The Caretaker's Commute to the Early Shift

When the Caretaker wakes at 5:35 in the morning, he enters the day into a silent darkness. The roads are empty and illuminated by streetlights and the gleam of stars. With much effort and determination held up by the mission not to oversleep ever again, the caretaker stumbles out of bed. By the time his body has come to its senses, he is downstairs preparing his ham and salami sandwiches which he will eat at work. Should he wake up to a hungry stomach, he might find time to have a crispy toast with strawberry jam before embarking on the commute.

As the Caretaker waits at the tram station, the last (or rather the first) of the line, he mutters in frustration about the fact that the tram driver waits about 20m away from the actual station to read her newspaper. This leaves the Caretaker and the others waiting for the 6:11 tram, to accept winter's piercing chill the remaining minutes until the driver punctually drives to the station and lets the people inside.

It is half an hour's journey from his station, Finthen/Poststrasse to the hub of the old town, Schillerplatz.  If his eyes allow it, he reads. Yet this can become difficult if the man with the frantic eyes, pulling along his suitcase also enters the tram and begins to speak and laugh to himself.  This is followed by a 13 minute walk along a memorized path, keeping the Mainz Cathedral as a guide.  He walks at a fast pace, not because of time constraint, but to escape the shivering wet cold!

It is the early shift and work begins at 7:00.  Nonetheless, the Caretaker has taken up the practice of his colleagues and comes at a quarter to seven to enjoy the first coffee of the day, which he has been thinking about since 5:35.