An SUV pulls up in front of an office building. The hatch pops open. From the driver’s side emerges a man in a suit and tie, dark sunglasses on. He stretches. From the passenger side, a woman in office attire, also wearing dark sunglasses, steps out. She walks behind the SUV to greet him, kisses him quickly, then slides into the driver’s seat. The man passes behind the car, retrieves his briefcase from the hatch, closes it with a clean click, and heads into the building as the woman drives away.

Gatineau, QC, April 2025

Outside the courthouse in the early morning, a young lawyer with cropped hair and robes fluttering in the breeze paces along the yellow line of the smoking area, muttering to himself, a coffee in one hand and a cigarette in the other.

Gatineau, QC, April 2025

A clatter behind me. A man in a red toque rides a ten-speed, pulling a shopping cart crammed with bags, suitcases  – a hockey stick. He looks straight ahead as he coasts down the street.

Gatineau, QC, April 2025