Happy Pain
- Peter K F Cheung SBS
- Sep 22, 2020
- 2 min read
FADE IN.
Act 1
INT - STUDY - DAY
PETER looks out of the window.
PETER (V.O.): Thunderstorms are coming. It's unlikely that I can swim in the clubhouse's outdoor swimming pool.
Raining and thundering outside.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The inclement weather will continue.
Thinking.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): But I don't want to skip my daily exercises. Perhaps, I just go downstairs and run around.
EXT. ESTATE AREA - NIGHT
PETER (V.O.): While my right shoulder muscle soreness has subsided, I feel muscle soreness in my right leg. Should I run?
Peter runs under covered areas.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I've got to squeeze the time so that I won't miss a Webinar of the Chicago Law School. Their approach to law is fresh to me.
Act 2
INT. DINGING ROOM - NIGHT
Dining with his family, Peter follows a webinar.
PETER (V.O.): The professor is advocating personalised law in a brave new world. Sounds theoretical and practical at the same time.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): But his thesis isn't worth considering outside the ivory tower, despite the advance of big data. I think he has stretched the law too much.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Personalized exercises are viable though.
EXT. SWIMMING POOL - DAY
Peter rests by the poolside.
PETER (V.O.): Having run yesterday night, I feel muscle soreness around my right knee.
Peter enjoys water massage by the pool wall.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd):There aren't any jacucci in public swimming pools.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): But there's social mix.
FLASHBACK
INT. INDOOR PUBLIC SWIMMING POOL - DAY
As Peter rests by the pool side, SWIMMER#1 and SWIMMER#2 exchange chats.
SWIMMER#1: My sister has got a government job offer.
SWIMMER #2: What job?
SWIMMER#1: AO?EO? No, just the entry rank of clerical staff. The maximum monthly pay is over $20,000
SWIMMER#2: That's good enough.
SWIMMER#1: Yes, my sister is very happy as she can work until 65.
PETER (V.O): True, one can live a simple and content life.
RETURN TO PRESENT
PETER (Cont'd): But now, I need the jacucci for my hydrotherapy.
Later, Peter swims free style and does back strokes.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): It seems that the muscle sores in my right shoulder is going away. That's good.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): Let me do some butterfly strokes in my last laps.
Trying.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): Oh, I can't move my arms symmetrically. It's painful.
Peter does a few slow strokes awkwardly.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): I couldn't take it for granted that I could do what I used to do.
Peter gets out of the pool.
Act 3
INT. STUDY - DAY
Peter checks his phone message.
PETER (V.O.) : The retiree I met yesterday asks me if I would like to learn Thai boxing.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I did tell her that I learned snowboarding in Japan at the age of 64.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): At home, I prefer swimming or running. I haven't danced although I was feverish about it about 10 years ago.
Peter surfs the web.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): Muscle soreness is a sign that I am getting stronger? My muscles and the fibers begin to break down and get better prepared to handle the stress in future?
Reading.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): It's also stated that the more I move via gentle exercises, the quicker the discomfort will go away.
Thinking.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): But Thai boxing isn't gentle enough.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): And I don't like sore muscles.
Having responded to message, Peter see sunshine through the window.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): Can I treat sore muscles as happy pain?
FADE OUT.
THE END
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