The Compromise
- Peter K F Cheung SBS
- 6 hours ago
- 3 min read
FADE IN
Act 1
INT. BEDROOM - 10:00
Sitting up in bed beside his sleeping WIFE, PETER flips through a stack of papers.
PETER (V.O.): I've to study the papers, but it's tedious. As a compromise, I'll work on my Duolingo streaks during my breaks.
Later, Peter picks up his phone and leaves the room. Soon, we hear the cheerful Duolingo chimes from a distance. Peter returns.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): While practising on Duolingo, I need to focus on my speaking skills, but I don't want to disturb my wife's peaceful sleep.
Peter returns to his papers, refocusing on the dense text before him.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Once I finish my reading, I'll head out for a swim in Silverstrand.
Peter taps the MyObservatory App on his smartphone.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Oh, it's 22 degree Celcius.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I've to appear in court this Friday. I can't afford to catch a cold...
Act 2
EXT. SILVERSTRAND BAY - 14:15
A cool, overcast sky. A red flag, stiff in the wind, flies near the lifeguard station. Peter, in a deep-blue wetsuit, arrives with a small gear bag.
PETER (V.O.): A red flag means it's dangerous to swim.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The last thing I want to hear from the public speaker is: Don't enter the water.
From his gear bag, Peter pulls out a compact mint-green inflatable buoy. He unrolls it and, with a few firm breaths, inflates it. It blossoms into a bright bouyant pillow.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I wouldn't use it if there's no red flag.
Peter clips it to a waist belt and secures it around his midside.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The buoys marking the swimming area are bright orange, making my mint-green buoy stand out distinctly.
Peter strides confidently toward the water's edge.
PETER (V.O.): I compromise with the sea not out of fear, but out of respect. I believe I can challenge it, as long as I stay humble.
Peter wades into the water.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Towing my mint-green buoy through the water should resemble a drifting exclamation mark.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): This way, if it all goes wrong, they'll see the mint-green. I won't be a difficult retrieval.
The waves crash into Peter, but he pushes through, his movement steady and experienced.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): It's my responsible compromise for those who would have to save me. It's the price for their piece of mind.
Peter targets at two large floating platforms anchored a good distance out.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): To swim against the waves is one thing. To swim with the buoy is to acknowledge that the waves will always be stronger, and that's not a weakness, but a fact.
Peter swims with deliberate rhythm. The mint-green buoy trails behind him, bobbing on the surface.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): It does slow me down. But it's a compromise so that I can swim in all seasons.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The buoy is the very thing that sets me free to swim.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I hope to exchange a faster stroke for many more swims.
Peter approaches the nearest floating platform with extreme care.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I want to avoid being hit by it.
Peter times the swell, watching as the platform rises and falls.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Now!
With a surge of effort, Peter grabs the wet, metal ladder and quickly pulls himself up onto the platform. He then lies on his back on the unstable surface, the mint-green buoy still attached to his waist.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I'll do the same with the next one as I did with this one.
Later, Peter swims back to the shore from the other floating platform.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The ritual must be sustained, but the rules can be re-written. Isn't that a fundamental compromise of a long life?
Picking up his gear bag at the beach, Peter walks up to the changing room.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Strength in youth is boundless energy. Strength in age is the intelligent compromise that lets the energy endure.
Later, as Peter walks up the staircases leading away from the beach, he pauses willingly behind two elderly WOMEN who stop frequently to catch their breath before completing the climb.
Act 3
INT. BEDROOM - 21:30
Peter uploads an image featuring a mint-green buoy, its vibrant colour contrasting with the greyish sky and bay in the background, onto a draft on his laptop.
PETER (V.O.): My compromise is my secret weapon. It looks like a limitation to others, but to me, it's the key to the door they think is locked.
Thinking.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The measure of a person isn't in his unrestricted speed, but in his grace and purspose while carrying it.
Reflecting.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): A true compromise isn't about giving something up. It's about choosing everything that truly matters.
FADE OUT
END
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