Licence to Remember
- Peter K F Cheung SBS
- 12 minutes ago
- 3 min read
FADE IN
Act 1
INT. VEHICLE LICENSING OFFICE - 09:45
Counter. PETER stands at the front of a line.
PETER (V.O.): As a senior, I receive priority treatment.
When his turn comes, Peter approaches and submits through the slot the forms along with the supporting documents to OFFICER#1.
PETER: Renewal for three vehicles, please.
Officer#1 works at a terminal. Behind her, OFFICER#2 leans in, pointing at the screen, speaking in low, instructive tones.
PETER (Cont'd): One licence expired three months ago, another a week ago, and the last one is on time.
Officer#1 examines the completed details.
PETER (Cont'd): The cars with expired licences are parked in a private car park and haven't been on the roads.
Officer#1 lets out a tiny, grateful breadth.
OFFICER#1: We'll call your name for payment later.
Act 2
FLASHBACK
INT. VEHICLE LICENSING OFFICE - 13:30 (1985)
Peter (31), in a dark suit, stands at a counter. Behind it is MARY. She looks at his form, then up at his face.
MARY: Peter?
PETER: Mary? Shung Tak? 1969?
Grins break across their faces. The formal space between them vanishes.
MARY: I'll sort you out. One car?
PETER: Just one.
Mary processes Peter's application swiftly. The whole interaction takes a minute or two. Mary hands a renewed licence to Peter.
MARY: All set, Peter.
PETER: Thank you Mary.
RETURN TO PRESENT
EXT. KAU YUK ROAD - 12:45
Peter walks past a school building. STUDENTS and a TEACHER spill out, heading for lunch.
PETER (V.O.): We studied here for matriculation, 1971-1973. Thought we had all the time in the world.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): King Chau and Shue Fun repeated a year. In the summer of 1974, they went to Lantau Peak to watch sunrise. Never came back.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Ah Chung, 2002. Ah Sieh, 2014. Debbie, 2020. All taken by cancer. Ah Shui, 2022. His heart. I think.
He moves on towards the Yuen Long Swimming Pool, his step a little heavier.
INT. PETER'S NT HOME - 15:30
G/F. On a shelf, a framed photo of a smiling woman (SHARON 36). Peter sits at the keyboard and plays a few bars of a jazz standard. His eyes on Sharon's photo.
PETER (V.O.): That's how I've learned to play by myself...Still miss you, Sharon.
He plays a little more, then lets his hands rest on the keys. The silence is full.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): A licence to remember is the one permit we all possess, though the renewals grow more costly with time.
INT. MTR TRAIN - 19:30
Peter takes a priority seat. His face is thoughtful, a map of memories.
PETER (V.O.): The licencing morning, the school lunchbreak, the weightlessness of the swimming pool, the intangible presence of remembered faces.
The train pulls into station. Peter stands.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): My wife will be waiting. Dinner will be ready. Thirty-two years. A different life.
Peter steps onto the platform, merging with the CROWD.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I feel like a man carrying the past, moving steadily into the present.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Life is marked by a continuous series of arrivals and departures - people, eras, versions of myself come and go.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Routine transactions like renewable of licences are more than just mundane tasks; they serve points where different aspects of my life connect and converge.
Act 3
INT. LIVING ROOM - 22:00
Peter uploads a photo featuring a close-up of his Nissan S13 car licence to a draft on his laptop.
PETER (V.O.): My heart has its own filing system: one drawer for "Active", one for "Archived", and one forever locked, for "Deceased, Cause: Various."
Thinking.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Memories are the ultimate bureaucracy. I spend my life filing moments, some overdue, some expired, some perfectly on time.
Reflecting.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I find meaning in life not through grand gestures, but in the small acts of keeping things - like cars, health, and love - well cared for.
The END
FADE OUT
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