The Weight of Peanuts
- Peter K F Cheung SBS
- 16 hours ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 2 hours ago
FADE IN
Act 1
INT. BEDROOM - 02:45
PETER lies in bed, trying to sleep. The space next to him is empty.
PETER (V.O.): My wife has gone to the Airport to pick up our younger daughter.
Anticipating.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Unlike my wife, I'm not owl-like.
Sound of a key turning the main door lock, very faint. Peter listens to smiling voices from the living room.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Ah, they're home.
We can hear KAJI, the family pet, joyfully welcoming the returnees.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I find peace of mind.
Peter falls asleep.
Act 2
INT. ATM CORNER - 10:00
Standing before an ATM, Peter presses the buttons with deliberate precision.
PETER (V.O.): Our younger daughter will need some pocket money during her stay in Hong Kong.
As a stack of Hong Kong five-hundred-dollar bills emerges from the cash slot, Peter smiles.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): This isn't just money. It's love converted into its most practical form.
Peter slips it into his hand bag.
INT. LIVING ROOM - 11:45
As their younger DAUGHTER in pyjamas, appears, she captures the instant attention of both Peter and his wife.
PETER: Welcome home!
WIFE: What do you like to have for brunch?
DAUGHTER: I've already ordered noodles with chicken wings for takeaway.
WIFE: Would it be delivered?
DAUGHTER: No, I'll pick it up.
PETER: Let me do that for you.
PETER (V.O.): I'm just glad to do something for her.
DAUGHTER: Okay!
Later, Peter returns, handing not only the takeaway to the daughter but also a stack of Hong Kong bills.
INT. BANK - 16:00
Glass-fronted. As he exits, Peter slips a thick envelope into his hand bag, patting it securely.
PETER (V.O.): I've just withdrawn a significant amount of Japanese yen for our younger daughter.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): When my wife and I visited her in Niigata last August, we spent lots of money and couldn't save much for her. It bothered me.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): When I was in my teens, I had to work part-time. My mind was always split. On the books, and on the clock. I didn't do well in exams.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The distraction took up space in my head. Space that should be for other value-added things. She has yet to graduate from her sculpting studies.
INT. LIVING ROOM - 17:00
As his daughter finishes playing with Kaji, Peter passes her the envelope.
PETER: This is for you as well.
His daughter opens it. She stares at the Japanese yen, stunned.
PETER (Cont'd): For your pocket money. We've no plan to visit Niigata anytime soon.
Then, a sudden thought strikes his daughter. She searches her bag and pulls out a small, crinkled airline packet of salted peanuts.
DAUGHTER: Here. From the flight. I didn't eat them.
PETER: You know I like them.
PETER (V.O.): I take it as a simple, unthinking act of love.
Peter carefully tears the packet open, pours a few on the table, and eats them.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): They're the best ones.
Act 3
INT. BEDROOM - 21:30
Peter uploads a photo of the torn small and crinked airline packet of salted peanuts to a draft on his laptop.
PETER (V.O.): I hold the peanuts and realize they aren't just a snack, but a response. They show that my lessons of love have been received and are now being returned.
Thinking.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): A father's memory is a heavy thing - filled with old struggles and missed chances. But a daughter's simple gift can lighten it, all for the weight of peanuts.
Reflecting.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Great love often comes in small packages. The smallest can carry the most weight.
FADE OUT
END
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