FADE IN.
Act 1
INT. STUDY - MORNING
Peter is studying files.
PETER (V.O.): I've already prepared for my court work tomorrow. Let me get something moving for my work day after tomorrow.
Peter checks some telephone numbers.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): No news from those who should be helping me. Time is tight though.
Peter makes calls.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Do they like to hear from me? I could sit back and wait.
Peter's phone rings.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Workwise, to engage is better than not to engage.
Peter speaks to the phone again.
Act 2
INT. CHAMBERS - AFTERNOON
As his CHAMBERMATES chat happily, Peter listens and smiles a little.
PETER (V.O.): People always like to talk about other people or dramas...
Discreetly, Peter leaves. Then, he meets another CHAMBERMATE at the exit.
CHAMBERMATE: It's pretty likely that when your son graduates in Australia, he doesn't need to take any exams to get qualified in Hong Kong.
PETER: Yes, thank you for your support all along! If my son was admitted to HKU like your daughter, I don't have to worry.
They part smilingly.
INT. MALL - LATER
Peter feels his phone ringing.
PETER (To phone): Yes?
SOMEONE (From phone): Mr Cheung, someone is about to send you something...
PETER (To phone): Good, I need them for my work day after tomorrow.
At a bank ATM corner, Peter deposits a cheque.
PETER (V.O.): I still have the residual capacity to earn some pocket money.
Peter then notes a new phone message.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Do I know Yvonne? It's from my music friend.
Wondering.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Yes...we're business friends. We met pretty regularly before my retirement in 2014.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): But since then, we haven't engaged further and I haven't heard from her.
Peter types on his phone.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): What's the matter?
Then, Peter gets a detailed notice.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Oh My God! Her funeral notice! My friend is breaking news.
FLASHBACK
INT. CONFERENCE ROOM - AFTERNOON (2013)
LADIES including YVONNE and GENTLEMEN take their seats. Peter (59) chairs a meeting.
RETURN TO PRESENT
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): She passed away on 10 March at home. I believe she's about two years junior to me in age.
INT. COURT LIBRARY - LATER
Peter is reading thick books.
PETER (V.O.): No preparation is ever enough.
Peter turns the pages.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I behave as if I was still a law student or a junior Barrister back in the 1980s. Am I using my time badly?
Something catches his eyes.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Oh, here's a quote from Justice Duffy's judgment.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd):When Joe was Crown Prosecutor in the Attorney General's Chambers, he moved me as a Barrister on 31 August, 1985.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd: I read that he enjoyed his life.
Act 3
INT. STUDY - NIGHT
Peter is surfing the web with his phone.
PETER (V.O.): Now I know that Yvonne retired in 2016.
Sighing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Are some souls, like my late wife, too beautiful for this world?
Pondering.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): It's loss that teaches us about the worth of our lives.
Peter notices something.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Oh, my old friend's daughter has already become a partner of Yvonne's former firm.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I've no news from them for a long time.
FADE OUT.
THE END

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