Competition runner up

The Longest Day

by John Ritchie

My feet step out with a confidence the rest of me doesn’t share. What the hell am I doing here, a stranger in a strange land? Part of me wants to step back into the cool cocoon of the airplane fuselage, the place that represents England as it was a mere 12 hours ago when I boarded. But most of me recognises that is not an option and the impatient business man edging past confirms the press of bodies at my back. We are all being reasonably polite now, but will a lack of cabs bring out a competitive edge, a dog-eat-dog savagery I didn’t know I possessed? Will I trample women and children in my desperation to get out of this heat and into a shower? Will there even be a shower this far from civilisation? I start down the steps and wonder what happens next.

There is a heavy scent in the air; thick and almost sickly in humidity that must be close to 90 percent. Two in the morning and I feel like I am in a scented sauna. My shirt is bunched uncomfortably around my waist and sticks to me everywhere else. Somebody says ‘Doesn’t the frangipani smell wonderful’. Right now, I’d prefer the smell of wild roses in English hedgerows. Am I homesick? No, more likely it is the brandy making me maudlin, that and jet-lag. I should have drunk more water.

The sudden surge of bodies alerts me to the coach that has sidled up behind us. The animal side of our nature manifests itself, there is too much tooth in the smiles of those who got to the handful of seats first. The rest of us stand and sway against one another as the coach lurches on its journey and try to pretend that it doesn’t matter. The almost tangible tension makes liars of us all.

The bus breaks down 200 yards from the Airport building and there is a lot of shouting in a language I don’t understand. A full scale riot seems imminent. Then the passenger doors open and doll-like policemen in skin-tight uniforms are pushing into the bus and shoving us out. I stagger into a hot night riotous with red, white and blue lights and milling bodies. Someone grabs my arm and I pull away, ready to lash out if necessary. My assailant smiles. ‘Welcome to Singapore, Mr John.’

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  1. #1 by The Malt House on August 3, 2011 - 8:26 am

    How many times have I been in exactly this situation John… you have summed it up so succinctly you could have been reading my mind. Great writing!

    David

    Oh… and did you eventually enjoy Singapore?

  2. #2 by Oonah on August 3, 2011 - 9:54 am

    Wonderful writing Sean – as usual and congratulations.

  3. #3 by Gerry on August 3, 2011 - 11:16 am

    Great stuff, John. A very good read indeed.

  4. #4 by jennifer walmsley on August 3, 2011 - 2:31 pm

    Excellent. I felt the heat, could smell the smells. A great runner up.

  5. #5 by John Ritchie on August 3, 2011 - 5:09 pm

    Hi David

    Thank you for reading and commenting so generously. I am pleased my story resonated with you, though in truth it is an amalgam of a number of different experiences of travelling in the Middle and Far East

    I loved Singapore. My wife and I stayed in the Somerset Maugham suite at the Raffles Hotel and threw peanut shells on the floor of the Long Bar. My only disappointment was at having to leave the day before the Rugby Sevens started.

    Best

    John

  6. #6 by John Ritchie on August 3, 2011 - 5:10 pm

    Thank you, Surface, for reading and commenting so generously.

    Best

    Sean

  7. #7 by John Ritchie on August 3, 2011 - 5:12 pm

    Thanks, Gerry, that is very kind. There is nothing like ppersonal ecxperience for bringing a story to life ;o)

    Best

    John

  8. #8 by John Ritchie on August 3, 2011 - 5:16 pm

    Hi Jennifer

    The heat was indeed tangible and the smells both good and bad were an experience in themselves, but it was great to actually see and experience things and places you had only read about.

    Best

    John

  9. #9 by Sandra Crook on August 4, 2011 - 4:39 pm

    Great read John, brought back some happy memories for me. Thanks

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