Our Traditional Practice
- Peter K F Cheung SBS
- Apr 5, 2022
- 2 min read
FADE IN.
Act 1
INT. SITTING ROOM - 12:00
PETER is checking WhatsApp messages.
PETER (V.O): Today is Ching Ming. Due to pandemic restrictions, we cancelled our family's traditional practice to sweep tombs at Nipple Mountain.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I actually felt very bad about it.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Last Saturday, my son suggested that we could still go to the Columbarium in Tsuen Wan to pay tribute to my Dad.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I was so pleased that he'd raise that.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Let me go and buy some dim-sums for lunch before sustaining our traditional practice.
Act 2
EXT. ESTATE STREET - 14:45
Exiting from a block with his son, Peter is attracted by the bright-pink Bougainvillea leaves overhanging at a roof edge.
PETER (V.O.): Whenever I see these thorny ornamental vines, I'd remember my late maternal Grandma.
FLASHBACK
EXT. MUI YUEN, TIN SUM SAN TSUEN - DAY (1964)
PETER (10) is observing his GRANDMA (64) who is appreciating the bright-pink Bougainvillea leaves scrambling along fence lines.
PETER (V.O.): Grandma planted some a few months ago. Now, I see lots of bright-pink leaves.
Peter sees his Grandma selecting a section of the stem with a healthy crown of leaves before cutting it.
PETER: Grandma, why do you do that?
GRANDMA: To propagate more.
PETER: Let me help you.
GRANDMA: Be careful with their thorns.
END FLASHBACK
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Out of the blue, my Grandpa died two years earlier at the age of 62.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): All along, he only cared about his third wife.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Still, his 2nd wife, my maternal Grandma, was very upset.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): So I was happy to see her growing more Bougainvillea.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): When my 3rd Grandma died in 1969, I didn't go to her funeral. I chose to work part-time to earn a few dollars more.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): In 1972, my maternal Grandma was very ill. We couldn't bear hearing her groaning.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Inscribed on her tombstone was the family consensus: The Greatest and Kindest Mother/Grandma.
Peter captures a few photos.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Today is clear (Ching) and bright (Ming) too.
EXT. CEMETERY, TSUEN WAN - 15:45
Under a covered open-air columbarium, Peter is cleaning his Dad's niche passionately.
PETER (V.O.): Having retired at the age of 60 in 1992, my Dad helped me raise my son, even before I became a widower.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): When he was terminally ill in 2011, I had a careless driving incident.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Of his five children, I felt my Dad loved me the most.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Months after I became Director of Intellectual Property, my Dad died.
Sighing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): But it's only after his death that I've been saying "I love you Dad".
Act 3
INT. SITTING ROOM - 23:00
Peter is checking messages on screen.
PETER (V.O.): Oh, my younger brother (and his son) have swept the tombs of our Grandpa and his 2nd and 3rd wives. Well done!
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): With my son's company, I've gone to the columbarium to clean the niche of our beloved Dad.
Reflecting.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Our traditional practice is built on the love that our ancestors have left us.
FADE OUT
THE END
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