I want to write about the person I met in Singapore, but I hardly remember him — Because it was 21 years ago and I was 21 years old.

I was at a transit counter of Singapore Airlines in Changi Airport. My flight schedule allowed me to join a free sightseeing tour in the city, and I was waiting for the tour to start. There were other people waiting for the same tour as well; Some family groups and a few couples. It seemed I was the only solo traveler.

But as we started to move, a tall guy who was reading a magazine a little behind me stood up and joined the group. He looked like a business traveler in his early thirties. He was wearing a half-sleeved shirt and chinos, and carrying a briefcase with him. His eyes caught mine and he smiled at me.

“Are you traveling by yourself?”
“Yes. You?”
“Yeah, me too. Just finished a meeting with my client this morning.”
I was a little excited to find someone to chat with during the tour. We started talking as we walked towards the bus. The outside air was humid because of the early afternoon sun.

“What happened to your arms?”

He asked curiously. My arms were going through a massive peeling process after a terrible sunburn from Tonlé Sap. I explained that to him, feeling embarrassed and wishing I had put some more effort on self-care. Somewhere along the last two weeks of backpacking, I seemed to have forgotten the fact that I was a woman — A single and romantic woman.

“So, you’ve been backpacking for a while? What do you do back home?”
“I’m a student. It’s my summer vacation.”
“Oh good for you. I wish I could do that again.”
“What do you do?”
“I’m a lawyer.”
“Oh! That’s an interesti…”
“It’s a boring job.”
He said it in a deadpan manner. It cracked me up.
“I was about to say it’s an interesting job!”
“Nope, I would say backpackers are more interesting.”
He smiled. It was not a lawyer smile, it was a cheeky vacationer smile.

We sat on a coach seat next to each other and talked about our backgrounds. He said he was from the UK (or did he say he’s from Australia or South Africa? One of those English-speaking countries).

We got off the bus near Chinatown and walked around the city together. He took a photo of me in front of the Merlion. We went to a cafe facing the esplanade and shared a large slice of cheesecake. We talked about our trips, shared impressions of Singapore, and supplemented each other’s knowledge of the world history. The water outside was reflecting the sun, bringing extra light through the glass of the tall window of the cafe.

It felt strange but sweet to hang around with a guy whom I barely knew in a city where I would spend just a few hours. Yet we were enjoying the moment like locals who had known each other for years. If we were both living here, how our relationship would have turned out?

“It was really nice to see the town with you.”
As we returned to the airport, I thanked him. We were walking towards the gates.
“Yeah me too! Hey, here’s my card, in case you…”
“Oh, I hope I won’t need a lawyer in my life”, I chuckled.
“… In case you have a chance to visit London.” He winked at me.
“Oh, okay, thanks.” I received his business card.

And then we were reaching the end of the hallway to the gate. It also means we have reached the end of our two-and-a-half hours of layover tour.
“Safe trip back home.”, I said.
“Thanks, you too.” He said and paused.

“Can I give you a kiss?”
He looked me in the eyes, and before I said yes or no, he quickly gave me a peck on my cheek and walked away. That cheeky smile!

I watched at his back and thought what it meant — or what it meant to be. I had no idea because no one had ever kissed me like that before then.

I touched my cheek softly and walked off to my gate. The sun was about to set at one of the busiest airports in the world.