FADE IN
Act 1
INT. DINING ROOM - 12:05
Next to his WIFE, PETER is eating peanuts. Then, he looks shocked to read a WhatsApp message on phone screen.
PETER: Oh, Ah Shui has died in the small hours of Dec 27, 2022.
WIFE: Your friend in Macao?
PETER: Yes.
PETER (V.O.): I last met Ah Shui in Macao in 2015. It turned out to be really the last one.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Between us, I feel we're very good friends.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): While he wasn't fit to travel to Hong Kong, I didn't find it comfortable to visit him in Macao either.
Act 2
FLASHBACK
INT. LIFT, MACAO - DAY (MARCH 29, 2015)
Peter (60) and his SON, AH SHUI (61) and his WOMAN are inside.
WOMAN: We meant to have lunch together... But Kam-sin has an acute problem and has to go to the hospital now.
PETER: Lunch is a small thing. Health comes first.
WOMAN: One of our assistants will drive you two to the ferry pier. We haven't bought the ferry tickets...
PETER: Don't worry!
Lift lobby. They part.
AH SHUI: Bye bye, Ah Fai.
PETER: Bye bye, Ah Shui. Take care!
EXT. ROADS, MACAO - LATER
Peter & son are sitting in the middle row of a 7-seater. Just before arriving at the ferry pier, the ASSISTANT/DRIVER leaves a $1000 note behind the center console box.
FLASHBACK UPON FLASHBACK
INT. HOSPITAL, MACAO - DAY (JAN 5, 2014)
Private ward. Peter and a FRIEND see Ah Shui lying in bed and a woman by his side crying.
FRIEND: Ah Shui's heart has stopped beating for awhile earlier.
INT. RESTAURANT, MACAO, DAY (LATER)
Peter, the friend and a MAN are talking during a meal.
PETER (V.O.): The man complains a lot about Ah Shui's delegation of powers of his businesses - money matters.
END FLASHBACK UPON FLASHBACK
PETER (V.O.): Ah Shui is quite rich. But we come here to help him.
Picking up the note quickly, Peter passes it back to the Assistant/Driver.
PETER: We'll manage.
RETURN TO PRESENT
Finding a black and white photo from the Photos App, Peter edits it, adds a "I'll Remember You" subtitle and sends it to a chat group.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): We've known each other since our matriculation days in 1971.
MONTAGE OF PETER'S ENGAGEMENT WITH "AH SHUI"
A. NT Heung Yee Kuk School. 1972. Peter and other STUDENTS are having a photo session.
B. Castle Peak Hotel. 1973. Peter teaches Ah Shui how to wait tables.
C. Ning Yeung Terrace, 1977-1978. Peter's bed space is next to Ah Shui's.
D. Building sites. Macao, 1989. Ah Shui takes Peter to inspect his development projects.
END MONTAGE
FLASHBACK
INT. AH SHUI'S HOME, MACAO - NIGHT (MARCH 28, 2015)
Peter and Ah Shui are chatting.
PETER: I worked as a civil servant for 40 years.
AH SHUI: I worked as a family's servant for a long time too.
PETER (V.O.): If we weren't very good friends, he wouldn't confess this to me.
RETURN TO PRESENT
Act 3
INT. DINING ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Finding another black and white photo from the Photos App on his phone, Peter edits it.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The photo reminds me of how we looked like 50 years ago. We're very close and didn't know how life would work out for us.
Sighing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd):I won't cry that Ah Shui has gone. With heart attacks and strokes, he has cheated death for nearly 20 years.
Thinking.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Ah Shui has become another memory of mine. I measure my life in memory of my loved ones. My life is quite rich too.
THE END
FADE OUT
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