Season's Greetings from John
- Peter K F Cheung SBS
- 15 minutes ago
- 3 min read
FADE IN
Act 1
INT. LIVING ROOM -11:30
A cluttered room. PETER reads an incoming mail on his phone.
PETER (V.O.): Season's Greetings from John.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): John was the former HKUST Council Vice-Chair. He's now the Council Chair of CUHK.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): We first met in 2016 when I was asked to help out with HKUST's Knowledge Transfer Committee (KTC).
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): When I retired as HKUST Council Member earlier this year, I also relinguished my Chairmanship of KTC.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I spent years proving my capacity to the world. John's greetings remind me of the years when the world doubted it.
Act 2
FLASHBACK
INT. STUDY - NIGHT (1971)
Peter (17) at a small table, under a single bulb. Textbooks are open. One stack for his HKU matriculation course, the other is for the CUHK matriculation.
PETER (V.O.): The CUHK matriculation syllabus is totally different from the HKU one. But I'll sit for the CUHK exam in 1972 as a private candidate.
INT. STUDY - NIGHT (1972)
The CUHK books are gone. Only the HKU stack remains.
PETER (V.O.): I failed in my CUHK matriculation. I need to refocus on my HKU matriculation studies.
INT. STUDY - DAY (1973)
Holding a letter, Peter (19) looks dejected.
PETER (V.O.): I matricated. I passed the HKU exam...
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I applied to read English Literature. I was offered a second attempt.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Later, I learned that classmates who matriculated like me were offered to read Law and Architecture.
INT. PAK KAU SECONDARY SCHOOL - DAY (1974)
Teachers' office. Peter (20) sits near the back, marking papers. SHARON (19) is at her desk in the front, focused on her own work.
PETER: We teach. And we study. My second attempt for HKU, your second attempt for CUHK.
Pausing.
PETER (Cont'd): Sharon, would you care to join me for a glass of milk later? I think we both deserve it.
Sharon pauses, considering, then nods with a smile.
INT. SHARON'S FAMILY FLAT - DAY
Sharon let's out a shriek, holding a letter.
SHARON: I'm in! I'm in Peter! Music! CUHK!
Peter congratulates Sharon, his joy for her real, but behind his eyes, a shadow of his own waiting game.
RETURN TO PRESENT
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): In the summer of 1974, Sharon got a letter that began her future. I got one that began my ghost story.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Then, holding the "Pass" was the same as failure, when I didn't have the financial means to further studies in universities overseas.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The admission board may ask, "Why do you want to study here?" They never ask, "What will you become if you can't?"
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Matriculation proves I can climb the wall. Admission decides if I'm allowed to plant a garden on the other side.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Society recognizes the graduate. It takes little notice of the one who was just as smart, but didn't have a chance to read in a university.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Success has a timestamp. Mine arrived seven years late, and the feel of London rain, not Hong Kong campus grass.
Act 3
INT. LIVING ROOM - 23:00
Peter uploads a photo symbolising Season's Greetings in a draft on his laptop.
PETER (V.O.): My wife and I financed our children's journey across the ocean we knew it was too wide to cross.
Thinking.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Two admissions defined me: HKU's refusal and my children's acceptance. One taught me pain; the other taught me purpose.
Reflecting.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The past is not a weight to be dropped, but a stone in the foundation. I no longer trip over it; I stand upon it.
END
FADE OUT
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