Numeric Blue
- Peter K F Cheung SBS
- Mar 4, 2021
- 3 min read
FADE IN.
Act 1
INT. DINING ROOM - NIGHT
The TV is on. PETER is dining with his FAMILY.
PETER: Have I heard it right? Someone died two days after receiving a COVID-19 jab?
WIFE: Yes, you've heard it right.
Peter continues to follow the TV news.
PETER: No direct cause and effect between the jab and the death?
Pausing.
PETER (Cont'd): I don't think any approved COVID-19 vaccine for mass vaccination would directly cause death.
Pausing
PETER (Cont'd): The deceased was 63. I'm already 66 going on 67!
PETER (V.O.): Numerically, am I good to die? But I'm still working hard, delivering whatever value with my residual capacity...
Act 2
EXT. ROADS - LATER
Listening to the car radio, Peter drives his wife in a silver coupe.
PETER: Oh, the deceased went to a hospital's emergency unit by himself, only to die 5 hours later.
Playing Candy Crush Saga, Peter's wife doesn't respond.
PETER (V.O.): If there was no casual relationship between the jab and the death, the deceased was destined to die at the age of 63.
Peter pays the cross-harbour tunnel toll.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): And if is the casual relationship, the jab was instrumental to his death despite his personal characteristics.
They drive out of the tunnel.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The deceased was one of those in the first batches to get the vaccination.
Through traffic along Island Eastern Corridor.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): It is obvious that the deceased cared about his well-being and therefore he got the jab early.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): How ironic!
Arriving at the Department of Justice, his wife gets off.
PETER: Bye!
PETER (V.O.): Okay, I'll go to the car park of my former Island home to drive my SMART car. It's roadworthiness has to be tested before I can renew the vehicle licence.
Thinking.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The Government will raise vehicle licence fees by 30% soon. But it says the move has nothing to do with revenue.
Driving swiftly.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): But why does the Government do it now if the Government reserve isn't depleting?
Peter arrives in a residential estate.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Never mind, it has been one of my ways of giving back to society. I've been owing 6 cars since 2003.
Peter arrives at an estate car park.
INT. CAR PARK - LATER
Having started his SMART car, Peter looks pleased.
PETER (V.O.): Manufactured in 2003, this SMART car is the youngest of my car family.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): But for its Numeric Blue panels, I wouldn't buy it.
Staring at the dashboard, Peter checks the mileage.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Although it's 18-year old, it has clocked under 30,000 km so far.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): During SARS in 2003, I didn't know if my family would have a 2004. When SARS largely came to an end, we had no hesitation to celebrate, including buying the SMART car.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): And the car has been carrying the registration number of my first car - 7896. Reading the numbers in Cantonese, they sound like: "must be rich enough".
Thinking.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Having lived to over 66, I look forward to living to 78 or 89 or 96 or even beyond.
Thinking.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): But I mustn't do anything that might disrupt the natural process. I'm not keen to take any jab.
Having parked his silver coupe, Peter drives away his numeric blue SMART car.
Act 3
INT. STUDY - LATER
Working on his laptop, Peter watches TV news from time to time.
PETER (V.O.): Oh, Prince Philip has undergone a successful heart procedure. He's already 99 years old...
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): For a year now, COVID-19 has been foreign to me. And even if I get infected, I might not die.
Thinking.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): But without the COVID-19 vaccination, I believe there's nowhere I can go except staying in Hong Kong...
INT. DINING ROOM - NIGHT
Peter is following TV news on vaccination.
PETER (V.O.): Am I feeling numeric blue?
FADE OUT.
THE END
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