1. “THE LADY”
Written By
Benjamin Kissinger
8/18/15
Benjamin Kissinger
3200 Innisbrook Ct.
Pickerington, OH 43247
benjaminjaykissinger@benthejunebug.com

2. 1.
CAST LIST:
BEN: Benjamin Kissinger
THE LADY: Kathy Lyons
TRAINEE 1: Lauren Guthrie
TRAINEE 2: Nate Welch
DANCER: Brianna Killingsworth
FLOOR RUNNER: Duane Morrison
CASHIER: George Gallegos
DIFFICULT CUSTOMER: Vicki Jarrell
BRANDON : ———————?
FADE IN:
Establishing shot of the store and Time-lapse of bustling
people, title and opening credits are pushed out by DANCER. A
droning sound is heard. Quote white text on screen over
bustling parking lot. BEN, a courtesy clerk trainer is heard.
BEN V.O.
"If you're automatically sure that you know
what reality is, and you operating on your
default setting, then you, like me,
probably won’t consider possibilities that
aren’t annoying and miserable." - This Is
Water by David Foster Wallace
BEN V.O. (CONT.)
David Foster Wallace gave this graduation
addressment at Kenyon College in 2007. In
it he explicated: the simplest things, all
around us, things that we experience
everyday, are often the most difficult to
think and talk about. In a grocery store,
amist a hectic, convoluted holiday of
rushed customers and exhausted associates
this means...
EXT. KROGER - DAY

3. 2.
BEN and THE LADY, a middle aged woman who had just
experienced a terrible emotional loss, emerge from the
bustling people in the parking lot. Time slows and the
ironing quiets as we see them hugging.
BEN V.O. (CONT.)
...an experience profoundly human can be
found.
Time-lapse and droning sound accelerates. Time is going
faster and faster until…
CUT TO:
BLACK
BEN V.O.
You just have to know where to look.
(Pause) Hi, I'm Ben, a courtesy clerk
trainer from store 538 in Pickerington,
Ohio. There's lots to teach new hires, but
I find it most difficult to teach them to
enjoy their time at work. There are plenty
of not-so-fun things to deal with, really
grueling work.
FADE IN:
INT: Kroger Meeting Area - DAY
BEN and his two courtesy clerk trainees, TRAINEE 1 and
TRAINEE 2, are sitting in a designated meeting area for
training. TRAINEE 1 doesn’t understand Wallace’s message or
its relevance to their training.
TRAINEE 1
Say what?
BEN
What Wallace meant, what I mean, is that
being a courtesy clerk.. it isn't the most
spectacular job in the world. You are
starting at the bottom of an endless
corporate ladder. Sometimes you will have
to clean up some, well, less than pleasant
things from the restroom.
TRAINEE 1 & TRAINEE 2 chuckle
FADE TO:

4. 3.
Three pairs of legs are seen under the stall door as it
opens. BEN, TRAINEE 1, and TRAINEE 2 enter.
TRAINEE 1
(Gasps)
TRAINEE 1 drops some paper towels.
TRAINEE 2
Nope. I ain't doin this.
TRAINEE 1 & TRAINEE 2 leave in disgust. BEN approaches the
toilet and examines it.
BEN
Ughh! (Grimaces) Hey, come on! It… it won't
clean itself.
CUT TO:
TRAINEE 1 & TRAINEE 2 are listening to BEN.
BEN
Sometimes you will be bagging for hours on
end for unappreciative customers.
FADE TO:
BEN is bagging— albeit slowly— for DIFFICULT CUSTOMER, a
middle aged temperamental woman who looks quite stressed.
DIFFICULT CUSTOMER is talking on the phone until she notices
that BEN is using plastic bags for all her groceries.
DIFFICULT CUSTOMER
HEY! What are you?? HEY, Listen up! I want
the cold stuff in these reusable bags! The
produce in the non-insulating reusables,
and the rest in double paper!
(Muffled inaudible yelling)
INT. BATHROOM STALL
INT. KROGER - DAY
INT. KROGER CHECKOUT LANE

5. 4.
BEN is anxious and scared. DIFFICULT CUSTOMER carries on spit
and all. Audio drowns her voice.
BEN (OFF SCREEN)
But work is work. Maybe you want a nap,
CUT TO:
TRAINEE 1 & TRAINEE 2 are listening to BEN.
BEN
maybe all your friends are hanging out.
Sometimes this will be the last place you
will want to be.
FADE TO:
A full time cashier, CASHIER, has a moment without customers
to talk to TRAINEE 1 & TRAINEE 2.
CASHIER
So what are you working today?
TRAINEE 2
ALL DAYYY. When are you off sir?
CASHIER
8. My wife and I were planning to go out to
eat, maybe a Japanese restaurant. We don't
always eat out at those, but the kids are
at the sitters....
TRAINEE 1’s attention wanders and she glimpses over to the
neighboring registers. Camera pans with her gaze. CASHIERS
2,3,&4 and BAGGER 1 & 2 are discussing the same thing.
CASHIER 2
So when are you out of here?
FADE TO:
NEXT REGISTER
CASHIER 3
5? That's not bad, I'm here till..
INT. KROGER - DAY
INT. KROGER FRONT END - EVENING

6. 5.
FADE TO:
NEXT REGISTER
BAGGER 1
When did you say you were off?
FADE TO:
NEXT REGISTER
CASHIER 4
Do you work late?
FADE TO:
NEXT REGISTER
BAGGER 2
You're almost off then
CASHIER
Hey!
CUT TO:
CASHIER’S REGISTER
TRAINEE 1’s attention jumps back to CASHIER, as does the
panning camera.
TRAINEE 1
Huh?
CASHIER
When are you off?
TRAINEE 1
Didn’t you already ask me that?
CASHIER
Oh. Is it late?
CUT TO:
TRAINEE 1 & TRAINEE 2 are listening to BEN.
INT. KROGER - DAY

7. 6.
BEN
Naturally, people begin to loathe their
jobs, but maybe, if you are lucky,
sometimes an experience comes along that
changes all that:
FLASHBACK TO:
BEN is unenthusiastically bagging groceries amidst a crowded
store.
BEN V.O.
It was the 3rd of July, and everyone and
their mother was out at the store filling
their carts with all the cholesterol
intensive, patriotic picnic foods. Needless
to say, we were very very very--
FLOOR RUNNER, the floor runner for the morning, is running
the self checkout register 2 as he attempts to manage the
front end in it’s current chaos. He calls out to BEN.
FLOOR RUNNER
Hey Ben! When your done with that order,
help this lady out! She needs help (audio
drown) with err- something..
BEN stops bagging and turned to face the camera.
BEN
(Sighs) Busy..
FLOOR RUNNER
Ben!
BEN
Yeah, alright! Will do.. (Mumbles to self)
BEN V.O.
Having to clean up a big surprise in the
bathrooms that morning, you could say I was
less than happy to be at work.
BEN completes the order and is searching for THE LADY, whom
he needs to help out.
INT. KROGER FRONT END - MORNING (JULY 3RD 2014)

8. 7.
BEN
Wait. Who?
FLOOR RUNNER
(Pointing) In the blue baseball
cap.
BEN
Oh.
BEN V.O.
Did she even need help?
The camera pans up capturing the two items.
BEN V.O
She had only two items, a light, fruity
beer and flowers.
BEN
(Unenthused) Hey, I’m Ben, I'm--
uh-- gonna help you out.. I guess.
BEN V.O.
I reached for her cart. But she resisted.
CUT TO:
TRAINEE 1 & TRAINEE 2 are listening to BEN.
TRAINEE 1
What?
BEN
Right?
TRAINEE 2
But that’s the whole point of helping
someone out.. Right?
BEN
That’s what I thought.
FLASHBACK TO:
INT. KROGER - DAY

9. THE LADY
He would have been 22.
BEN V.O. (MIMICKING)
Something about he just had
a birthday, turned 22.
BEN V.O.
She was talking about her
son. err/or Mumbling, more
like. I didn’t catch it all.
BEN V.O.
She told me about the music
he liked, maybe his favorite
football team or something
BEN V.O.
He was the first born. uhh..
He was about to turn 22?
8.
Time-lapse of bustling crowd consumes BEN and THE LADY as
they walk towards the door, still and awkward amidst all the
people.
BEN V.O.
I was truly perplexed. As it happens,
there's a whole other meaning to helping
someone out.
BEN is thinking of something to say. His thoughts can be
heard.
Close up time-lapse of BEN.
BEN V.O.
(thinking)ughh.. Not small talk.
um... the weather, fireworks, "how
was your day?" sigh stupid..
The time-lapse slows to normal speed.
BEN V.O.
It was getting awkward. Just as I was about
to--
BEN
(Clears throat)
BEN V.O.
She started..
INT. KROGER FRONT END - MORNING (JULY 3RD 2014)

10. THE LADY
I don’t know what to do.
BEN V.O. (MIMICKING)
She didn’t know what to do.
She was upset, all blubbery
like.
BEN V.O.
He would be 22 in a few
months. There were tears in
her eyes. Happy birthday?
No. and a disgusting amount
of mucus that stuck to the
sides of her lips and
stretched across them as she
spoke.
THE LADY
He would have been 22.
BEN V.O. (MIMICKING)
He would be 22?" Would be..
would have.
9.
Up till now BEN’s V.O. has been very annoyed. Now it gets
less self concerned.
BEN and THE LADY walk into the vestibule.
BEN V.O.
He would have been.. 22.
BEN V.O.
This lady, her son just died
Time stops, all ambient sound dies, and the lights dim.
DANCER, a graceful ballerina dancer dressed in a black dress,
appears and dances around the frozen BEN & THE LADY.
BEN V.O.
I didn’t know what to do.
CUT TO:
TRAINEE 1 & TRAINEE 2 are listening to BEN.
BEN
What can you say to that? I didn't train
you about this..
FLASHBACK TO:
INT. KROGER - DAY
INT. KROGER FRONT END - MORNING (JULY 3RD 2014)

11. THE LADY
I'll probably be okay
getting home.
10.
BEN V.O.
I stood [there?] mumbling useless nothings
and making sympathetic faces and sounds. I
heard how he was shot (muffled gunshot
heard) this morning. I saw a soul far past
broken, a single mother who just witnessed
the darkest alleys of life.
DANCER still dancing around.
BEN V.O
Here is a woman who didn’t know how to tell
her boy that his big brother is dead. and
there I was, minutes ago, murmuring angrily
to myself
FADE TO:
BEN stands at the check stand looking unenthused and bitter.
The lights are dimming.
BEN V.O.
how personally unfair it was that I had to
work on a day when it was so busy inside
and beautiful out.
DANCER crosses in front of BEN, who then has an attitude
change.
BEN V.O.
It didn’t matter anymore.
FLASHBACK TO:
Establishing shot.
BEN is packing THE LADY’s car.
BEN V.O.
After we packed her car she said
INT. KROGER CHECK STAND - DAY
EXT. KROGER PARKING LOT - DAY

12. BEN V.O. (MIMICKING)
She would probably be okay
getting home Why would
someone say that? I was
afraid to leave her.
THE LADY starts walking
toward her car door.
BEN
Uh.. do you want a hug?
They hug. Lights dim and
DANCER crosses.
BEN V.O.
A desperate passion for what
could no longer be-- the
return to an ok feeling--
transferred no differently
than the tears and makeup
that then coated my apron.
This helped, I’m sure.
BEN is in the dark hugging
nothing. The moment is over.
BEN V.O.
but I didn’t feel any better
about her driving state.
THE LADY again walks to her
car door.
BEN
Can I pray for you?
BEN V.O.
I was at work. And my
religious status, that's,
irelevent, because it didn't
matter anymore. Because it
isn’t everyday that you meet
someone who is having the
absolute worst day of his or
her life.
THE LADY gets in her car and
drives off. BEN watches her
leave. A time-lapse of
bustling people consumes
BEN.
BEN V.O.
I couldn’t help feel like I
made life, if anything, a
11.

13. 12.
BEN V.O.
What Wallace was saying, and what he meant
is that although is isn’t likely, it isn’t
impossible that this
CUT TO:
DIFFICULT CUSTOMER is yelling at BEN in slow motion.
Quoted text appears on screen next to the yelling DIFFICULT
CUSTOMER
“[Although it isn’t likely, it isn’t impossible that this
difficult customer you are dealing with doesn’t have a dying
spouse, financial troubles, or a job far more tedious and
awful than ours could ever be.]” - **Wallace"
BEN V.O.
difficult customer you are dealing with
doesn’t have a dying spouse, financial
troubles, or a job far more tedious and
awful than ours could ever be.
CUT TO:
TRAINEE 1 & TRAINEE 2 are listening to BEN.
BEN V.O.
We are here to understand that, to
empathize with people regardless of what
they could be going through, regardless of
how they treat us.
BEN V.O.
Good customer service is a humanitarian
project, when you help someone even though
you clocked out 20 minutes ago.
BEN V.O.
And when they walk away...
INT. KROGER FRONT END
INT. KROGER - DAY

14. 13.
Camera is waist heigh, a customer is walking away. TRAINEE 2
interjects.
TRAINEE 1
Wait Miss! I know I said we didn’t have any
of the Kroger brand, but we can give you
the name brand for the same price!
FLASHBACK TO:
Time-lapse of BEN frozen, emotional, bustling customers all
around.
BEN V.O.
DFW’s This Is Water speech had been the one
of the most profound things I have ever
heard, but not until that day did I
understand what it meant.
BEN is bagging groceries, smiling and carrying on. Camera
slowly zooms out. FLASHBACK slowly fades BACK TO PRESENT.
BEN V.O.
I began it so closed minded to what was all
around me, unable to conceive that anyone
that could be having a day worse than mine.
I ended the day realizing that, all this
time, the things I thought were important
weren’t, and that I have the opportunity to
make a difference any time someone goes
through my checkout lane,
CU BEN smiling.
BEN V.O.
but only if I consider what reality really
is.
CUT TO:
BLACK
CREDITS ROLL
INT. KROGER MEAT DEPARTMENT
INT. FRONT END - DAY

15. 14.
FADE IN:
BEN is walking in emotionally impacted. BRANDON, a fellow
courtesy clerk, is putting carts in the vestibule.
BRANDON
Dude.. are you okay?
BEN V.O.
...Noo.
CUT TO:
BLACK (sudden bass sound)
FADE OUT:
INT. KROGER VESTIBULE - FLASHBACK