After the burial of his mother, he took the tram back to Algiers. The sun wasn't as hot as it had been at the cemetery, but his head still ached from the heat. He unbuttoned the collar of his shirt to let the air in.

There were people on the beach. A group was playing with a ball. He paused for a moment to watch the ball bounce across the sand. One of them fell on his back and laughed.

He crossed his arms over the railing delimiting the beach. He didn't think of anything in particular. Only that the air was fresher than in the morning, and that the noise didn't bother him.