And the Lotus Blossoms
- Peter K F Cheung SBS
- 16 minutes ago
- 3 min read
FADE IN
Act 1
INT. LIVING ROOM - 09:30
PETER picks up his Honor 400 Smart, his movement deliberate. He navigates to settings and taps AI Translator.
PETER (V.O.): With this, I don't think I need an iPhone 17 Pro Max.
Later, Peter uses each of his handheld devices to complete a Duolingo lesson and maintain his learning streaks.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I encounter social media feeds in various foreign languages, and having a bit of knowledge in those languages enhances my understanding of the communications.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): A little bit of everything...makes everything a little more interesting.
Peter's wife appears.
WIFE: You'd better finish your daily swim early today; we need to leave for the Airport by five.
Peter nods, as he plays a few bars of a melody on the piano.
Act 2
EXT. RIVERSIDE LOTUS POND - 14: 30
Peter stands at the edge of a serene pond.
PETER (V.O.): I just finished my daily swim.
HIs eyes are fixed on a single lotus flower, its pedels just beginning to unfurl, revealing hints of pale purple within. He is mesmerized.
MONTAGE OF PETER'S MEMORY OF LOTUS BLOSSOMS AT PO KOK PRIMARY SCHOOL
A. A young Peter (7), kneels at the edge of the school's lotus pond.
B. He stares at a lotus bud, just beginning to bloom.
C. The school bell rings in the distance, but he is reluctant to move.
RETURN TO PRESENT
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): And the lotus blossoms.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): My past and present can meet in a single, beautiful sight.
Peter smiles, a deep, nostalgic contentment on his face.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The most peaceful moments are the ones where I simply notice things.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The lotus blossoms also make me think of our daughters.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): My wife and I spend so much time being the roots - holding everything together, bills and worries etc.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): But we couldn't look at the flower or flower bud that often, as they aren't living in Hong Kong.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Our elder daughter is coming home...that's a blossom, however brief.
INT. RESTAURANT - 14:45
Crowded. Peter shares a table with another CUSTOMER. Before him is a bowl of roast goose noodles in soup. Beside it, a cup of Ovaltine.
PETER (V.O.): This is my favourite afternoon tea set.
Peter eats slowly, savoring every bite, every sip.
EXT. AIRPORT PICK-UP AREA - 18:00
After helping his elder DAUGHTER to load her luggage into the middle row of the car, Peter settles into the driver seat. His WIFE takes the passenger seat beside him.
PETER (V.O.): I know my job. My wife and our daughter have a lot to share.
DAUGHTER: Would our family pet welcome me as enthusiastic as she did the last time I was home?
WIFE: There's the possibility that she won't even bother to get off the sofa.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Kaji was our daughter's dream. But life, as it does, drew her away. Now, their reunions are brief, precious things.
INT. LIVING ROOM - 19:00
Their daughter enters, scooping up Kaji.
DAUGHTER: Not that enthusiastic, but acceptable.
Peter and his wife are looking at their daughter, home.
PETER (V.O.): The blossom is here, in this imperfect, perfect moment.
Act 3
INT. LIVING ROOM - 21:30
Peter uploads a photo depicting lotus blossoms in a serene pond to a draft on his laptop.
PETER (V.O.): Blossoming isn't an event; its a quiet, persistent act of rising from the depths, day by day, until the world can't help but see its colour.
Thinking.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): While the world is shouting, the lotus is silently unfolding. The insight is knowing which to listen to.
Reflecting.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I'm not just the sum of my achievements, but a collection of my quiet moments - a streak, a swim, a blossom, a memory, a bowl of noodles.
FADE OUT
END
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