After landing at Changi airport, I got into a taxi and was on my way home when I realized my laptop wasn’t with me. I asked the driver to pull over and opened the boot, but the computer wasn’t there.

With a sinking feeling, I then remembered I had put the computer bag down on a chair in the arrival lounge while rearranging my luggage on a trolley.

“If you’re lucky, you will get back your laptop, but if not…” the driver shrugged when I asked him to drive back to the airport.

“I’m sure I will get it back. This is Singapore,” I said, praying for its safe recovery.  I could not bear to lose my computer.

The driver offered to wait for me when we reached the airport. But I wasn’t sure how long I would have to search for the computer, so I told him not to wait.

Taking my luggage out of the boot, I dashed into the terminal , heading straight for the arrival lounge. And there I saw on an empty row of chairs, near an ATM, a black computer bag.

I ran to it, and, guess what, it was mine! My laptop lay untouched, safe and sound, on the chair where I had left it. Between half an hour and 45 minutes had passed since I had left it there by mistake.  People had come and gone, passing by, in the busy airport terminal, and no one had touched it.

I immediately hefted the computer bag onto my shoulder and sprinted back to the taxi queue with my luggage.

Of course, I had to share my story with the driver the moment I got into a taxi.

“You’re lucky,” said the driver.

“This is Singapore,” I said.