I watched as she board the bus. I watched her dumped some coins for the bus fare. And I watched her waved at me. Once the bus rolled away from me, I walked towards the train.
It was Monday and it was already 8.10 a.m. I know the train would be really occupied with people; People who was on the way to work and some to campuses. So I decided to board the train towards Pasir Ris and back to Boon Lay. Because I know if I took the train to Boon Lay from here, I’ll probably have to stand. I hate standing in the train, especially when it’s full of passengers. However it’s going to be a very long journey back home. But I don’t mind as long as I can get a seat.
I was on the train when I saw a man in the early twenties sleeping directly in front of me. He had his head on the window and his mouth wide open. I could see pieces of white meat stuck in his front teeth. He had almost all the passengers’ attention directed to him. He was snoring as loud as ever. It’s like he didn’t remember that he is in a public place. He most likely thinks he was on his bed right now. He must be really enjoying his sleep, probably not getting much sleep at home. Maybe because of a late work to finish or whatsoever. Poor fellow.
As the train reaches Pasir Ris more passengers get on the train. I was glad that I made the decision to take this train, as I know once it reaches Bedok, the train is going to be really full then.
A lady in white captures my eyes. She was wearing a matching office suit and held a white case in her hands. A pink laptop peeking through the casing and she had a pink handbag on her shoulder. She was pretty with her hair all bun up. Her long slender legs showing under her short skirt. While watching her small pretty fingers worked on her Nokia keypad, my handphone beeped. I quickly took it out and saw Honey Baby on it.
Darling I reach work. Let me noe if you reach home.
Sudden feel of guilt rush through me. Luckily she was not next to me, I probably be having bruises on my arm due to her pinching habits. I smiled thinking of her. My eyes flew back to her face on my screensaver. She looked so sweet with her wide smile and her straight hair. Suddenly I miss her been beside me. I sighed.
Bedok.
I was right as usual. The train was packed like sardines. People have work to go to while I have my home to go back to. Its not that I don’t have a job, in fact I am searching for one as I have just finished my National Service. So while waiting for a job to appear at my doorstep, I had nights spending over at my girlfriend’s house.
I was feeling so tired and sleepy but I was determined to not fall asleep.
Watching people getting on and off the train was quite interesting. Lots of action in a packed train. Like watching movies been unfolded in front of my very own eyes. I saw an old man standing nearby to my seat and cursed in silent.
It was the disgusting scene to look at especially when people were freshly dressed for work all around him. I gaze at his badly worn shirt and shorts. He was holding a pole preventing him from falling on a moving vehicle with a hand. While with the other hand free, he had work his way up in his nose and his ears. He was digging through his nose, clearing it with his pinky finger. Those people next to him possibly had their minds going “gross!” especially when he flicked his nails to clean the dirt he just dug. Then he digs his ears like nobody’s business. Of course it was not anybody’s business. It not like I never dig my nose or ears before. But this is horrible, doing it in public, with so many people around, shielding themselves from the rain of nose dirt he just flicked from his nails. Gross!!
I saw him get off in Kallang with an innocent face. The people around him look at him with sickened faces on.
Upon reaching Bugis the train hit the brakes. The people standing cursed everyone else for stepping their newly polished shoes. A poor woman in late thirties perhaps, nearly sat on a sitting man. Luckily for her, she grabbed hold of the pole real quickly. If not for her hastiness, she most likely sat on the man’s lap. I laughed silently thinking of the possibilities.
More people get down from the train. The cabin was clearing up. The next stop will be City Hall and then Raffles Place, where this entire neatly dressed people usually get off.
At Outram Park, teenagers board the train with big bags and some folded tents. They must have visited Sentosa. I miss the sandy white beach there. My last trip there was I think about a year ago. We celebrated my future sister-in-law’s birthday. It was a hell of good fun.
The teenagers found seats near to mine on the far end of the cabin with tired faces. Some had their MP3s on their ears, some just dozed off once sat, and 3 of them played cards on the wooden floor. The teens playing cards were laughing so loudly that they woke some sleeping passengers. I watched them played Blackjack.
The so-called dealer, a boy wearing glasses with messy curly hair, was shifting the deck of cards between his fingers. He distracted his two friends by talking to them. When he was satisfied, he placed 2 closed cards for each of his friends on the floor and another 2 opened cards next to the closed ones. Then he took 2 more cards and placed it in front of him in the same arrangement. They held their cards up and I can see that the boy on the left had very small number. Two 3’s. While the one on the right had one 4 and one 10. Before they can beckoned for more cards, the dealer open up his card and said, “Blackjack. I won.” Placed neatly next to each other, the dealer revealed a perfect 21. One 10 and an ace.
I smiled at the dealer as I know his trick. He returned my smile.
He had already placed an ace on top of the deck for himself and when he shifted the cards around, he had neatly gotten the ace at the bottom. After he gave the cards to his friends, he had secretly taken the card at the bottom.
Queenstown.
I sighed. Eight more stops to my destination.
As I scanned the cabin, I saw a small kid around the age of five with her grandmother. The kid had two high ponytails which seemed like rabbits ears. She was sitting quietly in her sit with arms folded in front of her. The expression on her face indicated that she was sulking while her grandmother had an expression of pure weariness. Maybe weary by the sulking little girl. I watched the girl glanced at her grandmother who doesn’t seem to be interested at her. She pouted her small mouth and heaved a loud sigh. Her grandmother looked her way and placed a wrinkled hand around the girl’s shoulders. The girl stared at her grandmother and pushed her hand away. She then jutted out her tongue at her grandmother, saying something under her breath.
The grandmother sighed and rummage around her handbag. She pulled out a roll of Mentos and handed it over to the girl. The girl gazed at the sweet with her mouth pressed together. The old woman pushed the sweet further under her nose. The girl’s eyes lit up and her mouth began to smile. She took the sweet from the wrinkled hand she just pushed a moment ago and began to tear at the top of the roll. She popped a small round sweet inside her mouth and offered one to her grandmother which her grandmother refused.
Slowly as ever, I began to snooze off. I didn’t realize that I fallen asleep until I heard the words that I have been waiting for.
Boon Lay.
I woke up to an almost empty cabin. There were two boys about the age of 10 was watching me and sniggering.
****!
I quickly wiped the saliva that was dripping at the corners of my mouth with the back of my hands. That was the reason why I had tried to not fall asleep. I drool when I am really tired.
Oh well. Only 2 little boys saw me drooled. No big deal.
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