The First Day of the Rest of Them
- Peter K F Cheung SBS
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
FADE IN
Act 1
INT. BEDROOM - 00:22
Sound of gentle keyboard typing, a clock ticking.
He glances at the time. Exhales, rubs his temples.
PETER (V.O.): At least 25 hours. That's what I need. 24 is a joke.
As he reaches for the mouse, he hears a soft DING.
His phone lights up. WhatsApp: Emily passed away last week. Cancer. Fast.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Spam. Getting clever.
Peter scrolls their chat history and sees a photo of them.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): It's from Dominic. Emily's student. OMG!
Peter freezes. Then he replies: So sudden...
He looks back at his work on the screen. Slowly, he hits publish.
Act 2
INT. BEDROOM - LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Peter scrolls his chat history with Emily.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Last message was Feb 17, 2026. She sent me Chinese New Year greetings and I reciprocated.
Thinking.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): She was alright then...
Peter walks through the corridor towards the living room to join his WIFE who is watching TV.
PETER: My friend Emily, from the legal translation sector, passed.
Pausing.
PETER (Cont'd): You've never met her. She was around the same age as you.
Pausing.
PETER (Cont'd): We've to enjoy ourselves while we can!
EXT. GOLDEN BAY - 15:15
Sound of waves, wind and BEACHGOERS.
Peter swims breast strokes towards an orange bouy line 200 meters ahead.
A wave slaps his face. He swallows salt water. Once, twice, thrice.
PETER (V.O.): Too much...where's the bouy line?
He pushes on. Strokes. Breathes.
Finally - his hand slaps a buoy. He grips it, panting.
Turns his head.
A raft with one LIFEGUARD is three meters away. Watching him. Ready. Peter stares.
PETER (V.O.) The lifeguard raft was tailing me. That isn't luck. That's love.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): That's how grace works - early, quiet and almost always unnoticed.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Not today. But one day. Something unforeseen.
INT. PETER'S NT HOME - 18:48
Peter is playing the piano passionately.
DING. Phone's screen lits up. Anne: Hi Peter... dinner talk on wellness...can you come?
PETER (V.O.): My time is valuable. More than ever now. I know what's good for me. Writing. Swimming. The piano. A real dinner with my wife. Not a lecture on wellness with a price tag.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): But it's difficult to say no. Anne means well.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): So does everyone who fills my calendar. But my grave will be dug by well-meaning invitations I never declined.
Peter checks his phone calendar.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Actually, I can't make it, as I'm flying out with my wife to see cheery blossoms in Hokkaido.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Emily would have laughed at me - struggling to say no, even though time is running out.
Act 3
INT. BEDROOM - 23:00
Peter uploads an image to a draft on his laptop. It shows a lifeguard raft moving across the choppy Golden Bay
PETER (V.O.): The first day of the rest of them sounds like a beginning. But it sounds exactly the same as the last of them.
Thinking.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I never know which 'first day" is also a "last day". So I treat every single one as both.
Reflecting.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): And the rest of them start now, whether I'm ready or not.
The END
FADE OUT
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