A Tuk-Tuk Dinner
- Peter K F Cheung SBS
- Oct 12
- 3 min read
FADE IN
Act 1
INT. BEDROOM - 11:30
As PETER lies in bed, keeping his WIFE company, the sudden sound of a phone notification breaks the stillness.
PETER (V.O.): Let me see if it's a reply from my first son regarding the note I sent him late last night.
Peter reaches for his smartphone and reads the message.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Yes. Today, we'll be visiting my Mom at the Kwu Tung elderly home.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Since finding more than one parking spot on a Saturday afternoon can be challenging, I suggest taking his car instead.
Peter types on his phone screen.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): But I don't know if my second son would join us. He's been working hard at the hospital all week.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Same for my daughter-in-law.
Act 2
INT. LIVING ROOM - 11:00
Sitting at the piano, Peter plays a few jazz tunes.
PETER (V.O.): I feel that playing the piano has become a part of my daily routine.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): However, I need to keep up my Duolingo streaks and my daily swim.
Peter steps away from the piano and opens the Duolingo app on his smartphone.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I've been learning French, Italian, German, Japanese, Korean, Spanish and Portuguese for over 500 days.
Practicing the languages, Peter glances at the open window.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I feel a gentle breeze coming in through the window.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): It was the same yesterday, and I believe the red flag will remain hoisted at Clear Water Bay.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I'll just swim in a nearby pool as we'll be travelling to Kwu Tung soon.
EXT. ESTATE ROAD - 15:45
As Peter approaches a dark grey BMW, he spots his SON#1 in the driver seat and his DAUGHTER-IN-LAW in the passenger seat.
PETER (V.O.): I guided my first son to follow in my footsteps as a lawyer. He's doing quite well.
His wife and SON#2 soon join Peter.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): About 30 years ago, I encouraged my wife to pursue a career in law. She made it.
They sit at the back of the car.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): My second son practised medicine in Australia and is now working in Hong Kong.
INT. KWU TUNG ELDERY HOME - 16:30
Common room. Peter's MOM (94) is tiny in her chair. Peter's familiy members gather around her.
PETER (V.O.): Since my Mom moved here, this is the first time my family members in Hong Kong can visit her together.
Peter leans in, speaking to his Mom about memories, as his wife spoonfeeds her.
MOM: Your hair is so white.
PETER: I'm now 71, no longer the young, black-haired Peter I once was.
Later, they take group photos together.
INT. THAI RESTAURENT - 18:00
Stylish. They're seated in a tuk-tuk shaped room. Later, the food arrives, a spectacular array of colours and aromas.
PETER: This is good.
Peter gestures at the ambiance, the food and all of them.
PETER (Cont'd): Together like this, having a tuk-tuk dinner.
Pausing.
PETER (Cont'd): And it's good that we've done what we can for my Mom and your Grandma.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I built my life on IP law, but in comparison to family, it has lost much of its meaning.
Act 3
INT. BEDROOM - 22 :30
Peter uploads an image, depicting a dining room that made to look like a tuk tuk to a draft on his laptop.
PETER (V.O.): A tuk-tuk isn't built for a single destination. It's for the journey, for the shared experience.
Thinking.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Sometimes, I need to be taken out of my own world and placed in a tuk-tuk to see the world my children have built and realise it's more magnificient than my own.
Reflecting.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): We may be headed in different directions; but for one day, we share the same journey. Perhaps that's the essence of what it means to be a family.
FADE OUT
END
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