Today, they arrived earlier than usual. I felt good thinking I can get home a bit earlier. Booking taxis are no good on Fridays, especially where I'm coming from. So I had to settle for the only real choice I had: the bus.
7:58PM I was frantically dashing for the bus stop, as I knew it could be arriving at any minute. The bus stop quite a run, had to round 2 corners to get there. Just as I was about to cross the street, the bus was arriving. I waved hard and mad and shouted from the top of my lungs, but to no avail. The bus just zinged by, not even slowing down as it neared the bus stop.
I was... disappointed. And honestly quite embarassed. There were people in a nearby lot who saw the whole thing. It's a bit dark, but I can clearly see their smirks, their white teeth gleaming quite distinctly from where I'm standing.
I guess anyone would have been embarassed.
Once at the actual bus stop, I tried to shake it all off. I wanted to stop feeling sorry for myself. So I did what any sane man would do: I distracted myself with my phone. I played Clash of Clans and Marvel War of Heroes. Nice game btw. (If you're interested and need a headstart, use this referral code: mdp813328. You'll get a Rare card right away.)
The next bus finally arrived. By this time, 10 minutes have gone by and I'm more focused on which S Rare card I should boost first.
Bus doors opened. I stepped in. I tapped my EZLink "toot" card on the "toot" machine -- TOOT! -- I still had 30sgd. Then I climbed to the second level. Yep, SBS 255 is a double decker bus. This one was open air though. Aircon by nature, we used to say.
I enjoyed the ride. Just fast enough for the breeze to flow through and caress my skin. As I closed my eyes to enjoy the cold wind, I suddenly had a picture of the bus earlier. Thinking back, the bus was really reckless. It was going really fast with no sign of slowing down. I, hiwever, thought it stranger that it suddenly popped in my head.
Just then, our bus slowed down. Everyone was curious and talking loudly. Then, one of them pointed forward. I looked and right in front of us was a bus.
A bus at this route? Only bus service 255 runs this route. So that means that bus in front was the bus that I missed earlier.
As our bus pulled closer to the side, we saw the wreck scene. Beside the bus was a forklift that was carrying long steel pipes and was toppled over! People on the ground were trying to pull it trying to put it right side up. Thankfully, no one was buried underneath it.
As our bus slowly drove further, I looked in awe at the other bus. I took a picture of it...
The seat in front right behind the blasted windshield was where I usually sit. I felt lucky I was not there. All the negativity from earlier was washed away with thankfulness that I was not there to be, quite literally, front row and center.
After this realization, I started writing this on my phone. Slowly and surely remembering the details. Time whizzed by quick. By the time I reached home, I'm ready to post this. I didn't mind that I didn't get home earlier than I initially wanted. It didn't matter.
I smiled reflecting thoughfully about blessings in disguise...
In hindsight, that wrecked bus may not actually be the same bus that zinged past earlier. It could have been the bus before that one. Be that as it may, I'm still thankful that I'm still here safe and unscathed.
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