That Idle Hour

1. FADE IN

2. 
   

3. Act 1

4. 
   

5. EXT. GOLDEN BAY - 17:00

6. 
   

7. PETER emerges from water. He wipes saltwater from his face. He looks out at the Bay.

8. 
   

9. PETER (V.O.): I feel the endorphin rush. I feel good. I feel young.

11. Peter's feet in flip-flops, walking on hot sand. Exiting the washroom, he walks to a parking lot and approaches a 1989 red Nissan S13. He unlocks it, tosses his bag in the passenger seat, and slides into the driver seat. He starts the engine.

12. 
    

13. FLASHBACK

14. 
    

15. EXT. PETER'S NT HOME - 17:00 (Yesterday)

16. 
    

17. The S13 is parked by the curb. Peter gets in the car and starts the engine.

18. 
    

19. PETER (V.O.): There's a smudge on the windshield. Let me wash and wipe the car quickly.

20. 
    

21. He gets out, leaving the engine running and all the doors closed. He grabs the water hose and a sponge from the front garden.

22. 
    

23. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I love the ritual.

24. 
    

25. He walks around to the driver side to finish, and tries the handle to get back in.

26. 
    

27.  Act 2

28. 
    

29. EXT. PETER'S NT HOME - CONTINUOUS

30. 
    

31. Click.

32. 
    

33.  PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): OMG, the door is locked.

34. 
    

35. He tries the passenger door. Locked. The trunk. Locked. The engine is humming.

36. 
    

37.  PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Let me find the spare key...

38. 
    

39. Peter frankly tears the living room apart. He dumps out trays.

40. 
    

41.  PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Where's it?

42. 
    

43. He pauses, sweating. He takes a deep breath. He closes his eyes.

44. 
    

45. PETER (V.O.) )(Cont'd): My Dad said: Important things are always near you.

46. 
    

47. Peter walks up to the master bedroom. He opens a bedside drawer. Inside is a dusty bag of keys.

48. 
    

49.  PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Oh, good...

50. 
    

51. He pours them out.

52. 
    

53. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Old and new car keys...But no spare Nissan key.

54. 
    

55. Defeated, Peter calls his wife.

56. 
    

57. PETER: I need your help. I'm locked out of the red Nissan coupe. It's running. The spare keys should be in the car key tray of the urban home.

58. 
    

59. WIFE: Okay, I'll return home, find them and deliver them to you.

60. 
    

61.  PETER (V.O.): An hour's drive...each way.

62. 
    

63. EXT. PETER'S NT HOME - 19:00

64. 
    

65.  His wife's green New Beetle pulls up. She passes Peter two spare keys for the Nissan coupe.

66. 
    

67. PETER: I'm taking your lift back to our urban home. The engine of the S13 has been running for two hours. I'll deal with it tomorrow.

68. 
    

69. Peter unlocks the S13 and turns it off. The silence is deafening.

70. 
    

71. EXT. PETER's NT HOME - 12:00

72. 
    

73. Arriving, Peter opens the front gate when he hears a familiar sound.

74. 
    

75. PETER (V.O.): My gardener for over 30 years...I'm early today as I want to swim in the Golden Bay later.

76. 
    

77. GARDENER: Mr Cheung, I wanted to catch you. I seldom see you.

78. 
    

79. PETER (V.O.): Last summer, she alerted me of spalling at roof edges and worried that concrete chunks might fall down. I immediately asked Contractor Wong to make them good.

80. 
    

81. GARDENER: Mr Wong passed away last year. He was 60.

82. 
    

83. PETER: OMG...

84. 
    

85. GARDENER: I heard that he felt from the roof of a garage...his ladder is still in your front garden...

86. 
    

87. PETER: Oh...not here...I've been wondering why he didn't come back to collect it.

88. 
    

89. Pausing.

90. 
    

91. PETER (Cont'd): When Wong was doing my project, he told me he had to consult a doctor about his heart problem.

92. 
    

93. His eyes drift across the house. The fresh paint. The new lights. The clean gutters.

94. 
    

95. PETER (Cont'd): Wong did all the house maintenance for me...more than 20 years...Thank you for telling me.

96. 
    

97. Peter enters his house. He goes to the kitchen. The exhaust fan hums. The gas pipe is clean and safe. He looks up the staircase. The lights work perfectly. He walks to the study. The AC is on, cool and quiet.

98. 
    

99. PETER (V.O.): The house is full of Wong's legacy. Thank you for everything Mr Wong.

100. 
     

101. RETURN TO PRESENT

102. 
     

103. Act 3

104. 
     

105. INT. BEDROOM - 21:50

106. 
     

107. Peter uploads an image to a draft on his laptop. It shows his 1989 Nissan 200SX idling at the curb.

108. 
     

109. PETER (V.O.): Important things are always near me. Not just keys. People. Their work. Their love.

110. 
     

111. Thinking.

112. 
     

113. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The engine idled for two hours. The house stood for over 40 years, And in that idle hour, love doesn't stop when people leave. It hums. Quietly. Constantly. In every switch. In every breath of cool air. In every wall.

114. 
     

115. Reflecting.

116. 
     

117. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): At 72, I learn that time isn't a line. It's a circle. Everyone I've loved is still in the house.

118. 
     

119. The END

120. 
     

121. FADE OUT