Route 19
- Peter K F Cheung SBS
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
FADE IN
Act 1
EXT. CASTLE PEAK ROAD - 18:O5
The sky bleeds orange and violet. The sun sinks like a burning coin into Castle Peak Bay.
PETER grips the wheel of a numeric-blue Smart City Coupe. Heading towards Yuen Long. His eyes lock ahead. The traffic light at Castle Peak Bay turns red.
PETER (V.O.): Right on time.
Smiling, he glides to a perfect stop. First at the line. He pulls out his phone. Swipes. Open the camera. He points at a compound on the right.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): KMB Route 19. Castle Peak Bay to Sheung Tsuen. This was the Castle Peak Bay terminus,
He snaps a picture. Then, another.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): My Dad was a KMB bus conductor. Later, he became a terminal captain here.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): In 1976, I got my driving licence and bought a metalic-blue Ford Capri. I drove here to show it to my Dad.
He then glances at the Bay on the left.
Act 2
MONTAGES
A. Castle Peak Bay - Afternoon (Summer, 1964) Peter (10), his BROTHER (7) and AH SEI (10), a neighbour, splash water in the shallows.
B.Route 19 terminus - Evening. (Later) The boys watch a mobile hawker, carrying a large basket of Lou Mei. Their mouths water. They stare, silent, hungry.
C. Castle Peak Beach - Night (Autumn, 1971) Peter and his GIRLFRIEND sit on the sand, watching the waves crashing the shore.
END MONTAGE
FLASHBACK
INT. CASTLE PEAK HOTEL (NIGHT) (Autumn, 1971)
Peter and his girlfriend are waiting tables. They glance at each other from time to time. UNCLE KAY, the supervisor, with sharp eyes and a kind heart, observes them.
Later, when Peter walks past him, Uncle Kay remarks.
UNCLE KAY: That girl. I see you two. I know people. She's not for you!
Peter is stunned.
PETER (V.O.): We're just workmates...and friends.
He resumes his work.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Since 1969, Uncle Kay has been treating me very well. If the hotel needs just one part-timer, he'd offer the vacancy to me.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): But he doesn't know her. He doesn't know us.
EXT. CASTLE PEAK BEACH - NIGHT (Winter) 1971
Peter and his girlfriend walk into the darkness.
GIRLFRIEND: I've decided to leave school and begin working.
Peter is stunned.
PETER (V.O): I've just begun my HKU marticulation course and my dream is to read at HKU...
GIRLFRIEND: You study whenever and wherever you can. That's not me. I don't want that life.
Peter is digesting the message.
GIRLFRIEND: Anything simple is fine with me.
PETER (V.O.): Would romance conquer everything? I hope so.
INT. HOME - NIGHT (Spring, 1973)
Peter is talking with his girlfriend over the phone.
PETER (to phone): You want a date...my HKU matriculation exams are coming up...
EXT. SOMEWHERE - DAY (Spring, 1974)
Peter and his girlfriend chat.
PETER: Since HKU didn't admit me, I've begun teaching in Pak Kau College - a full-time job.
GIRLFRIEND: It's good that you're staying small-otherwise our gap would keep getting wider.
RETURN TO PRESENT
PETER (V.O.): We last met and talked in the summer of 1974, and she knew I wasn't going to change my mind.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I didn't listen to Uncle Kay. I listened to my heart. My heart was wrong. Uncle Kay was right.
Act 3
INT. BEDROOM - 22:30
Peter uploads an image to a draft on his laptop. Through the trees, one can still make out the old terminus where Route 19 (Castle Peak Bay) used to turn and pick up passengers.
PETER (V.O.): Every red light is a reflection. Route 19 (Castle Peak Bay -Sheung Tsuen) doesn't run anymore. But some roads never leave me.
Thinking.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Route 19 taught me: wanting different futures means sitting on different buses.
Reflecting.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): If I forgot route 19, who will remember the boys, the autumn nights and the route captain?
The END
FADE OUT
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