Time Is Growing Short
FADE IN:
INT. RESTAURANT - DAY
Busy lunch time. Peter chats with GENTLEMAN#1.
GENTLEMAN#1
When I see counsel for
the other side is Peter
Cheung, I wasn't sure
whether it was you. I
therefore asked your
secretary whether you're
not young...
PETER
Yes, there're just too
many Peter Cheungs.
PETER (V.O.)
Signs that I'm not young
distinguish...
INT. RECEPTION - NIGHT
LADIES and GENTLEMEN in smart casual wear gather. PETER chats with GENTLEMEN#2.
GENTLEMAN#2
...I often take Star Ferry...
It's free.
PETER
Free?
GENTLEMAN#2
No charge when I tap my
Senior Citizen card...
PETER
(Nodding & thinking)
I'm going to have that
privilege in months...
PETER (V.O.)
It's good that companies
do good to others...
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd)
Time is growing short for
for the elderly too.
INT. FAST FOOD RESTAURANT - DAY
Peter sees an advert: "Bargain early lunch set at HK$29 before weekday noon" and elderly people queuing up before the order counter.
PETER (V.O.)
Non-office workers may
also benefit.
Peter follows the queue.
INT. DINNING ROOM - NIGHT
Peter talks to ZENO (20) over dinner.
PETER
If you're ready to drive the
Previa to pick up Mom at
the Airport, we'll go.
ZENO nods. They then pick up the car key, two red "P" plates from a table top and leave.
EXT. ROAD - NIGHT
Sitting at the front passenger seat, Peter acts as Zeno's navigator.
PETER
...Straight ahead...in about
100 meters, turn left....Slow
...slow...accelerate...Yes...
Be careful of the traffic on
your right...on your left...
EXT. CAR PARK - NIGHT
Zeno drives the Previa inside the open-air car park. They see vacant parking slots.
PETER
Parking is not that busy
tonight. Would you like
to try parking the car?
Zeno nods. Arriving at vacant slots, Peter gets off the car. He watches Zeno parking.
Reversing the car slowly into a lot, Zeno turns the wheel anticlockwise, checks the passenger side mirror about the distance from the adjourning parking slot before he straightens the car. Having taken a photo, Peter gives a thumb-up.
PETER (V.O.)
Quite good for his first
parking at a public car
park. The car still looks
good. Zeno was just two-
-year old when I bought
the car in 2000.
Zeno gets out and locks the car.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd)
He can take my place
to drive family members
to and from the Airport
from now.
EXT. ROAD - NIGHT
Zeno drives the car in the middle lane. Peter sits in the front passenger seat and MOM in the middle row.
. MOM
When it's safe, cut to the
slow lane...
ZENO
Yes.
PETER (V.O.)
Yes, she's quite a good
driver now.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd)
I like to hang on to cars
too. My wife and I had
a deal in 2003 that six is
our ceiling. I haven't let
go any of my six cars
since then.
Pausing.
PETER(V.O.) (Cont'd)
I believe my old cars can
be put to good use...
Here's the evidence before
our eyes!
INT. SLEEPING ROOM - DAY
Peter checks his phone messages.
PETER (V.O.)
A New Year Greeting? I'm
not in the mood yet. I've
two legal matters to deal
with before that...
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd)
My time is growing short.
I shouldn't waste my time
bothering over unimportant
matters. I should anticipate
my Feb adventures and
love my loved ones more.
EXT. ROAD - DAY
Carrying loaded fast food restaurant takeaway bags, Peter sees and passes over two maids pushing an elderly MAN and an elderly WOMAN in wheelchairs.
PETER (V.O.)
They do look very old and
dull... Living long is a gift
though. More and more,
I believe in metaphysics!
FADE OUT. The End