That evening, he came to two conclusions. One: he was still shy when he faced girls. So personal approach to Penny was out of the question. Two: Steven Chua, one of his friends had once told him how easy it was to talk to girls on the telephone. "In fact," he recalled him saying , " you can even jot down what you want to say on a notepaper and the other party never knows ." He decided he would write a note to Penny. Explain his problems. Be frank . And include his telephone number.

He took a long time to finish the note – having to tear a few sheets of paper because the writing looked unsatisfactory and even when he went to bed that night at 2 a.m. he felt that sleep was difficult. He kept thinking about tomorrow, about Penny, about the morning’s encounter He thought of so many things and he remembered hearing the clock strike three before he trailed off to sleep.

He took Service 198 again the next day, He made the bus change successfully though earlier in the morning he had difficulty getting up. Only the nagging of his mother and the thought of the letter he had to deliver made him rise from bed.

Penny noticed him this time. Perhaps the previous day's encounter had plagued her too? Seng Chai thought. When Seng Chai gave her a smile she looked away abruptly, out the window. Perhaps she wanted to avoid blushing, he thought. Her friend wasn’t with her. But the seat next to her was occupied by an elderly Malay woman. Seng Chai noted, with despair, that she clutched a 60 cents ticket. She was going all the way too. That ruled out his seating next to Penny. He felt his back pocket. His note was safely tucked away. He would hand it over to her at the Interchange.