route with that of Service 198 to find an intermediate point where he could change buses and hopefully come up with an ultimate solution - the same bus that Penny took.

The first day was a disaster. He made it late to the bus stop, every traffic light turned red when the bus approached it and he felt irritated every time someone got up or down as it cut out some precious time.By the time he reached the intermediate bus stop, he realised he was late. And two Service 198 buses passed by without stopping. They were packed.

By the time he got a bus and it trundled into the Interchange it was 9.00 a.m. Work was starting at the office and he was still at the Interchange.

He got into the office at 9.25 a.m. Mrs. Gan at the reception counter was expecting him." Mr.Ng wants to see you," she said. He knew what it was all about. That was the third time in the week he was late for work.

The next day was better. He managed the bus changing in time and it was the same bus Penny had taken. She was sitting at the rear of the bus with her friend. Seng Chai moved as near to her as he could but the space near her was blocked by a burly man comically (he felt) trying to balance himself.

Seng Chai moved as near as he could and looked down at her.

She had a happy-go-lucky attitude. This was evident from the way she talked , the way she smiled and gestured with her hand.

Seng Chai found the burly man irritating because he prevented him from getting near her. He wanted to catch a phrase or sentence – anything she was saying so that it could be a step closer to her. Even standing near her would help – she could, he felt, notice him.

She didn't notice him But her friend did. Seng Chai noted embarrassingly that he had been staring hard at Penny and her friend had seen it and nudged her. She looked up, briefly their eyes met and then she looked away, out of the window. Seng Chai was disappointed. Was it disinterest or the fear of blushing that made her look away? He wasn’t sure. With girls it was so hard to tell.

Then the bus trundled into the interchange. Seng Chai wanted to hesitate, to try his best to get in line or behind Penny as she alighted but the descending crowd made him uneasy. The burly man pushed past, staring hard, almost as if to say. "What the hell are you.doing, blocking us, you idiot!" Automatically, as if obeying a command, Seng Chai moved to the exit He alighted, walked to a sundry shop to buy cough drops – a neat delaying tactic. He pocketed the cough drops just as Penny walked past him to the other end . Seng Chai moved forward and got into step with her and her friend.

"Excuse me, " he said feebly, hastily looking around and almost fearful that a passerby lurked , waiting to laugh if he encountered a rebuke. " I.........." He just froze.

Penny turned around. Her smooth features were so near, she was so enchanting , so beautiful. He lost his nerve. She looked at him , puzzled, perhaps amused. He just stood there, looking down, not knowing what to say. And how to say it. He was afraid of stammering, of being laughed at.

His mind whirled. It couldn’t have been more than a few seconds. He heard a female voice shouting "'Penny, Penny; hurry up. The bus is here."

When he looked up, Penny was gone.