The Routine

1. FADE IN

2. 
   

3. Act 1

4. 
   

5. INT. LIVING ROOM -09:30

6. 
   

7. Morning light cut across the room. PETER holds a smartphone, reviewing papers on screen.

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9. PETER (V.O.): Although someone will bring the hard copies to me at the Centre, I prefer to print the legal visit letter myself to streamline my entry.

10. 
    

11. Recalling.

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13. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Acting on last Friday afternoon's notice, we've secured a meeting on Monday afternoon, just before close of play.

14. 
    

15. Pausing.

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17. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Since the matter is time-sensitive and in the best interest of my client, I prefer to resolve it as soon as possible.

18. 
    

19. Recalling.

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21. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): In just half an hour, we secured a date and time that works well for me, the interpreter, and the Centre.

22. 
    

23. Recalling.

24. 
    

25. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I was attending the 15th BIP Asia Forum after an academic talk when I checked my phone and responded to the message immediately.

26. 
    

27. Act 2

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29. EXT. CAR PARK, CAFETARIA OLD BEACH - 14:15

30. 
    

31. After stepping out of his SMART city coupe, Peter takes a photo of it with the Castle Peak Bay Immigration Centre in the background.

32. 
    

33. PETER (V.O.): I visit here frequently as my clients are detained there.

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35. Peter feeds the parking meter.

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37. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Parking isn't an issue, but I run the risk of not being able to extend my parking time in a timely manner.

38. 
    

39. Peter walks towards the Centre.

40. 
    

41. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Visitors aren't allowed to bring any phones into the secured area.

42. 
    

43. INT. CASTLE PEAK BAY IMMIGRATION CENTRE - 14:25

44. 
    

45. A utilitarian, imposing building. A queue of VISITORS at the reception. As Peter in a suit approaches, an OFFICER spots him.

46. 
    

47. OFFICER: Any lawyer who is present, please come to the front.

48. 
    

49. Peter walks past the queue and presents his I/D and barrister I/D.

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51.  PETER (V.O.): I don't relish the privilege, but accepts it as a tool of my job.

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53. He gives the waiting line an apologetic glance before entering the secured area.

54. 
    

55. EXT. GOLDEN BEACH - 16:15

56. 
    

57. The light of the day has softened. Peter, in his swiming briefs, walks to the water's edge, adjusts his goggles and wades in without fuss.

58. 
    

59. PETER (V.O.): The water is cool but I can cope.

60. 
    

61. Peter cuts through the calm bay water with rhythmic strokes.

62. 
    

63. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Swimming non-stop for half an hour is about right.

64. 
    

65. Later, he floats on his back, looking at the sky, utterly at peace.

66. 
    

67. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I enjoy the routine. The legal visit there. The swim here.

68. 
    

69. EXT. PETER'S NT HOME - 17:30

70. 
    

71. A modest 3-storey house. Peter first starts his Eunos 30X parked at the roadside and then his Nissan 200X in the driveway.

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73. PETER (V.O.): I start the coupes not to go somewhere, but to remember that the engine of my life is still tuned and capable of a roar.

74. 
    

75. He grabs a hose from the front garden and washes his coupes.

76. 
    

77. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): They represent a cherished past I keep alive in a controlled, static way.

78. 
    

79. Pausing.

80. 
    

81. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): In contrast, my human rights work is actively about fighting for someone's future.

82. 
    

83. MONTAGE OF A MOMENT A FORTNIGHT AGO

84. 
    

85. Interview room. An interviewing OFFICER conducts an interview with an INTERVIEWEE through an INTERPRETER, with Peter present. Later, the interviewee is seen sobbing.

86. 
    

87. END MONTAGE

89. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): In my 70s, time is no longer a river to be raced down, but a garden to be tended. Routine is my tool.

90. 
    

91. Pausing.

92. 
    

93. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Routine isn't a cage that confines me. It's a framework that enables my steady growth toward the light.

94. 
    

95. Pausing.

96. 
    

97. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The young fear routine as boredom...I feel bad that a good friend ran for election and didn't succeed.

98. 
    

99. Pausing.

100. 
     

101. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The old, like me, recognize routine as architecture for a dwindling supply of days.

102. 
     

103. Act 3

104. 
     

105. INT. LIVING ROOM - 21:30

106. 
     

107. Peter uploads a photo of his SMART city coupe's round tail lights, with the Castle Peak Bay Immigration Centre and clear blue sky in the background to a draft on his laptop.

108. 
     

109. PETER (V.O.): Beneath the calm surface of my routine runs two deep currents: one of memory for what was lost, and one of fight for what could be saved.

110. 
     

111. Thinking.

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113. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): We don't find meaning in spite of the routine; often, if we observe closely, we find it through the routine.

114. 
     

115. Reflecting.

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117. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The most profound commitments aren't declared, but performed daily in the quiet script of routine.

118. 
     

119. END

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121. FADE OUT