"Every day we brush past so many other people." "People we may never meet... or people who may become close friends." "I'm a cop, No. 223." "My name's He Qiwu." "Freeze!" "This was the closest we ever got." "Just 0.01 of a centimetre between us." "But 57 hours later..." "I fell in love with this woman." "Mrs. Chen?" "This is Qiwu." "Don't fetch May." "it's you I'm calling!" "It's been a while. how are you?" "I'm okay." "Yes." "Give May time to get over it." "I'm sure she'll call me when she's ready." "Please don't tell her I called." "You're going to a movie?" "I won't keep you." "Is Mr. Chen there?" "Mr. Chen?" "This is Qiwu." "No. don't call May!" "How's your cough?" "You're going to the movie with your wife?" "I won't keep you then." "Don't tell May I called!" "Is her sister there?" "No?" "Pass on my regards." "We all have our habits." "Mine is to wait here for May after work." "The boss here says May looks like a Japanese star." "She and I just split up." "May wishes I were more like a Japanese star myself." "Message for account 368?" "Call Ming?" "You mean May?" "Spell it!" ""M-I-N-G" or "M-A-Y"?" "Sure there's no mistake?" "Don't you know English?" "Ming?" "I guess May asked you to call." "Tell her not to worry." "I'm fine." "I'm taking good care of myself." "She can call me anytime she wants." "You don't need to mediate." "She didn't?" "So why are you paging me?" "Jogging?" "Are you heartbroken again?" "Then why go jogging?" "A race?" "You're crazy!" "Jogging is something private." "not something you do with an audience." "Forget it!" "We're all unlucky in love sometimes." "When I am, I go jogging." "The body loses water when you jog... so you have none left for tears." "Me, shed tears?" "May always thought of me as "Mr. Cool. "" "Still no go with your girlfriend?" "It's been a month!" "Get another!" "How about May here?" "She's not bad." "She's off early tonight." "Give it a go." "She fancies you." "Not tonight." "I have a date." "A bigger one. but nothing fancy." "Give them some beers." "How much?" "When I spent the night with May... so her parents wouldn't find out..." "I'd climb down from the balcony." "Will I ever get to do that again?" "How much?" "The date on the can tells me... that I don't have much time left." "If I don't find those Indians..." "I'll be in deep trouble." "Some how I've become very cautious." "When I put on a raincoat..." "I put on sunglasses too." "Who knows when it will rain... or when it will turn out sunny?" "Any messages for account 368?" "Password, please." ""Undying Love"" "No messages?" "Sorry, no." "Thanks anyway." "We split up on April Fool's Day." "Every day I buy a can of pineapple with a sell-by date of May 1." "May loves pineapple... and May 1 is my birthday." "If May hasn't changed her mind by the time I've bought 30 cans... then our love will also expire." "Sir. this can's life will expire tomorrow." "I'll get you another one." "No need." "The earliest flight tomorrow morning?" "I want to make a reservation." "Just one." "Have you seen these people?" "No." "Look carefully." "they're with their kids." "Can't help you." " You really don't know?" " I've no idea where he is." "But he's a friend of yours!" "No..." "My daughter!" "What do you want?" "You have one hour to tell me." "Otherwise you'll never see your daughter again." "Please. an ice cream for her." "Some men might sacrifice a kid to save their own skin... but he wasn't one of them." "One hour later, I set out." "Police!" "Freeze!" "It's six months since I nabbed anyone." "But I ran into this wanted man today." "Whenever I made an arrest..." "I wanted May to be the first to know." "Hello?" "Hello?" "Any canned pineapple that expires on May 1 ?" "You know what day it is today?" "April 30?" "Right!" "You think we sell outdated stock?" "There's still two hours to go." "Nobody would buy it!" "Get a fresh one." "People like you are hung up on freshness." "You realize what goes into a can of pineapple?" "The fruit must be grown. harvested." "sliced... and you just throw it away!" "How do you think the can feels about that?" "Buddy." "I only work here." "Who cares about how the cans feel?" "What about how I feel?" "Loading. more loading. unloading..." "How I wish cans wouldn't expire!" "It'd save me loads of work." "You like expired cans?" "Help yourself!" "." "As many as you like!" "On the house!" "Somehow everything comes with an expiry date." "Swordfish expires." "Meat sauce expires." "Even cling-film expires." "Is there anything in the world which doesn't?" "It's expired!" "Don't want it!" "You sure?" "I finally found my 30th can." "As May 1 begins, realization dawns." "In May's eyes..." "I'm no different from a can of pineapple." "Come on. try it!" "Everyone says dogs are a man's best friend." "So how come mine won't share my grief?" "." "This must be some kind of record." "I ate all 30 cans this evening." "Just as well May wasn't into garlic." "I'd just love to go out on the town now." "May'll be in bed now." "But what about that other May?" "Back again!" "I'm thinking of going to a late show." "May's gone!" "Gone?" "You thought she'd wait around?" "No way!" "Waiting makes women nervous." "Drives them crazy." "She went out with Richard." "Next time. get in quick." "I never dreamed... two Mays could dump me in one night." "To get over it, I promise myself... never to go out with another girl named May." "Lulu?" "This is Qiwu." "Want to come out for a drink?" "You're in bed already?" "This early?" "You were asleep?" "Never mind. bye." "Chieko-san?" "Guess who?" "This is Qiwu!" "That's right!" "Want to come out for a drink?" "Your husband?" "When did you get married?" "Five years!" "Has it been that long?" "You have two kids!" "You're happy. that's great!" "Okay. never mind." "Is Kong Siu-Wai there?" "This is He Qiwu." "We were classmates in grade four." "You don't remember?" "Nothing. good-bye." "All those pineapples gave me a stomach-ache." "So I went to a bar." "I thought alcohol would settle my stomach." "Are you okay?" "Yes... another double." "There's a song "Love Dies at Dawn. "" "That's how I feel now." "How can I forget May?" "I promise myself..." "I'll fall in love... with the first woman who walks in here." "What can I get you." "Miss?" "Whiskey. please." "I have a feeling she'll like me." "And I know the perfect icebreaker." "Excuse me." "Miss. do you like pineapple?" "Maybe she's not Cantonese." "Excuse me." "Miss. do you like pineapple?" "May I ask you if you like pineapple?" "You speak good Mandarin." "I grew up in Taiwan. and you?" "I'm not in the mood to talk." "Leave me alone." "We don't have to talk." "Can I just sit here?" "Plenty of seats. why sit here?" "I can feel that you're lonely." "Really?" "Yes." "Why would a woman be wearing shades this late?" "Either she's blind... or she's a poseur... or she doesn't want people to see she's been crying." "So which reason applies?" "The last one!" "It's okay." "No need to cry." "I've fallen out of love too." "I usually go jogging to get sweaty... so that I have no more water for tears." "Wanna go jogging?" "I've been racing around all evening." "I'm tired." "If you want to talk... find someone else." "I don't particularly want to talk." "I just want to keep you company." "I know how it feels to be broken hearted." "A woman needs a boyfriend to lean on." "I don't have a boyfriend." "And I don't have a girlfriend." "How old are you?" "Two hours ago." "I was still 24." "Now I'm 25." "I won't like you." "Don't be so sure." "We might hit it off!" "." "Do you like pineapple?" "None of your business." "I'm just trying to learn more about you." "I was in love with a girl for five years." "We've just split up." "She says I don't understand her." "So I want to find out more about you." "You'll find out nothing." "Just give me a chance to!" "Okay. find out more about me." "What kind of man do you like?" "Knowing someone doesn't mean keeping them." "People change." "A person may like pineapple today... and something else tomorrow." "Sir!" "Sir!" "We're closing." "Closing?" "Wanna jog?" "I just want a place to rest." "When she said "rest", she meant it." "I watched two old movies on TV that night... and had four chef's salads." "When the sun rose, I knew I had to go." "But I took her shoes off before I left." "My mother says a woman's feet swell up... if she sleeps in high heels." "She must have walked a lot that night." "Such a pretty woman should have clean shoes." "I was actually born at 6:00 a.m." "So I'll really be 25 two minutes from now." "A quarter of a century!" "To celebrate this historic moment, I'm jogging." "Getting rid of my body's excess water." "It feels pretty good." "Leaving the sports ground, I decide to ditch my pager." "After all, no one's gonna call me." "Account 368." "Password, please." ""Undying Love"" "Your friend in room 702 says, "Happy Birthday"." "Thank you." "On May 1, 1994... a woman wishes me a happy birthday." "Now I'll remember her all my life." "If memories could be canned... would they also have expiry dates?" "If so, I hope they last for centuries." "Coke. please." "Jogging again?" "Save your energy!" "Hey. try Faye!" "She's not bad either." "Who's Faye?" "She started here today." "Get in quick!" "Beat Richard to it!" "Thanks. but I don't go for boys." "Boys?" "Excuse me!" "This was the closest we ever got." "Just 0.01 of a centimetre between us." "I knew nothing about her." "But six hours later... she fell in love with another man." "Chef's salad. please." "Take out?" "New here?" "You like noisy music?" "Yes. the louder the better." "Stops me from thinking." "You don't like to think?" "What do you like?" "Never thought about it." "I'll tell you when I know myself." "How about you?" "What do you like?" "A chef's salad." "One chef's salad. please." "Chef's salad again?" "Aren't you tired of it?" "It's not for me." "Girlfriend?" "It's her favourite?" "I dunno. she never said it wasn't." "Maybe she'd like something different for once?" "Try fish and chips." "That's good." "What if she doesn't like it?" "Get both and let her choose." "You can't go wrong." "Won't that be a waste?" "Doesn't cost much." "Come on. give her a choice!" "Okay. one chef's salad." "one fish and chips." "Coming up!" "Fish and chips. please." "See." "I told you she'd like it." "She should have said she didn't like chef's salad." "You never gave her any choice!" "If you had. she might have said." "Speaking of choice... try pizza tonight." "Dunno if she'll like that." "Then do the same trick:" "get both." "Won't break the bank." "Okay!" "Want to try something different again?" "The hot dog is good." "No thanks. just a black coffee." "Nothing for your girlfriend?" "She's gone." "Why?" "To try something else. she said." "I guess she's right." "Plenty of choice in men." "just like food." "I guess I should've stuck with the chef's salad." "Never mind!" "She'll try someone else and find out you're better." "And she'll come running back." "Thanks." "Onboard every flight... there's one stewardess you long to seduce." "This time last year, at 25,000 feet..." "I actually seduced one." "I thought we'd stay together for the long haul." "Flying like a jumbo jet on a full tank." "But we changed course." "Black coffee. please." "A week and she's not back?" "Excuse me!" "Maybe she does have plenty of choices." "Then get her out of your mind!" "You can't go on drinking black coffee like that." "Takes time to change." "I'll take things easy." "I'll be okay." "If you say so." "Excuse me." "The policeman who buys a chef's salad here every night..." "Oh. you mean No. 633." "He's off duty today." "Isn't he off on Saturdays?" "He changed shifts." "Didn't he tell you?" "Can you give him this when he next comes?" "No problem." "Thank you." " I'll be back soon." " What?" "I'll be right back!" "Oh." "We're taking a break." "Where to?" "I have to go out too." "Just you here tonight?" "Just you here tonight?" "They were all here just now." "Rushed off as you came up." "What's wrong with me?" "Nothing." "Black coffee?" "Last night... a girl..." "Last night a girl" "Can you turn it down a bit?" "A girl waited for you here last night." "She left a letter for you." "Really?" "Yes. an air hostess." " Don't you want to read it?" " After my coffee." "Hey. your letter!" "Keep it for me." "Next time." "Boss." "What are you doing here?" "I'm on duty." "Where's No. 633?" " Annual leave." " Really?" "Said he was wounded by a pin." "He's convalescing at home." "Wounded by a pin?" "Since she left, everything in the flat is sad." "Everything needed lulling to sleep." "You've lost a lot of weight." "you know." "You used to be so chubby." "Have more confidence in yourself." "You have to stop crying." "you know." "Where's your strength and absorbency?" "You're so shabby these days." "Look at you." "I'll help you." "Isn't that better?" "Say something." "Don't blame her." "We all have moments of doubt." "Give her a chance. okay?" "Lonely?" "You look a real mess." "Cold?" "I'll warm you up." "Boss!" " Had your lunch?" " Yup!" "It's all ready for you." "Need any help?" "It's okay." "I'll manage." "Excuse me." "Hey. what are you doing here?" " Are you better?" " Better?" "They said you were wounded by a pin." "Nonsense." "Haven't seen you around lately." "I changed shifts." "I'm on this beat now." "Really?" " Need some help?" " Yes. please." "I'll be going." "This is heavy." "It's worse some days." "Must be hard for you." "That's work for you." "Why'd you take this job?" "The boss is my cousin." "He asked me to help out." "What did you do before?" "Lots of things." "I'm saving up." "To study?" "Never thought of that." "I just want to enjoy life." "How?" "Where?" "Anywhere." "Maybe California." "California?" "Why?" "I said maybe." "I can move on if it's no fun." "You like to travel?" "Don't you?" "I'm happy staying in one place." "You can come with me." "I almost have enough." "We'll see." "Are you always like this?" "I still have that letter." "Haven't had time to pick it up." "Give me your address." "I'll mail it." "Or it'll get lost." "Okay." "You live near here!" "Yeah. drop in on me sometime." "Sure." "Well. let's move." "You're sweating." "Are you okay?" "I'm okay." "Stop daydreaming. will you?" "You want to be a star?" "And leave the carrots alone!" "Who's going to eat that now?" "Use a toilet roll or something!" "And you." "I'm not daydreaming." "Right. you're not daydreaming." "You're sleepwalking!" "Sure. sleepwalking." "Whatever you say." "I had a dream that afternoon." "It seemed I was in his apartment." "And I'd wake up only when I left it." "I didn't know you never wake up from some dreams." "Some days I go home for lunch." "There's always the chance she'll be back." "I know you're in there." "Come on out." "I'll count to three." "One... two. three!" "She used to leap out of the closet to scare me." "But she's stopped doing it." "I guess the game palled after a while." "Can she be hiding in the toilet?" "Hello." "Hello!" "Charsiu with rice." "Excuse me." " It's you again!" " Yes." "Will you be here for a while?" "Why?" "Nothing." "Where are you going?" "I forgot something." "Oh." "I still haven't mailed your letter." "No hurry." "I'll get around to it." "Why are you back?" "I have to pay the electricity bill." "Can I leave this here?" "Cousin?" "I'm still at the market." "What?" "Why?" "It's pouring with rain." "Can you hear?" "What are you talking about?" "It's sunny!" "Really?" "Must be a local shower." "I'll be back when it stops." "Don't forget the electricity bill." "I won't." "I'm leaving now." "Okay." "I'll see you again soon." "I will." "Got this for you." "Why so many lychees?" "They're for a friend." "Where are you?" "Paying the electricity bill." "You've been gone for hours!" "It's packed here." "I can hardly get in the shop." "I'll just have to queue." "How come it's always so crowded?" "Search me." "Shall I try again tomorrow?" "Try another shop." "Another shop?" "Okay." "I'll try." "I'll try." "Been shopping?" "A friend is redecorating his place." " You sure are busy." " I certainly am." "Black coffee again." "It's bad for you." "If you can't sleep, drink water." "Hi. it's me." "The plane has returned to Hong Kong." "You want to make a booking?" "Call me." "Same number." "Wow." "How long did it take to grow it like this?" "None of your business." "A bit flirty. isn't she?" "Guess so." "Why?" "Well." "Do you know her well?" "Nope." "One day I had this sudden feeling she was back." "Did I leave the tap running... or is the apartment getting more tearful?" "I always thought it would cope okay." "Didn't expect it to cry so much." "When people cry... they can dry their eyes with tissues." "But when an apartment cries... it takes a lot to mop it up." "What are you doing here?" "I live here." "You live here?" "Why are you here?" "Buying goldfish." " No one here sells goldfish." " No?" " You came to buy goldfish?" " Yes." "Buy them or sell them?" "What do you mean?" "Stop it!" "I forget everything when I'm scared." "Why are you scared?" "I don't know!" "You scare me." "I'm going now." "Are you stuck?" "Don't push me." "I'd go if I could." "You have a cramp?" "I don't know." "It's never happened before." "You'd better come in." "When she'd return from a long flight I'd massage her legs." "Being a stewardess is tough on the legs." "I've always found women's legs sexy." "Haven't touched any since she left." "Is that better?" "Yes." "Can I go now?" "Stay a bit longer." "I'll put on some music." "You like this song too?" "I'm not really into music." "My ex-girlfriend chose this." "She liked this song?" "Yes." "Sure, his girlfriend liked it." "That's my CD." "I left it here a few days ago." "Can dreams be catching?" "I guess I've been too nervous." "After a while, I fall asleep." "The girl fell asleep in my place that afternoon." "I thought about waking her up... but for some reason I didn't." "Shit!" "Don't set fire to anything." "Watch those candles." "This is your fault." "What's gotten into you lately?" "Why didn't you pay the electricity bill?" "Where have you been getting to every day?" "I went to see the doctor." "Really?" "You haven't been taking medicine." "Of course I have." "You just didn't notice." "And did the doctor tell you when you'd get better?" "Anytime now." "Crazy!" "I don' know if it's the weather... but lately I've changed a lot." "I've become more observant." "I notice things I used to take for granted." "Even the sardines taste different." "You mustn't let yourself go." "You've gained weight so fast." "She may have gone but life goes on." "You must stop indulging yourself." "You're a real disappointment to me." "You've changed so much." "You can't just switch personality like this." "Her walking out is no excuse." "Pull yourself together." "It was such a relief when I saw it crying." "It may look different... but it's still true to itself." "It's still an emotionally charged towel." "I'm more optimistic these days." "Haven't you noticed?" "Things are starting to look up." "You used to look really dumb... but you've become quite cute." "But you mustn't get yourself so dirty." "You used to be cleaner." "Look at these dirty stripes." "Have you been fighting?" "Oh. that's where you've been hiding." "Time to stop running away." "You don't smell too good." "either." "Out in the sun tomorrow. okay?" "What are you doing in my apartment?" "You asked me to visit." "Come on. open up!" "Someone's looking for you." " Me?" " Yes." "What do you want?" "I've come for my letter." "What letter?" "Ask the boss." "You were keeping it." "He says you have it." "Me?" "Where?" "Oh. yes." "I was afraid it would get lost." "I promise I haven't read it." "Thanks." "Are you free tomorrow evening?" "Why do you ask?" "I want to date you." "A date?" "The boss says you're off tomorrow." "So I have to go on a date?" "Think it over." "I'll meet you in California Restaurant at 8:00." "That song's not right for you." "Try this one." "I'm doomed!" "Doomed!" "Hey." "No. 633 is good with girls." "Boss. he's No. 633." "Who cares?" "Boy." "I'm out of cups." "I cleaned up my place that afternoon." "It was like cleaning the runway for a new flight." "I got to the restaurant a little early." "I half expected a flight delay." "So I got some loose change." "Coins. please." "Half an hour later, Ibrokeanother$10note." "Had the flight been cancelled?" "She isn't coming." "She asked me to give you this." "Don't let it get you down." "though." "Try another girl." "May's nice." "She's coming back tomorrow." "Where is she?" "She quit." "Said she was going to California." "Nothing else." "Thanks." "I didn't open the letter." "Some things need time to sink in." "Once the snack bar manager had gone..." "I started talking to the beer bottles." "Disappointed?" "Not really." "Go home and sleep." "She's not coming." "Actually, she did go to California that evening." "But it was the other one." "We were in different Californias... with a 15-hour time difference between us." "It must be 11:00a.m. in California, USA." "I wonder if she'll remember our 8:00p.m. date here." "What a coincidence." "Are you off duty tonight?" "Yes." "How are you?" "No change." "And you?" "Not bad." "Alone?" "No. my friend's waiting." "Your type." "I still have some of your stuff." "Will you pick it up sometime?" "Wouldn't want it anymore." "Throw it away." "Okay." "I have to rush." "I still think you look better in uniform." "So do you." "Hey. you haven't paid!" "You pay for me!" " How much is it?" " $262. please." "The letter turned out to be a boarding pass... post dated one year later." "I couldn't make out the destination." "I did go to the restaurant that evening." "I knew it would get crowded so I was thereat 7:15." "It poured with rain outside." "I watched it fall through the window." "And I urgently needed to know if the other California... was warm and sunny." "I decided to give myself one year." "Tonight it's raining as hard as it was then." "Looking out this window..." "I have only one person in my thoughts." "I wonder if he ever opened my letter." "What are you doing here?" "What are you doing here?" "Can that be you?" "What are you doing here?" "Renovating." "Renovating?" "Where's my cousin?" "He opened a karaoke bar." "Said he needed a change." "So I took over here." "Didn't he tell you?" "I haven't seen him." "He has great business sense." "First he sold me fish and chips... then the whole thing." "What?" "I said. he has great business sense!" "When did you get into this music?" "It takes time to get used to things." "Did you go to California?" "Was it fun?" "Nothing special." "You look good in uniform." "You look nice like that too." "Fancy a bite to eat?" "No." "I fly out very early tomorrow." "When will you get back?" "My grand opening is two days away." "Don't know." "This might be a long trip." "Write to me when you reach wherever it is." "Would you read it if I did?" "One thing I must ask you." "Would you let a person on board... with a boarding pass like this?" "It's dated today." "but it got blurred in the rain." "I don't know where it's taking me." "Do you?" "No idea." "but I'll give you another." "Great." "Where do you want to go?" "Wherever you want to take me."