On the bus

I sat on the bus, on those kind of seats which forces you to face the window. Clutching my mos salad and ying yong peng tightly, I slumped into the seat, feeling the work blues.

The bus stopped at the traffic light. I spotted a face on another bus. He had the window seat, but was minding his own business. Then he looked up, straight at me. I managed a smile. His eyes lit up and he smiled back. I gave a slight nod for positive reinforcement. He signalled with his little arm to tell me that our buses will be turning. I nodded and smiled again. I mean, there were only those few things one could do to communicate with someone outside the bus without looking like an idiot. He seemed to understand my concerns and didn't push it further. The woman sitting opposite seemed to have noticed my smile but didn't know who I was smiling at.

Grinning to himself, he popped a cheezel in his mouth. Then he looked up and smiled again. He held up his snack, to offer me some. But we both knew there was no way I could eat it. Nevertheless, I shook my head politely. The woman looked at me again, with a slightly raised brow.

The traffic light turned green. Our buses moved in the same direction as he had predicted. He waved excitedly. I waved back because I knew we would have to part soon. A van blocked our view for about 3 seconds. We both felt some relief when we could see each other again as the van moved out of sight. He gave a cheeky smile to thank me for entertaining him. I returned a smile to thank him for making my day.

My bus made a right turn while his made a left turn.