Recently I saw an old schoolmate on the bus.

He's no ordinary schoolmate. He was the one who used to accompany me home from school on certain days. I still remember the time where we still have morning and afternoon sessions and we were both wearing shorts for our uniforms. Somehow, we never saw each other when we go to school in the afternoons, but will bump into each other in the evening. And that's where the fun started.

You see, there was a stretch of construction work going on, along part of the journey home. The normal way takes too long so we are one of the few Amazing Race wannabes who always takes the shortcut home. 7pm Drama on Channel 8 was always the source of inspiration and motivation for me to trek the NS outfield lookalike pathway even if it means risking my white shoes turning brown on a Monday evening. My good "race buddy" will always be one step behind me as I make my way through the treacherous mudslide. Sometimes, he gets sick of watching my back and overtakes me, slowing down after his accomplishment. Eventually, I will overtake him again like overtaking a group of aunties in a JP Morgan leisure run. Then, as though he has been given a new lease of life after a close brush with Death Himself, he will pick up pace and overtake me yet again. Only to slow down few steps ahead and the cycle continues.

At first, I just wanted to get ahead of him because he is road hogging the path. There are not many ways thru the mud bath and he's taking his own sweet time across, perhaps to observe the different shades of brown it presents on his white shoes. On normal days, I don't mind him admiring his shoes but on certain days, such behaviour will seriously undermine my Mission Impossible to catch that last episode of Channel 8 drama that is always shown on Friday evenings. Eventually, what started out as friendly Amazing Race partnership ended in an Sega Rally Knockout between 2 secondary school kids racing across Sahara Desert. Sometimes he wins, sometimes I am the victorious one. But 1 thing is for sure, I'll always reach home earlier than expected whenever he's around.

We never knew each other's name, only that we'r studying in the same school. I don't even know which class he's from as i never seen him in school before. However, this brings back fond memories when I see him on the bus again today.

No longer are we competing for anything, except for seats, maybe?

And no longer are we rushing for home, but rushing to work.