Morphing Ties
- Peter K F Cheung SBS
- Jan 25, 2024
- 2 min read
FADE IN
Act 1
INT. STUDY - 09:00
Having screen time, PETER sees a black-and-white photo with thumbnails.
PETER (V.O.): They played supporting roles in Hong Kong movies.
Reading a comment.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): All dead except one?
Checking.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): The surviving one is Yu Ming, born in 1924. I chatted with him once...
MONTAGE
A. Castle Peak Hotel, 1969. Peter (15), in a waiter outfit, was chatting with an ACTOR during a location filming.
END MONTAGE
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): He was so nice. I was nobody.
Act 2
EXT. SHUI PIN TSUEN - 10.45
Getting off from a bus, Peter first takes a look of a College nearby.
PETER (V.O.): In 1966 when I was doing Form 1 there, my schoolmate Fat and I would come back before 7am so that we could play ping-pong for a while.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): On one occasion, Fat first visited my home with eggs. I had them fried and made sandwiches for us.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): As starting a stove fire was time-consuming, we didn't repeat that.
Peter inspects old buildings near the bus stop.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): If I had 35 cents, I'd come to a store here to buy two "pineapple buns" for 15 cents and a bottle of Vitasoy for 20 cents.
INT. YUEN LONG PUBLIC SWIMMING POOL - 11:00
Changing room. In front of stacks of lockers, Peter is searching through his belongings.
PETER (V.O.): Where's my $5 coin?
Peter looks frustrated.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): I was here two days ago, and I still had it for the locker...
FLASHBACK
INT. CHANGING ROOM - 11:45 (Two days ago)
Coming in from the swimming pool, Peter opens a locker with a key and hears the sound of a coin falling into a door tray.
PETER (V.O.): I'd better get all my belongings first before picking up the coin.
Having emptied the locker, Peter begins to change quickly.
END FLASHBACK
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): Oh, I forgot to take back the coin. Well, it's just $5.
Remembering something.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): In 1968, when I first worked as a Sunday waiter in Castle Peak Hotel, my wage for a 12-hour day was just $5.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): My former classmate Fai facilitated me to get the part-time job.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): We're doing Form 1 in Shung Tak College but Fai dropped out after the first term.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): He did odd jobs in tea houses but maintained contact with me.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): Finishing my Form 5 public exams in 1971, Fai introduced me to work in a dyeing factory in Tsuen Wan.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): Workwise, we're pretty close.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): After my matriculation, we're still in contact...
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): And years later, I only learned from his brother (who was my colleague in Govt) that he was doing alright.
Act 3
INT. STUDY - 22:30
Working on a laptop, Peter inserts an AI drawing called "Morphing Ties" into a draft post.
PETER (V.O): "Morphing ties" refers to the concept of connections undergoing changes over time.
Peter stares at the AI drawing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Relationships aren't set in stone, and the level of closeness of ties differs as circumstances and individuals change.
Reflecting.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): For friends to grow apart is bittersweet. I've to accept life's twists and turns. I just hope that life has been treating my old friends reasonably well.
FADE OUT
THE END
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