The Window: A Swim Before Dinner
- Peter K F Cheung SBS
- Jul 5
- 3 min read
FADE IN
Act 1
INT. BEDROOM - 12:00
The sky outside is churning bruise of grey and white. PETER checks the My Observatory app on his phone.
PETER (V.O.): Thunderstorm warning will end by 13:00.
Peter wears his swimming brief under his trousers.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I'm going to Silverstrand Bay to swim.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): There was a red flag yesterday. I think today is no different.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I just hope a window of opportunity opens up.
He grabs his car keys.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I know how old I'm. That's why I'm going.
Act 2
EXT. SILVERSTRAND BAY - 15:15
A solitary red flag hoisted on its pole. Peter walks onto the beach.
PETER (V.O.): I've the window now.
He drops his swim bag on the sand. He strips off his trousers and T-shirt. He looks at the water and wades in.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The water is clear and cool.
He launches into a steady breaststroke. Each stroke is measured, efficient.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I move with economy.
He heads to the outer buoy - a floating platform bobbing in the distance. He transitions to freestyle.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The waves lift and drop me.
He reaches the floating platform. He grabs the ladder, hauls himself up and sits on the wet surface.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Just let the lifeguard know I'm here.
He surveys the horizon. The grey sky meets the grey sea. There's no one else. Just him.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Let me swim back to shore before it rains.
He leaves the platform, rolls onto his back and begins backstroke.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I like swimming backstroke when the sky is grey.
Soon, he flips onto his stomach and powers through the final stretch with butterfly.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The butterfly stroke is ridiculous at 72. That's exactly why I do it.
As he reaches the shore, fat drops of rain hit him. The first rumble of thunder across the sky.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I don't need to change at all.
INT. SHIP KEE RESTAURANT - 18:35
Michelin-recommended. Peter and his WIFE bump into their SON, DAUGHER-IN-LAW and the 2-month old GRANDCHILD at the entrance. They enter a room. A large circular table dominates the center.
PETER (V.O.): Oh, my younger brother-in-law and sister-in-law have already arrived.
They greet each other. Soon, Peter's ELDER BROTHER-IN-LAW and SISTER-IN-LAW arrive.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): They live in UK and couldn't join our grandchild's 100-day celebration party.
Soon, other RELATIVES arrive.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): My elder nephew, his wife and their child...and my younger nephew.
Everyone take their seats. Dishes are put on the lazy Susan. It spins. The noise level rises.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Three generations.
Later, the main courses have been cleared. Dessert arrives. Peter rises.
PETER: I'm glad that the families are extending...
PETER (V.O.): We only have the present. And the present is wonderful. Let's not waste a single moment of it.
YOUNGER BROTHER-IN-LAW: Your son has now become a father...
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Two days ago, I chatted with my doctor who has been taken good care of me for 12 years.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): We discussed frankly that after active aging, I'm now in the final stage of my life.
Act 3
INT. BEDROOM - 23:30
Peter uploads an image of a cloudy blue-gray sky hanging over Silverstrand Bay to a draft on his laptop.
PETER (V.O.): The window doesn't warn me. It just opens. And if I blink, it closes.
Thinking.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Knowing the end doesn't ruin the beginning. It makes the middle better.
Reflecting.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The Window: A Swim Before Dinner isn't about the swim and the dinner. It's about the space between - the hour when the sky is undecided, the body is willing, and the family is waiting. I just need the window.
The END
FADE OUT
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