Tuesdays with Shawn Mendes on Line 7

Last Tuesday was just like any other morning for Emily as she hopped on Line 7 from Villejuif to head to work. Except that, she saw Shawn Mendes. No, it's not really the Shawn Mendes, it's just this guy who looks like him. He’s dressed in a sleek suit and coat, his black leather gloves, with two leather gym bags. She couldn't help but wonder what he could be doing with those bags. Is he a student? Or maybe he's a fitness enthusiast? The train stopped at Tolbiac, which was Emily's stop, and she realized that Shawn Mendes was still on the train.

This Tuesday morning, Emily arrived at the station a little later than usual, surprised to see Shawn Mendes again on the same line, the same train. As she waited for the train to arrive, she couldn't help but feel a little bewildered. Coincidence? She starts to wonder where he might live. Definitely not far from this area to take this line!

The train pulled up, and he entered the same wagon. He took a seat opposite from her and took out his phone, much like everyone did when they settle on their spot or seats.

As they arrived at Tolbiac, Emily hesitated before getting off the train, wondering where he gets off. They’re soon arriving at her stop yet he's still on the train, just like the last time. Emily got off at Tolbiac and thought maybe she'll leave it at that. Maybe he goes off further down the line.

Emily walked towards the stairs as she usually does. Lo and behold, she sees Shawn walk past her to the other exit as she takes a left to take the other metro exit. As she stepped outside, she saw Shawn Mendes walking in the opposite direction. She breezes up to the surface, to the street level where she caught the green pedestrian lights on. Can she get a glimpse of him from here? Oh man, he must've trailed off breezily...

Ahah, he's right there, heading in the same direction as she was. Emily should take the bus which should be arriving in four minutes. Maybe she can catch more of his path to have more clue where he’s heading to? Alas, the bus is a few seconds late on the 0-minute mark. And getting past the road he took, Emily sees no sight of him. “I guess I’ll see you next Tuesday”, she muttered silently.


"Stories from the Metro" is the ultimate ride to fun and adventure! Inspired and based on my everyday metro rides, it's a short story that brings to life all the fascinating passengers, observations and banal encounters I come across during my daily commute. With a sprinkle of imagination, I turn a routinary commute into entertaining, exciting and fictional stories. It makes my rides underground a little more fun and a lot more exciting, something I can look forward to everyday to write about when I get home.