Because I used to live in Marine Parade and my school was in town for a couple of years before it moved to Ang Mo Kio, the school bus was a regular feature in my childhood. Long bus trips which started every morning before the break of dawn.
And in the school bus, one learns important life lessons.
Life Lesson #1 -
Majority Bullies Minority
Back then, CHIJMES was not a food and beverage establishment. It was a school, a church, a nunnery and orphanage. And as a school compound, it housed 2 schools, St Nicks and this other CHIJ branch. Along with me from my estate, my school bus would pick up these 2 elder girls (a pair of sisters who lived in my block) from the other CHIJ branch to head for CHIJMES every morning.
While we were all in the same uniform, the sisters were minority and the St Nicks girls, regardless of age, were the majority. I remember that apart from the last row, each seat could take 2. By the time the three of us got up on the bus in Marine Parade, the girls before us would have been in their seats, with their bags on the empty space beside them. I soon realised that for me, I could just pause at any seat and the bag would be moved. But for the non-St Nicks sisters, no bags were moved. They would have to find a seat elsewhere. Either in front near the bus uncle where he kept his yucky greasy stuff, or at the back where it is very warm due to proximity to the engine.
Once, the sisters couldn't find seats and complained to the bus driver about the seat situation. The bus uncle, in turn, told the rest of us to move our bags. That made them even more unpopular.
Fundamentally, I didn't understand why the 2 sisters were being discriminated against. They were perfectly polite and decent chicks who kept to themselves. In fact, one of them was rather pretty. Maybe that's why. But I doubt it. It's more because they were 'different'. They were simply not 'us'.
In any case, I soon learnt another lesson about polite and 'nice' people.
Life Lesson #2 -
Polite & 'Nice' doesn't mean Shite
About 10 minutes after the bus picks me up, this St Nicks 姐姐 would board. She was at least 4 to 5 years my senior. She had a boyish haircut, small eyes, sunny smile, altogether a kind motherly face. A young short-haired Ajumma, if you will. She would eat bread with pork floss on the bus. It was her breakfast.
Once, she sat with me, and I fell asleep on her shoulder. That's how we started to chat. And soon, I started to look forward to her presence onboard every morning. It's a comforting ritual. She had this soft reassuring voice which added to the 'big sister' effect. I loved it. I never had an elder sister, and wanted someone to look up to and learn from.
One day, amongst other random stuff, I asked her how babies were made. With her sunny smile, she held my hand and told me that whenever 2 human beings were in contact, cells would be exchanged through the skin. That's how babies are made. I remember wanting to withdraw my hand from hers. She must have sensed the tension in my hand, and so reassured me that because we were both female, no babies were in the making. However, if she had been male, I would be pregnant in no time.
Somehow, despite how much I liked her, I didn't believe her. So, I went home, dropped my bag, and headed for the book shelf. I took out the 'hardest' chapter from my encyclopaedia set, i.e. Biology coz it had many big words a 9 year old couldn't understand. I sat there for the entire afternoon, trying to find the part on cells moving across the skin to impregnate the woman. Eventually, I decided that either I had been lied to, or my supposedly wiser school bus 姐姐 was full of shite. I must have sulked for a while after that.
Life Lesson #3 -
Break from Routine is Unsettling
For some months, the arrangement was such that I would be dropped off at Marine Crescent where my nanny was. That was when we were in between maids.
Once, the bus totally skipped my nanny's place. I was shocked, but didn't dare to challenge the bus uncle. People from my generation are like that. I just sat in my seat, chewing on my handkerchief. Like a silly deer in headlights.
"Where is he bringing me to?
Will I see my parents again?
What about my toys?
And my smelly pillow?
Will he allow me to get an education?
Should I still do my homework?
Should I jump out of the window at the next traffic light?
Is this the end?!!!"
I didn't even dare to cry. That was how scared I was.
Those thoughts kept me occupied for another 10 minutes, as the bus drove into my estate and stopped right at the lobby of my block. Suddenly, I saw a familiar figure at the bus door, smiling. HEY! THAT'S MY MUMMY!!! I grabbed my stuff and jumped off the bus (through the door).
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