Caleb Christopher Vijayaraj stepped off the plane in his suit and tie, clutching his black Samsonite leather briefcase. It was more valuable than anything inside it. He inhaled the fresh, slightly salty air and thought he'd never been in a place with this much sky. The land was flat, the buildings were low and even the trees couldn't bring themselves to aim higher, or to turn a proper shade of green.

The customs official was baffled by the patrilineal naming traditions of his homeland and dubbed him Caleb Christopher Daniel. Not being overly attached to his so-called surname, Caleb acquiesced. Daniel had been his grandfather's middle name.

He'd left a good job at a top computer company, where every day, he arrived at work in a suit and tie, always getting there before his boss arrived and never leaving until the boss was gone. There were long hours but the work was satisfying. Why had his mother urged him to move?

Here no one wore a tie to work. This wasn't a grand company. It was a small-time business selling stationery and repairing typewriters. Cash registers too. But they'd provided a company car, a Toyota Celica, and Caleb would drive to remote places to tinker with different machines. He'd rarely driven in Singapore. There was far too much traffic and no room for another car in the household, even if he could afford one. But out here, though there was little to see, a man sure could drive.

His first encounter with the highway patrol was a mundane event. He claimed he didn't know there was a speed limit. He himself thought it a farfetched excuse, but the cops were unfazed. Caleb wasn't sure if they thought him an ignorant foreigner, or if they were just relaxed because well, everyone here was. No worries, mate.

The second time, he'd been speeding along on a sweltering forty-degree day and started to nod off. What seemed like a slight curve sent his car flying off the road. He shut his eyes on that endless sky as the car rolled and rolled before finally landing upside down. To his surprise, Caleb found he was not only alive but unhurt. He opened the door, unclipped his seatbelt and slid out with a thud. His briefcase had flown through the windscreen but he found it was still in working order with just a few scratches. Caleb figured he'd keep walking toward town and ring for help. He'd been walking for about twenty minutes when the highway patrol picked him up.

Mate, you're lucky we came along. The car crash didn't kill you but that sun would have!

They were different officers but they had that same laidback manner, that same slightly slouchy posture. Caleb Christopher Daniel started to adjust his tie and then, thinking better of it, took it off and tucked it into his briefcase.