CW: Wrong Bus by Xi Min

The sky was still dark when I boarded the Bus 88 which would take me to school every day, but a bus did not take me to school on time that morning. I woke up earlier than usual at five in the morning and got ready to head to the bus stop beside my house.

As soon as I reached the bus stop, the bus arrived and I boarded it. I did not see any of my fellow schoolmates that morning on the same bus. Strange was the word, I thought. At the fifth stop after I had boarded the bus, the bus did not turn to the right at the crosee junction for me to alight at the next stop. nstead, it just went straight, heading towards Hougang Mall.

Then I realised that the school was nowhere in sight and I had boarded the wrong bus! When the bus arrived at the next stop, I immediately alighted and ran back to school in a hurry. I quickly traced back the bus route as I strode towards the school.

In the end, I managed to reach my school a minute before the school gate closed, but class had started when I stepped into my classroom. Every other classmate was staring at me and some looked as though they were mocking me.

My best friend, Peter, was shocked to see an early bird like me to be late for class for the first time. I quickly wiped away all the sweat on me before approaching my form teacher, Mrs Lee, to explain things to her.

"What a careless boy you are! Boarding a wrong bus," Mrs Lee laughed after I explained what had happened to her. She was an understanding person who would forgive and teach patiently.

"By the way, where are your spectacles, John?" Mrs Lee asked me the minute after I apologised to her. I then jolted out of my skin and realised the root to my mistake. I had forgotten to wear my spectacles when I rushed out of my house in a hurry that morning!

Peter told me to be early that morning so that I could teach him a Mathematics question. I was late for our appointment and forgot all about my spectacles.

"Class, let this incident be a lesson to all that you should check that you have all the things you need before you are sure that you are ready," Mrs Lee advised the whole class in a stern tone.

When I got back to my seat, Peter apologised to me and I said, "Never mind, it's not your fault. It's my carelessness which has caused me to be late. Sorry, I was not early to teach you."

Indeed, from this incident, I did learn a lesson and this incident would be etched in my mind forever.