The Steps of Graham Street
- Peter K F Cheung SBS
- Jul 6
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 6
FADE IN
Act 1
INT. BEDROOM -23:15
PETER enters, weary yet energized.
PETER (V.O.): My wife and I saw our younger son and his girlfriend off at the Airport.
Peter drops his handbag by the bedside.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Then, my wife and I had dinner at Outback, Tung Chung.
Peter sits by the bedside.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): During dinner, we learned that our elder daughter also had dinner at Outback in Seoul tonight.
Peter grabs his laptop.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I was thrilled to hear that she received her first paycheck working in Seoul.
Peter opens a laptop.
PETER (V.O.): Time to document the events and emotions from the night before.
Act 2
FLASHBACK
INT/EXT TAI PING KOON -20:00 (Yesterday)
A warm glow from the lamps envelops the table where Peter and his WIFE are seated.
PETER (V.O.): Tonight is the only chance for our younger son, who is briefly returning to Hong Kong, to meet up with my elder son and his wife.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): We chose this restaurant for its convenient location, as my elder son and his wife often work late.
The YOUNGER SON joins them, then the DAUGHTER-IN-LAW, and then the ELDER SON.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): A table for five: three lawyers and two doctors.
Peter shares his story.
PETER: This place takes me back to my Castle Peak Hotel days from 1969-1974.
Pausing.
PETER (Cont'd): The ambiance here evokes the tea room of the demolished Hotel.
Peter gazes at the waiters' black bow tie and vest ensemble.
PETER (Cont'd): I also wore a black bow tie, but my ensemble featured a gloden vest.
We can sense that Peter still carries the spirit of a young waiter at heart.
Later, exiting from the restaurant, Peter sees a street bustling with Dai Pai Dongs.
PETER (Cont'd): Oh, it's the food street! I remember watching the lively activities from the balcony of the Cheung family's home on Graham Street.
WIFE: Take us to the Graham Street and highlight the exact location where you're stationed.
EXT. GRAHAM STREET - 22:15
Peter gestures toward a lit window on the 1/F of a six-storey building.
PETER: That was the approximate spot where I used to sit.
PETER (Cont'd): The building is different; the one the Cheung family lived in was a three-storey tenement that had been demolished.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): When we ceased the family business and moved to Tin Sum to operate a farm in 1960, our life changed dramatically.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): My Dad, who was a photographer of Chiu Yin Po, didn't know how to run a farm profitably.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): To feed no less than nine mouths, he'd take on a labour-intentive job in an iron foundry.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I tried to help by earning a few coins through cottage industry work at home, and at 15, I began working at Castle Peak Hotel, earning six dollars for a 12-hour day.
Peter notices his younger son taking a photo of Peter's favourite spot from when he was a boy.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Good. Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.
INT. HONG KONG AIRPORT - 19:30 (Earlier today)
Terminal 1. Peter stops the car as his wife gets off with their younger son and his GIRLFRIEND.
PETER (V.O.): Two days ago, my younger son applied for registration with the Medical Council, and his girlfriend is set to graduate in medicine later this year.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Meanwhile, we've to part again.
RETURN TO PRESENT
Act 3
INT. BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS
Peter uploads an AI drawing titled "The Steps of Graham Street..." to a draft on his laptop.
PETER (V.O.): While one door closes, another opens.
Thinking.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): In Hong Kong, the past is never truly past - it's the foundation upon which each generation builds their version of success, for better or worse.
Reflecting.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Life can only be understood backwards - but it must be lived forwards.
FADE OUT
END
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