The bus that swings past Hougang LRT

The 80-something bus has a swing in its route that takes you past the LRT at exactly the height where you can look into the windows of the train if the timing aligns. I take it on purpose sometimes, even when the direct route is faster. There is a small pleasure in parallel travel — bus and train moving like they planned it, then diverging. Today the sky was flat grey and the aircon on the bus was too cold. An auntie had a wet umbrella tucked between her feet. A student slept with his mouth open. I thought about how many times I have ridden this route and how few I will remember. That is fine. Memory is not a loyalty programme.

The driver took the bend near Hougang LRT slower than necessary, or maybe it only felt that way because I was watching the train through the bus window — carriages gliding parallel, then pulling ahead as the road dipped. A child pressed a palm to the glass on the upper deck of the bus. The auntie with the umbrella asked if the aircon was too cold. I said it was fine because saying otherwise would require conversation.

I got off at Hougang Central and walked the last stretch home. The LRT passed above on its curve — close enough to hear, far enough not to matter. Some routes are for remembering; this one might not be, and that is all right.