Reasonably Well
- Peter K F Cheung SBS
- Apr 14
- 3 min read
Act 1
INT. LIVING ROOM - 9:30
PETER sits on a sofa. He holds a cracked smartphone.
On the screen: Duolingo. A cartoon owl glares at him. Peter taps an icon: A Spanish flag.
A VOICE (from phone): Estoy apprendiendo piano.
Peter repeats into the phone.
PETER (to phone): Estoy apprendiendo piano.
Later, Peter checks his Spanish streak: 709-day streak.
Peter allows himself a small smile. He then taps another icon: A French flag.
A VOICE (from phone): Je joue du piano tous les jours.
Peter repeats into the phone.
PETER (to phone) (Cont'd): Je joue du piano tous les jours.
Then, we hear: CRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT. A power drill. From upstairs.
Act 2
INT. LIVING ROOM - 12:30
The drilling has stopped.
PETER (V.O.): How nice it is without that loud, aggressive noise.
Peter takes the piano seat, his fingers hover over the keys.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): See how much of the song I can bring back.
FLASHBACK
INT. TITTORI AIRPORT - NOON (Sept 2024)
Small and quiet. In the middle of the terminal, a public yellow piano. And there is Peter - in casual wear - sitting on the bench. His hands play "A Summer Place."
PETER (V.O.): Since I'm never tired of listening to this musical piece, I decided to learn to play it on the piano.
Relaxing melody - Peter puts his heart into it.
A woman TOURIST starts filming Peter's performance, and Peter notices.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I'm surprised that someone would film my first public piano performance.
Peter continues, playing reasonably well. After he finishes, she claps.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): How encouraging - it really means a lot.
END FLASHBACK
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Now I want to play like the young blind man - the one at the recital two weeks ago. He played with another pianist a four-hands piece by Mozart.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): He didn't see the keys. But he played beautifully.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I admired his confidence. The flow.
Peter plays the intro, and the verses, then stops at the chorus - right before it kicks in.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I need to follow the online tuturial to help me play it the right way.
Peter opens the Redmi Pad 2 and taps an online piano tutorial.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): That's how I learned to play "A Summer Place".
Just as he is about to continue, we hear CRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT.
Peter doesn't stop. He launches into the song's chorus.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I remember the blind pianist's face. He focuses on the music...I won't hear the noise.
The song's chorus emerges - halting, fragile, but recognizable.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Age and late start aren't barriers to growth.
The drill continues: RRRRRRRRRT. RRRRRRRRRT.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I play louder.
The drill responds in kind.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): We're playing a special four-hands duet - we coexist in mutual irritation.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): See if I can imagine the music without hearing the noise.
Peter starts again from the beginning.
Act 3
INT. LIVING ROOM - 22:00
Peter uploads an image to a draft on his laptop. It shows some visuals that Peter uses to learn to play the piano.
PETER (V.O.): Reasonable isn't mediore. Reasonable is the bridge between "I can't" and "I did".
Thinking.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The drill doesn't care how good I'm. The drill only cares that I keep playing. And that's why reasonably well always wins.
Reflecting.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I'm never going to be great. But I'm, against all odds, reasonably well. And that is more than enough to answer a drill.
The END
FADE OUT
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