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Writer's picturePeter K F Cheung SBS

A Cup of Recollections

Updated: Aug 17


  1. FADE IN


  2. Act 1


  3. INT. LIVING ROOM - 13:00


  4. Unpacking a box, PETER checks a colourful spittoon/potty-like cup.


  5. FLASHBACK


  6. EXT. PAIFANG STREET, CHAOZHOU - 20:30 (4 Aug 2024)

  7. Strolling with a PARTY, a row of spittoon/potty-like cups gets Peter's attention.


  8. PETER (V.O): They look like my mother's spittoon/potty in the old days.


  9. Pausing.


  10. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): I must buy one for her. It might jog her memory.


  11. RETURN TO PRESENT


  12. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): I'm going to present it to her when we meet for afternoon tea today.


  13. Act 2


  14. EXT. ROADS TO NT - 13:45


  15. Peter is driving his WIFE and their younger DAUGHTER.


  16. PETER: My sister has visited our mother this morning already, and my youngest brother is moving house.


  17. His wife checks a chatgroup message on her mobile.


  18. WIFE: Your other two brothers can join us.


  19. PETER: Good, ask them to take our wheelchair-bounded mother to the restaurant first, as it will close around 4pm.


  20. WIFE: Yes.


  21. INT. RESTAURANT, HUNG SHUI KIU - 14:30


  22. Gathering around a table with his wife, his daughter, BROTHER#1 and BROTHER#2, Peter presents the spittoon/potty cup to the MOTHER.


  23. PETER: Mother, can you recollect anything?


  24. We see his mother tracing the contour of the cup, her eyes narrowing in concentration.


  25. PETER (V.O): Oh dear, she can't unlock her memories.


  26. PETER (Cont'd): Anyhow, let me take a photo of you with the cup and share the recollection in the family chatgroup.


  27. Peter does what he says right away.


  28. PETER (Cont'd) (to Brother#1): Do you think I can leave the cup with her in the elderly home?


  29. BROTHER#1: If you treat the cup as trash...


  30. BROTHER#2: I'm exploring the possibility to move our mother to a better elderly home...


  31. BROTHER#1: But that will be away from here. Here, many people knew our mother...


  32. Pausing.


  33. BROTHER#1 (Cont'd): Someone told me that she remembered our mother very well as she used to dress pretty nicely when shopping in the market.


  34. BROTHER#2: If the new place turns out to be not as good as here, we can move her back...


  35. PETER: Okay, explore the options and we'll discuss.


  36. BROTHER#2: By the way, do you worry that you may have our mother's conditions?


  37. BROTHER#1: It's a fact of life.


  38. Peter's nodding.


  39. BROTHER#1: The important thing is to die with no regrets.


  40. PETER: Can our mother recall the money in her bank accounts?


  41. BROTHER#1: No idea. On money matters, she's still alert and won't talk about them.


  42. PETER (V.O): I always think that our mother loves money more than us.


  43. BROTHER#1: But she never uses her money.


  44. PETER: But the little money she saved when we're young made our lives very difficult.


  45. BROTHER#1 (to Peter's daughter): You intend to live in Japan for good, right? It's a good way to help your parents spend their money!


  46. EXT. ELDERLY HOME, HUNG SHUI KIU - 16:00


  47. Peter watches his younger daughter pushing her wheelchaired-bound grandma.


  48. PETER (V.O.): When she was very young, my mother always talked about her.

  49. Capturing a photo.


  50. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): Although my mother can't remember that now, I still think we should spend time together while we can.


  51. Act 3


  52. INT. LIVING ROOM - 21:30


  53. Peter inserts an AI drawing entitled "A Cup of Recollections..." to a draft on a laptop.


  54. PETER (V.O): When caring for an elderly parent, complexities and tensions can arise.


  55. Thinking.


  56. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): Even when my mother's memory fades, there's still value in spending time together and the family bond continues.


  57. Reflecting.


  58. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): My siblings and I appreciate my parents' life contributions. If they didn't play the fundamental role of parenthood, we've no life.


  59. FADE OUT


  60. THE END


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