In Due Course
FADE IN
Act 1
INT. LIVING ROOM - 09:30
Sunlight bleeds through the curtains. PETER lies on his back. He holds his phone above his face, thumbs scrolling. His WIFE is sleeping under a duvet beside him.
PETER (V.O.): It's Saturday morning. No morning stock trading to monitor.
He reads a FB post. A black-and-white photo of a stunning woman with sharp cheekbones and intense eyes. Text in traditional Chinese.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Law is now 101-year old.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Let me research on her filmography.
He types his prompt into the search bar.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Over 300 films. 1950s-1960s. Leading actress of Hong Kong cinema.
Peter exhales through his nose. A small smile.
Act 2
FLASHBACK
INT. A LIVING ROOM, CHOI HUNG ESTATE - AFTERNOON (Summer, 1964)
A small black-and-white TV set sits on a small table. Peter (10) sits on a stool. Other CHILDREN huddle around. ADULTS on folding chairs.
On the screen: A beautiful Law delivers a dramatic monologue in a movie. Her eyes flash.
Peter is transfixed. His mouth hangs slightly open.
A commercial comes on. The spell breaks. SOMEONE cracks a peanut. Peter, without looking away from the screen, remarks loudly and clearly.
PETER: I'll make her my wife. In due course.
The room goes quiet. Then - explosive laughter. An UNCLE slaps his knee. An AUNTIE fans herself.
Peter keeps his eyes on the blank screen where Law just was.
INT. CASTLE PEAK HOTEL - AFTERNOON (1969)
A tea house. Peter (15), in a waiter's jacket, carries a heavy tray of drinks. He passes a table of ACTORS and ACTRESSES. Chatting, laughing. He sets down the drinks. Steps back. He scans every face.
He turns. In the service hallway, he leans against a wall. Pulls out his wallet. A singe HK$10 note.
PETER (V.O.): That's my daily wage for 12 hours' work. I need the money to support myself.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I could never bring myself to ask a classmate on a date.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Those were the days...
END FLASHBACK
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): When I vowed, she was in her 30s. At Castle Peak, I served everyone but her. And even if I had seen her...
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Children often fall in love with symbols - stars, heroes, images - not people.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): And economic reality crushes romantic fantasy.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): There're secrets I keep because they're shameful. And then there're secrets I keep because they're too tender to trust to the light.
INT. MEGA BOX - 20:20
Pet - friendly area. Peter and his wife have just finished dinner.
PETER (V.O.): Somehow, I've the urge to share my long-held secret with my wife.
PETER: Remember the old Hong Kong actress Law?
WIFE: Yes, she's turned 101.
PETER: I just want you to know that when I was 10, I vowed to someone I'd marry her in due course.
WIFE: Is that right?
Peter nods smilingly.
PETER (V.O.): It's not a confession. It's an act of intimacy.
WIFE (Cont'd): She's still nice and smart.
Peter nods again.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): In due course, life gives me neither what I wanted nor what I deserved - just what I lived.
Act 3
INT. BEDROOM - 22:15
Peter uploads an image to a draft on his laptop. It shows an old HK 10-dollar note waiting to be spent, but never quite enough.
PETER (V.O.): The most heartbreaking phrase in any language isn't "I can't". It's "in due course". Because it sounds like hope, but it always arrives as memory.
Thinking.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): My HK$10 daily wage teaches what due course really looks like. Not a marriage with a movie star, but a partner who doesn't laugh at my past.
Reflecting.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): In due course, every burning remark becomes a warm, quiet ember. And when someone I love says, "She's still nice and smart" - that ember is enough for two.
The END
FADE OUT
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