The Present Is A Verb

1. FADE IN

2. 
   

3. Act 1

4. 
   

5. INT. LIVING ROOM - 08:30

6. 
   

7. Sunlight bleaches the room. PETER stands before a mirror, adjusting his tie. On the desk: a big envelope stamped: Non-refoulement.

8. 
   

9. PETER (V.O.): I came back from my July trip yesterday. I was so tired that I went to bed at 10pm.

10. 
    

11. Pausing.

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13. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Before and during the trip, I've been reminding myself that I need to work right after it.

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15. Pausing.

16. 
    

17. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): When I booked my early July trip, I thought about postponing it to mid or late July.

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19. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): But I know work will happily consume me if I let it.

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21. He puts the envelope inside his brief case.

22. 
    

23. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Just months ago, I still give priority to work over pleasure...

24. 
    

25.  He walks out.

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27. Act 2

28. 
    

29. INT. MEGA BOX - 13:30

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31. Peter walks up the spacious commercial mall.

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33. PETER (V.O.): Whenever I finish working in the vicinity, I'd come here shopping. I've a duty to others as well as to myself.

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35. GigaSport. Peter buys two pairs of colourful swimming briefs.

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37. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I love the design and the salesgirl's service was very good.

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39. AEON. Peter buys two pairs of prescription goggles with tainted finishes.

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41. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): They wear and tear quickly as I use them daily.

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43. IKEA. Peter walks through the corridors, picks up an aesthetic table lamp and pays at the cashier.

44. 
    

45. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Life is not a spectator sport. It's a full-contact verb.

46. 
    

47. INT. CHA CHAAN TENG - 15:15

48. 
    

49. Crowded. Peter shares a small table with a STRANGER. A bowl of glistening roast goose noodles in soup steams before him. He picks up his chopsticks.

50. 
    

51. PETER (V.O.): The skin cracks perfectly.

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53. He slurps the noodles.

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55. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The present is a verb.

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57. He sips a lemon honey drink.

58. 
    

59. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): It's one of my micro-habits that make me me.

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61. INT. LIVING ROOM - 16:00

62. 
    

63. Peter sits on a sofa, still in his work shirt but with the tie discarded. The Duolingo owl on his phone cheers him on.

64. 
    

65. PETER (V.O.): Done. All my seven streaks.

66. 
    

67. Recalling.

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69. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Today, I strived to speak some French to my client and my interpreter.

70. 
    

71. EXT. SILVERSTRAND BAY - 18:05

72. 
    

73. The lifeguard tower is empty. Peter swims butterfly from the floating platform back to shore.

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75. PETER (V.O.): My rhythm can be better.

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77. He floats on his back.

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79. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): No one is watching over me. I'm watching over myself.

80. 
    

81. He resumes his butterfly.

82. 
    

83. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Waiting for the right moment is like waiting for the water to be still before I swim. The water is never still. I move, or I sink.

84. 
    

85. INT. LIVING ROOM - 19:35

86. 
    

87. Peter sits at an upright piano. He places his fingers on the keys, They hesitate.

88. 
    

89. PETER (V.O.): I haven't touched the piano since my early July trip.

90. 
    

91. He plays the chord progression: Cm7, F7, Bbmaj7 Ebmaj7...

92. 
    

93. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I don't play perfectly.

94. 
    

95. He continues to play stubbornly.

96. 
    

97. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The wrong note played today is worth more than the perfect chord I imagine for tomorrow.

98. 
    

99. Pausing.

100. 
     

101. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): For decades, I treated the present as a reward for past labour. Now I know how wrong I was.

102. 
     

103. Act 3

104. 
     

105. INT. BEDROOM - 22:00

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107. Peter uploads an image to a draft on his laptop. It shows part of his new swimming briefs with names of Hong Kong bays on it, hanging on the side mirror of his car.

108. 
     

109. PETER (V.O.): Every morning, the world asks me to be a noun - a lawyer, a retiree, a role. I answer with a verb, I play, I swim, I live.

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111. Thinking.

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113. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The voice that says "later" is a ghost conjugating the dead tense. The voice that says "now" is the only one that breathes.

114. 
     

115. Reflecting.

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117. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I used to think the present was a bridge to somewhere better. Now I know: the bridge is the place. Walk it. Swim under it. Play jazz on it. That's the verb. That is all there is.

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119.  The END

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121. FADE OUT