FADE IN.
INT. PUBLIC BATH - NIGHT
PETER is rubbing in circular motion the lenses of his pair of eyeglasses.
PETER (V.O.)
The stains on the
lenses are largely
gone. It was in
early May 2019,
when I was in Beijing...
FLASHBACK
INT. SHANGRILA HOTEL, BEIJING - DAY
Business lounge. Peter chats with GENTLEMAN#1 (50s) and GENTLEMAN#2 (40s).
PETER (V.O.)
(Disturbed)
How come my vision
has become blurred?
I left Hong Kong early
in the morning, arrived
in Beijing in the afternoon
and have been having
some serious exchanges.
Am I having some
acute bodily failure?
GENTLEMAN#1
It's been a long day...
GENTLEMAN#2
Perhaps, you might
like to take a rest
in your room before
dinning with us.
Nodding readily, Peter leaves the gentlemen.
INT. HOTEL ROOM - DAY
Taking off his eyeglasses, Peter relaxes on a sofa. He massages his eye socket bones down to the bridge of his nose, and then his temples.
A beat. When Peter is about to put on his eyeglasses again, he notices something.
PETER (V.O.)
Oh, the lenses are
stained all around!
That's why my vision
is blurred.
Peter uses a piece of issue to rub the stains on the lenses.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd)
Oh, they don't go away!
Remembering.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd)
Did I use a wet acidic
tissue to clean the lenses
earlier? And so it has
damaged the coating
of the plastic lenses?
INT. SITTING ROOM - NIGHT
Eyeglasses in hand, Peter chats with his WIFE.
PETER
The lenses have become
unclear. Is there anything
you can do about them?
Having checked the lenses, Peter's wife uses some liquid cleaners and a piece of cloth to rub the lenses in circular motion. No difference.
WIFE
If the coating of the lenses
has been corroded, that's
nothing you can do.
PETER
I'll go to the eyewear
specialist tomorrow.
INT. EYEWEAR SPECIALIST - DAY
Shaking his head sideways, a SPECIALIST (30s) hands back to Peter his eyeglasses. Peter checks the lenses.
SPECIALIST
You have worn this pair
for nearly two years now.
PETER (V.O.)
I'll have a new pair then.
SPECIALIST
You want the best-quality
lenses right?
Peter nods.
PETER (V.O.) But I thought my lenses
were of the best-quality...
PETER
Yes, I'll take the most
expensive one...
PETER (V.O.) It's value for money.
I wear my eyeglasses all
the time, apart from
sleeping and swimming.
Having done all the eye-checking routines, Peter pays.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd)
It's a gift to myself as a
senior citizen too.
INT. STUDY - DAY
Behind his computer, Peter wears a new pair of eyeglasses and then the stained pair.
PETER (V.O.)
It takes time for me to
adapt to the new pair.
If I need the new pair,
I can use it. Meanwhile,
I'll continue to wear
the old pair, as I go
swimming twice a day
in summer.
INT. PUBLIC BATH - DAY
Wearing back his clothes, Peter wipes away the condensation on the lenses of his eyeglasses.
PETER (V.O.)
It seems that a stain
or two are gone or
have changed positions.
END FLASHBACK
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd)
They're actually breaking
down little by little, and
very slowly - over half a
year now.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd)
I'm glad that I didn't
give up my eyeglasses.
The story also explains
why I am a hoarder!
Peter smiles, wearing his old glasses with mostly stainless lenses.
FADE OUT.
The End