Twelve shoppers shopping

The best time is the late afternoon when it starts to get dark and the shop lights give a glow to the street. The buses are aquariums of warmth and light behind steamed-up windows. For a few hours, I feel that I am part of the crowd, happily shopping and smoking and drinking cups of coffee. Soon, the shops will shut and the shoppers will leave and the street will be cold and dark again but, until then, I am happy.