On the Bus

The N24 is a night bus in London. It leaves Victoria station at one in the morning and goes to Camden. Tonight, the driver is Samuel, and the first passenger is a nurse called Grace. She has finished her shift at the hospital and she is too tired to talk. She sits at the back and closes her eyes.

At Trafalgar Square, a man with a guitar gets on. His name is Leo. He played in a bar until midnight, and he is still singing quietly. He sits on the top deck. At Leicester Square, two students get on and sit in front of him. "Can you play something?" they ask. He plays a song. Grace opens one eye and smiles.

At Tottenham Court Road, a young woman gets on. She is wearing a big coat and holding a phone with a dead battery. She looks at the driver. "Camden?" she asks. "Is this the right bus?" Her English is slow, and she is clearly worried. "Yes," says Samuel. "Sit down. I'll tell you when."

Her name is Marta, and she is from Valencia. She has a bed in a hostel, but she doesn't know where it is, and she can't look at the map. She hasn't eaten since lunch. Leo stops singing. The students give her a chocolate bar. Grace moves to the seat next to her.

At the last stop in Camden, everybody gets off together. Grace knows the hostel: it's next to the hospital. "Come on," she says. "I'm going that way." Leo and the students walk with them.

At the door of the hostel, Marta turns around. "Thank you," she says. "People say London is a cold city. They're wrong." Grace laughs. "Only in the mornings."