nothing since the book store I was walking towards to has closed. Walking towards the next one - closed. Once again a music store in the path, this one a relatively new one to the town, and one that has changed its store location twice - always to a bigger place. I guess that this one knows how to do his business. Nope, this book store also closed its doors. Well, there's another one, even if small, up there... No, also closed. What the hell is happening to book stores? Are all of them closing because there's a FNAC in the city?
A long walk downtown, and finaly a bookstore. I need to buy a book, but come out of there with two. Curiously I think the unexpected one will turn out to be a better reading than the first. I guess I'll postpone the reading of "Cobweb" yet again... And that kind of worries me, since I'm really enjoying the book.
Finaly, I find in the long walk a coffee shop with more people inside than outside. I guess people will get used to the fact that now you can't smoke (almost) anywhere. A small visit and some tea, waiting for the rain to stop. Walking slowly, back again, to the location of departure, I do a little stop to that Academic place that - now with nothing but some empty sofa's - gives you access to an University Wireless Access Point. As I should expect, there's no free IP address for me. I feel less and less from this city. Pity.
Nice post. Nostalgic... lacking a better word...
ReplyDeleteAlbeit for completely different reasons, I too feel each time less, for the city; pity indeed...