The One of A Kind

The Story of A Boy

I've met him a few times on my way home from school....

A young chinese boy... Maybe around secondary 2 or so... That day, when i got into the bus he was still chasing the bus from the traffic light that is close to 200 to 250m away from the bus stop...

The driver actually waited for him to reach the bus stop... Nice man i thought to myself... Its rare to see such a driver nowadays...

Last weekend, i went to Causeway Point...

I took 161 and it happens that its the exact same driver that waited for the boy the other time... And at the seat closest to the driver... i saw him..

The boy.

I was listening to my MP3 so i wasnt really aware of the conversations around... But i saw that boy kept going up to the driver seat and talking to bus driver in a rather animated way...

I lower down the volume and started listening to the conversation...

Really interesting.

He told the driver how he woke up late that day to miss the first bus that the particular driver was driving to Woodlands from Hougang Central.. He jumped out of bed and grabbed his things...

I was wondering what things?

Then i saw a plastic bag on the seat nearer to the entrance... Packed to the brim... There's the straits times, today newspaper, a bottle of water, snacks, etc.

Then he was animatedly recounting his day to the bus driver how he took the exact same bus to woodlands earlier in the morning and how he thinks that the bus needs repair as the speed pick up while going up the slope is getting worse...

He chats about everything from SARS, Dengue, his mom, school, buses, other bus drivers whom he calls friends as well as how he's growing taller and that his mom is complaining abt the growth spurt...

And he tells all this to the bus driver...

Then i realised.. That driver is not the only one he knew...

He was also animatedly recounting the times where he took other bus rides...

Then when we reached Woodlands, he told the driver that he needed the toilet and the driver stopped the bus where it'll be convienient for him and well, the rest of the passengers had to go down also la..

Before going down, he said... wait for me... I'll meet you at the Bus Berth.

Then i realised... he's taking the bus again back to Hougang...

And i also realised that he's going to do that for the rest of his saturday... Just to take bus rides to and fro... chatting with the various bus drivers... He memorises everybody's schedule...

Such interesting relationship he has with them...

He's not weird or anything... Just that he feels comfortable with the bus drivers and that they are his friends...

I wonder how it feels? to take long bus rides just talking away with the bus drivers about everything.. their life and yours...

interesting.