THE FUSE

I suddenly woke up and realised the bus had stopped. Some drops of sweat were rolling down my temple, which I took to mean the announcement shouted in Vietnamese before we left was about the air conditioning being faulty. The driver left his seat, turned towards us, and shouted a new announcement that I was yet to decipher. My obvious confusion was noticed by a kind lady who, while heading towards the open doors of the bus, swiftly told me, “Break! 15 minutes”. So I obliged.