Being My Impetuous Self

Was fatigued after the rehearsal for next Monday's Co-curricular Activities Awards Giving Ceremony.

2 rehearsals in 1 day.

I felt so feeble after everything ended. But the thought of attending orchestra practice bothered me. Lazy.

Climbed 3 storeys just to hear Jiang Long say, "Everyone's tired. No practice today."

That's good. But my legs... I can't feel them after all that climbing. I'm old (Joelah and Sally each spotted a white hair on my head).

I walked out to wait for my bus.

It was 2pm and I didn't even hear the familiar honk, neither the shiny contour of it under the sweltering sun and its rays.

The bus had already left!! Damn... how am I to get home? I couldn't call mom. No, I'm not going to make her drive all the way from her office to school just to send me home and rush back to work again.

I reckon she'll ignore me. Most probably scold me.

Luckily Yeong Ean was there. Borrowed RM 2 from her and her mom sent me to the bus stop opposite Leisure Mall.

The only bus trip I had was from my home to Bukit Bintang. I recalled what Wei-Ern told me, she said she got home from school by taking a bus to Maluri and then switch to another bus, the one I took to Bukit Bintang.

Alright. I'll give it a go. I'm alone. I'm reckless. Sort of.

I asked one of the bus coordinators at the bus stop.

Chery: Bang.
Coordinator: Yes, darling?
Chery: *blinks* (err... why is he calling me darling) Ku mau ke ___, naik bas yang mana?
Coordinator: Oh, naik bas U40 ke Maluri. Jalan ke opposite tu Jaya Jusco. Ambil bas __.
Chery: Ok, thank you, bang.
Coordinator: Ok, darling.

What's with the darling?

Because he looks young, I assumed he's in his mid 20s, so I called him 'bang'. Doesn't mean I'm intimate with him, right?

Instantly, U40 came. The bus was almost empty. The coordinator followed me. He said that he's afraid I'll get lost. How sweet~

Reached Maluri almost after 10 minutes. I crossed the bridge to wait at the always-crowded bus stop outside Jaya Jusco. Then I heard these 2 old ladies talking. They were so loud, my ears hurted.

All they talked about was today's youngsters. They kept criticizing us youngsters' behaviour in Cantonese. Please la, got students here, alright? Not just one, but a lot of them.

T327... T27... U40... U47... T27 again... B113... B114... B114 again...

I was worried. Am I on the right track? The right station?

Then, my bus arrived.

A Malay man asked a student beside him what bus was approaching. The student mentioned my bus number. One of the old ladies shouted, "APA? APA NOMBOR?!"

In Cantonese:

Chery: It's ___.
Lady: Huh? Where?!
Chery: There. *points at the bus*
Lady: Oh. Aiya... eyes can't see anymore. Thank you aa...
Chery: You're welcome.

Up in the bus.

Lady: Here, here, take this seat.
Chery: Oh... thanks (she was criticizing my kind and now she got me a place, ironic).
Lady: I tell you, those girls in Jaya Jusco kept spraying perfume on my wrist. It stinks.
Chery: Don't let them near you, just ignore them.
Lady: A perfume costed RM 200!!
Chery: Made from gold ma...
Lady: Yes. Fit for an emperor.

Old man carrying lots of things boarded the bus.

Lady: Aiyo... so many things.
Man: *nods* Yea...
Lady: I was waiting there for an hour, very tired now.
Man: Oh, is it?
Lady: If I'm not tired, I would let you take my seat.

Don't want to offer people your seat then shut up la... don't need to find excuses.

I was excited. I'm on a familiar bus. On the way home.

Woah... my first time taking public bus from school back home (give some applause la).

Called mom when I reached home.

Chery: I'm home, mom.
Mom: So late? How's your day?
Chery: It's normal. Erm... rehearsal took up a lot of time, so I missed the bus.
Mom: Michelle's mom sent you home?
Chery: Well, you can put it that way... err... she was rushing to work so she dropped me at the Maluri bus station and I took the bus home.
Mom: You WHAT?!

She was practically shouting through the phone.

She's hysterical when I said I took the public bus home. Like I'm still a little girl.

I know she's worried because I was alone when I took the bus home. But then, I have to grow up right? I need to learn to take public transport, just in case. I'm 15 already.

Without her knowing, I took the cab home myself for 3 times, once with Sherlene, once with Catherine, Joelah and Sally Ann.

The world is complicated and dangerous out there, and I'm already at a precarious state because I'm a girl who doesn't know self-defense.

Being my impetuous self, I think I have to learn how to take public transports on my own now. Or should I wait till I'm 18? Ridiculous.

I told mom that now I know how to take the bus home from school, she doesn't need to fetch me home when there's extra classes in school.

Her reply was...

"U siao aa?"