Working Night Shifts

For the last three months I've worked night shifts at a convenience store. I start at ten at night and finish at six in the morning. My family sleeps when I work and works when I sleep. Sometimes I don't see my father for days.

The night is strange. Between two and four almost nobody comes in. I clean the shelves, listen to music and drink too much coffee. Then, at five, the early workers arrive — drivers, nurses, market sellers. They are tired too. We understand each other.

The pay is better than the day shift, which is why I do it. But I'm tired all the time, and I've forgotten what the sun feels like at noon. In two more months I'll have saved enough for my course. Then I'll go back to the day, and sleep like a normal person.