I Used to Do All of This
- Peter K F Cheung SBS
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
Act 1
INT. DINING ROOM - LAST NIGHT
PETER sits at the dining table. His WIFE puts a plate of roasted chicken on the table. She sits opposite him.
PETER: Feels like the week has stretched twice as long.
He lets out a breath.
PETER (Cont'd): We wouldn't be buying an electric vehicle if I continue to keep the 1995 Eunos 30X.
WIFE: It was time...oh yes, the salesman called...the BYD Sea Lion 7 will be delivered in late May.
PETER: Not late April?
WIFE: They can only deliver 50 cars per day...the earliest would be mid-May when we'll be travelling...
PETER: Yes. It's not urgent. We've other old cars.
They eat, talking in small, ordinary ways.
Act 2
INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT
DREAM SEQUENCE
Eerie silence. Peter stands in a vast, dim scrapyard. No sky. No horizon.
Before him, a car lift. On it, a car covered in a white sheet. He can't see what's underneath.
PETER (V.O.): Which car is it? My SMART, TOYOTA, VW, MB or NISSAN?
He holds a clipboard. He is supposed to sign something.
He tries to lift the sheet. It won't move. He tries to look underneath. The car blurs.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I can't see it...
END DREAM SEQUENCE
Peter wakes with a grasp. His wife sleeps beside him, undisturbed.
He lies there. Morning light through curtains.
He breathes.
Then quietly, he smiles.
PETER (V.O): Good. I feel light. Happy.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I still cherish my remaining old cars. Ownership is about connection, not just possession.
INT. LIVING ROOM - 22:00
His wife has something to tell Peter.
WIFE: Our son just reported that the "check coolant level" warning light in the MB came on...
PETER: I didn't even know the car has such a warning.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I've never. Not once. Filled the coolant.
Peter looks anxious.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I bought it brand new in 2002 - 24 years ago.
Peter begins to research with his phone. He types on the screen: What does a coolant reservoir look like?
He clicks the images. Photos of engine bays. Arrows pointing to translucent plastic tanks,
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): ...the cap that says "coolant".
He types again: What coolant is for MB E-class 2002?
FLASHBACK - 1976
Peter (22), long hair. Grease under his finger nails. He leans over the open bonnet of a metalic blue FORD CAPRI 1600GT.
He opens the cap of its coolant reservoir and fills in water.
He wipes his forehead with a forearm. Grins.
PETER (V.O.): It's as easy as ABC.
He slams the bonnet shut. Solid. Confident.
RETURN TO PRESENT
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I never filled the coolant of my MB. That's not neglect. That is a vote of confidence in a machine. And now the machine is asking of my attention.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I stop doing things not because I can't, but because I'm afraid to discover I've forgotten. I think not knowing is temporary. Not trying is permanent.
Act 3
INT. LIVING ROOM - 22:30
Peter uploads an image to a draft on his laptop. It shows Peter's 2002 deep-blue MB seden parked indoors in a service centre.
PETER (V.O.): Leaving car matters to repairers wasn't a failure. It was a choice. And choosing to try again, at 71, isn't regression. It's a return.
Thinking.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): "I used to do all of this" isn't a lament. It's a map. It tells me where I've been and, if I'm lucky, how to get back.
Reflecting.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Fixing a coolant level won't change the world. But it changes the man who fixes it. "I used to do all of this" becomes "I still can."
The END
FADE OUT
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