Collections
Written By
Wesley Smith
5002 Hillsboro Ct Hampton, VA
757-320-9822
INT. OFFICE ROOM - AFTERNOON
Identical rows of cubicles occupy a dull office space.
Frustrating and calm conversations joined by the bustling of
papers and stroking of keyboards adds some life to the
environment.
DAVE, mid-twenties, sits at his desk. He takes two pills
followed by a gulp of water, grimaces in pain.
DAVE
(into phone)
Mrs. Wilcox I understand but you-
Dave taps his pen in an antsy manner. Nearby co-workers
look over while the taps escalates.
DAVE
But Ms. Wilcox is doesn't have to
be-
Dave rolls his eyes with a deep sigh. He lowers the volume
on his headset.
DAVE
OK Ms. Wilcox you can choose not to
pay your balance but the amount
due-
Dave slams the pen on his desk; the pen bounces up and over
into a co-workers cubicle.
DAVE
-is $230.75!!
Dave quickly pulls of his headset and tosses it on the desk.
LANCE, a relaxed but dapper workplace buddy enters Dave's
cubicle.
LANCE
'Ya know Dave you're always so
cordial with the stubborn ones.
DAVE shuffles his desk papers with frustration. The papers
fall to the floor.
DAVE
Shit!
DAVE kneels down and groups the papers into a messy stack of
papers, dumps them on the desk and exits the cubicle.
DAVE makes his way towards the exit, his co-workers peep
their heads up as he passes. Lance follows.
Dave's supervisor, RICK, walks in on his way out.
DAVE
Hey Rick I'm on break, see you in a
hour.
Rick quickly snaps back.
RICK
(shouting)
30 minutes Dave, I need you back in
30 minutes we're having-
DAVE is already out of the office, the doors close behind
him.
RICK (CONT'D)
(O.S.)
-an audit at two!
INT. OFFICE HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS
DAVE strolls down the hallway towards the elevator. Lance
follows behind in an effort to keep up.
LANCE
Ya' know Dave you've been working
for, what is it? 4 months without a
day off. A mini vacay' wouldn't be
a bad idea.
DAVE presses the elevator button as if he didn't hear Lance.
LANCE
Whaddyasay' we use some of that PTO
and spend a few days down at the
beach. Get your mind off this
place?
The elevator door opens. A crowded elevator awaits their
entry.
INT. ELEVATOR - CONTINUOUS
LANCE
Are you even listening bro'?
Dave and Lance face forward as the elevator door closes.
CUT TO:
EXT. BUSY STREET IN FRONT OF OFFICE BLDG. - MOMENTS LATER
Dave lights up a cigarette; Lance focused on the pretty
young female walking by. She shoots Lance a quick glance
and keeps walking.
LANCE
See bro' that is what you need in
your life.
DAVE
What? Some gold-digger to milk me
for whatever i got left.
LANCE
That's your problem man, every chic
isn't like Sarah. They're not all
man-eaters.
DAVE
Man-eater? Sarah was a confused
superficial little girl.
LANCE
...that made you fall in love, move
halfway across the country, just to
tell you she "cant see herself
being with somebody who doesn't
'challenge' her"...she's a
man-eater bro'.
A beat.
DAVE
Whatever you say man.
Dave takes two quick pulls of his cigarette, drops it to the
ground and steps on it.
CUT TO:
INT. DAVE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT
Empty liquor and medicinal pill bottles sit atop Dave's
dresser. Posters of rock bands and rappers cover the walls.
Dave is listening to music on his laptop surfing the web.
The doorbell RINGS twice. Then there is KNOCKING. Dave
pulls his headphones halfway off, raises his head, and
waits. The doorbell RINGS again.
DAVE
Who is it?
Dave walks to the front door and looks through the peephole.
On the other side stands LISA, his landlords daughter.
LISA
(knocking on door)
I know you're in there Dave open
up.
Dave silently watches Lisa through the peephole.
LISA
Fine Dave. If you want to play
that game then we can. You're
still two weeks late on rent and
whether you want to pay or not we
will be getting our money!
Dave watches as Lisa drops some papers in front of his door
and walks away. He waits until the he can no longer hear
her footsteps to open the door and take the papers.
Dave takes a moment to skim over the papers before he tosses
them onto a stack of familiar papers. He goes into his
bedroom, puts on his headphones and lays down.
DISSOLVE TO
INT. DAVE'S BEDROOM - MORNING
Sounds of sirens and traffic can be heard coming through
Dave's bedroom window. Dave rolls over to face his alarm
clock and sees that the time is ten minutes to ten.
DAVE
Shit.
Dave grabs the box of cigarettes next to the alarm clock,
sits up and lights it. He stares out the window as he takes
a drag from his cigarette. His phone RINGS.
DAVE
(into phone)
Hello?
EXT. BUSY STREET - CONTINUOUS
Lance is walking down the street on his cell phone.
INTERCUT - PHONE CONVERSATION
LANCE
Running late are we?
DAVE
I don't know. Are we?
LANCE
You know Rick is going to go into
full butt-hole mode when he finds
out you're late again.
DAVE
When is he not an ass-hole?
LANCE
Good point. Must be some sort of
complex.
Dave chuckles.
DAVE
Well I appreciate the wake up call
but I got to get ready. Don't want
to disappoint Ricky.
LANCE
(amused)
See you in a few bro'.
Daves hangs up his phone and starts to get dressed.
CUT TO:
INT. OFFICE HALLWAY - DAY
Dave walks down the hallway towards his office room and sees
Rick come around the corner.
DAVE
Damn it.
Dave tries to turn down an alternate hallway to his office
but it's too late. Rick sees him and quickly follows.
RICK
The time clock is this way Dave.
You do want to get paid don't you.
Dave slows down and turns to face Rick.
RICK
Even though I dont know why we do.
You're always late and you hardly
ever make quota.
DAVE
Well, I'm here.
RICK
That you are. For how long is the
question. Anyway we're in-call. I
need you on the floor now.
DAVE
(mocking)
Sir yes sir!
Dave gives a playful salute and continues to his office.
CUT TO:
INT. DAVE'S CUBICLE - MOMENTS LATER
Dave turns his computer on and organizes some paperwork
while his programs load. Lance walks in.
LANCE
Look what we've got here. Someone
finally decided to show up and make
some money.
DAVE
No place I'd rather be than
Fieldmore Recovery. Who wouldn't
want to sit on the phone getting
cussed out all day?
LANCE
This guy. We've been in-call all
morning. I feel like I've been
making calls non-stop since ten.
DAVE
Any luck?
LANCE
Is that a serious question? They
don't award you top collector of
the month three months in a row for
no reason.
DAVE
I never knew you took so much pride
in tricking people into payment
plans that always turn out horribly
wrong.
LANCE
It sounds so cruel when you say it
that way. But I've had a Mr.
Drummond on hold going on fifteen
minutes now so I think I'll go tell
him about his flat screen payment
that just got sent to collections.
DAVE
Good luck getting anything from
that guy. He still hasn't paid his
off his microwave.
Lance chuckles and walks off. Dave reaches under his desk,
pulls up a tablet and sets it up in the corner of his desk
where only he can see it. He puts on his earbuds, plugs
them into the tablet and places his work headset over the
earbuds to conceal them.
RICK(O.S.)
Why aren't you online Dave?
DAVE
Dave, thinking Rick saw him, is startled by Ricks incoming.
RICK
Didn't I tell you we were in-call?
DAVE
Yea' I was just waiting for--
RICK
I don't care what you're waiting
on. Get on the phone and make some
money.
Rick hurries over to another cubicle to continue his tirade.
DAVE
Asshole.
Dave waits for Rick to exit the office before he turns his
tablet on. He turns his attention back to his computer and
makes a call. Dave awaits the answer.
DEEP VOICE(V.O.)
Hello.
DAVE
(into phone)
Hello, my name is David Lassiter
and I'm calling on behalf of
Fieldmore Recovery Associates. Is
this Mr. Tobias Hassel?
There's an awkward silence for a moment.
TOBIAS(V.O.)
Yes. This is him.
DAVE
How are you doing today Mr. Hassel?
TOBIAS(V.O.)
What do you want?
DAVE
Well today I'm contacting you in
regards to your payments on a 2002
Honda Accord.
TOBIAS(V.O.)
What about it?
DAVE
Well it looks like you haven't made
a payment since the first of July
and we just want to make sure you
have been receiving our
notifications.
There's another pause but this one longer than the one
before.
DAVE
Hello?
TOBIAS(V.O.)
I've already told you people that
I'll have your money soon. What
more do you want from me?
DAVE
Your payment sir. We would like to
provide a service to you that can
be beneficial for the both of us.
Are you aware of our 3 star payment
plan?
Tobias does not respond but instead a barely heard muttering
of frustration. Dave opens a folder on his desk.
DAVE
So Mr. Hassel by signing up for our
3 star payment plan it can
actually--
TOBIAS(V.O.)
I'm not interested. All you want
to do is take my money. All
anybody wants to do is take. Take
everything from me...my family, my
job. Everything.
Dave is amused but remains professional. He looks over to
Lance's cubicle and sees him on the phone. He signals for
Lance to come over and Lance mouths "one minute".
DAVE
Sir we don't want to take anything
from you we just want to help you
take care of this payment before it
causes any more damage to your
credit.
TOBIAS(V.O.)
Why are you doing this to me David
Lassiter?
Dave leans back in his chair and exhales deeply as he taps
his pen on his desk out of frustration. He picks up his
meds and takes two pills.
DAVE
(frustrated)
Sir I am not doing anything to you.
I am trying to help you. It's in
your best interest to set up a plan
at this point of the collections
process.
A beat.
DAVE
Sir?
TOBIAS(V.O.)
Everything I've worked for my whole
life; it's all being taken away
from me. One by one. My job, my
wife, my kids. How will I see them
if you want to take my car Dave?
DAVE
Mr. Hassel I have nothing to do
with the repossession of your
vehicle. I'm only here to make
sure that doesn't happen.
TOBIAS(V.O.)
No you're not David. You just want
to take it all away from me don't
you? Why have I done to you David?
Dave leans forward in his chair. The hand holding the pen
turns into a fist.
DAVE
For the last time Mr. Hassel I have
nothing whatsoever to do with your
situation and it doesn't look like
that's getting through to you.
TOBIAS(V.O.)
Why do you want to die David?
Dave quickly stands up at his desk.
DAVE
(yelling)
Look sir maybe if you paid your
damn bills on time and actually had
a sense of what's going on in the
world around you instead of feeling
sorry for yourself maybe you'd
still have a family to come home
to. That is if you even had a job!
Dave's co-workers turn their attention to him. Dave is
still looking down at his computer waiting for a response.
Rick peeps his head out of his office.
TOBIAS(V.O.)
What did you just say to me?
DAVE
(regretful)
Sir I didn't m--
TOBIAS(V.O.)
I'm going to kill you David
Lassiter.
Tobias hangs up. Dave tosses his headset down on his desk.
Rick approaches.
DAVE
Damn it!
RICK
In my office. Now.
Rick walks off as Lance walks up.
Written By
Wesley Smith
5002 Hillsboro Ct Hampton, VA
757-320-9822
INT. OFFICE ROOM - AFTERNOON
Identical rows of cubicles occupy a dull office space.
Frustrating and calm conversations joined by the bustling of
papers and stroking of keyboards adds some life to the
environment.
DAVE, mid-twenties, sits at his desk. He takes two pills
followed by a gulp of water, grimaces in pain.
DAVE
(into phone)
Mrs. Wilcox I understand but you-
Dave taps his pen in an antsy manner. Nearby co-workers
look over while the taps escalates.
DAVE
But Ms. Wilcox is doesn't have to
be-
Dave rolls his eyes with a deep sigh. He lowers the volume
on his headset.
DAVE
OK Ms. Wilcox you can choose not to
pay your balance but the amount
due-
Dave slams the pen on his desk; the pen bounces up and over
into a co-workers cubicle.
DAVE
-is $230.75!!
Dave quickly pulls of his headset and tosses it on the desk.
LANCE, a relaxed but dapper workplace buddy enters Dave's
cubicle.
LANCE
'Ya know Dave you're always so
cordial with the stubborn ones.
DAVE shuffles his desk papers with frustration. The papers
fall to the floor.
DAVE
Shit!
DAVE kneels down and groups the papers into a messy stack of
papers, dumps them on the desk and exits the cubicle.
DAVE makes his way towards the exit, his co-workers peep
their heads up as he passes. Lance follows.
Dave's supervisor, RICK, walks in on his way out.
DAVE
Hey Rick I'm on break, see you in a
hour.
Rick quickly snaps back.
RICK
(shouting)
30 minutes Dave, I need you back in
30 minutes we're having-
DAVE is already out of the office, the doors close behind
him.
RICK (CONT'D)
(O.S.)
-an audit at two!
INT. OFFICE HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS
DAVE strolls down the hallway towards the elevator. Lance
follows behind in an effort to keep up.
LANCE
Ya' know Dave you've been working
for, what is it? 4 months without a
day off. A mini vacay' wouldn't be
a bad idea.
DAVE presses the elevator button as if he didn't hear Lance.
LANCE
Whaddyasay' we use some of that PTO
and spend a few days down at the
beach. Get your mind off this
place?
The elevator door opens. A crowded elevator awaits their
entry.
INT. ELEVATOR - CONTINUOUS
LANCE
Are you even listening bro'?
Dave and Lance face forward as the elevator door closes.
CUT TO:
EXT. BUSY STREET IN FRONT OF OFFICE BLDG. - MOMENTS LATER
Dave lights up a cigarette; Lance focused on the pretty
young female walking by. She shoots Lance a quick glance
and keeps walking.
LANCE
See bro' that is what you need in
your life.
DAVE
What? Some gold-digger to milk me
for whatever i got left.
LANCE
That's your problem man, every chic
isn't like Sarah. They're not all
man-eaters.
DAVE
Man-eater? Sarah was a confused
superficial little girl.
LANCE
...that made you fall in love, move
halfway across the country, just to
tell you she "cant see herself
being with somebody who doesn't
'challenge' her"...she's a
man-eater bro'.
A beat.
DAVE
Whatever you say man.
Dave takes two quick pulls of his cigarette, drops it to the
ground and steps on it.
CUT TO:
INT. DAVE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT
Empty liquor and medicinal pill bottles sit atop Dave's
dresser. Posters of rock bands and rappers cover the walls.
Dave is listening to music on his laptop surfing the web.
The doorbell RINGS twice. Then there is KNOCKING. Dave
pulls his headphones halfway off, raises his head, and
waits. The doorbell RINGS again.
DAVE
Who is it?
Dave walks to the front door and looks through the peephole.
On the other side stands LISA, his landlords daughter.
LISA
(knocking on door)
I know you're in there Dave open
up.
Dave silently watches Lisa through the peephole.
LISA
Fine Dave. If you want to play
that game then we can. You're
still two weeks late on rent and
whether you want to pay or not we
will be getting our money!
Dave watches as Lisa drops some papers in front of his door
and walks away. He waits until the he can no longer hear
her footsteps to open the door and take the papers.
Dave takes a moment to skim over the papers before he tosses
them onto a stack of familiar papers. He goes into his
bedroom, puts on his headphones and lays down.
DISSOLVE TO
INT. DAVE'S BEDROOM - MORNING
Sounds of sirens and traffic can be heard coming through
Dave's bedroom window. Dave rolls over to face his alarm
clock and sees that the time is ten minutes to ten.
DAVE
Shit.
Dave grabs the box of cigarettes next to the alarm clock,
sits up and lights it. He stares out the window as he takes
a drag from his cigarette. His phone RINGS.
DAVE
(into phone)
Hello?
EXT. BUSY STREET - CONTINUOUS
Lance is walking down the street on his cell phone.
INTERCUT - PHONE CONVERSATION
LANCE
Running late are we?
DAVE
I don't know. Are we?
LANCE
You know Rick is going to go into
full butt-hole mode when he finds
out you're late again.
DAVE
When is he not an ass-hole?
LANCE
Good point. Must be some sort of
complex.
Dave chuckles.
DAVE
Well I appreciate the wake up call
but I got to get ready. Don't want
to disappoint Ricky.
LANCE
(amused)
See you in a few bro'.
Daves hangs up his phone and starts to get dressed.
CUT TO:
INT. OFFICE HALLWAY - DAY
Dave walks down the hallway towards his office room and sees
Rick come around the corner.
DAVE
Damn it.
Dave tries to turn down an alternate hallway to his office
but it's too late. Rick sees him and quickly follows.
RICK
The time clock is this way Dave.
You do want to get paid don't you.
Dave slows down and turns to face Rick.
RICK
Even though I dont know why we do.
You're always late and you hardly
ever make quota.
DAVE
Well, I'm here.
RICK
That you are. For how long is the
question. Anyway we're in-call. I
need you on the floor now.
DAVE
(mocking)
Sir yes sir!
Dave gives a playful salute and continues to his office.
CUT TO:
INT. DAVE'S CUBICLE - MOMENTS LATER
Dave turns his computer on and organizes some paperwork
while his programs load. Lance walks in.
LANCE
Look what we've got here. Someone
finally decided to show up and make
some money.
DAVE
No place I'd rather be than
Fieldmore Recovery. Who wouldn't
want to sit on the phone getting
cussed out all day?
LANCE
This guy. We've been in-call all
morning. I feel like I've been
making calls non-stop since ten.
DAVE
Any luck?
LANCE
Is that a serious question? They
don't award you top collector of
the month three months in a row for
no reason.
DAVE
I never knew you took so much pride
in tricking people into payment
plans that always turn out horribly
wrong.
LANCE
It sounds so cruel when you say it
that way. But I've had a Mr.
Drummond on hold going on fifteen
minutes now so I think I'll go tell
him about his flat screen payment
that just got sent to collections.
DAVE
Good luck getting anything from
that guy. He still hasn't paid his
off his microwave.
Lance chuckles and walks off. Dave reaches under his desk,
pulls up a tablet and sets it up in the corner of his desk
where only he can see it. He puts on his earbuds, plugs
them into the tablet and places his work headset over the
earbuds to conceal them.
RICK(O.S.)
Why aren't you online Dave?
DAVE
Dave, thinking Rick saw him, is startled by Ricks incoming.
RICK
Didn't I tell you we were in-call?
DAVE
Yea' I was just waiting for--
RICK
I don't care what you're waiting
on. Get on the phone and make some
money.
Rick hurries over to another cubicle to continue his tirade.
DAVE
Asshole.
Dave waits for Rick to exit the office before he turns his
tablet on. He turns his attention back to his computer and
makes a call. Dave awaits the answer.
DEEP VOICE(V.O.)
Hello.
DAVE
(into phone)
Hello, my name is David Lassiter
and I'm calling on behalf of
Fieldmore Recovery Associates. Is
this Mr. Tobias Hassel?
There's an awkward silence for a moment.
TOBIAS(V.O.)
Yes. This is him.
DAVE
How are you doing today Mr. Hassel?
TOBIAS(V.O.)
What do you want?
DAVE
Well today I'm contacting you in
regards to your payments on a 2002
Honda Accord.
TOBIAS(V.O.)
What about it?
DAVE
Well it looks like you haven't made
a payment since the first of July
and we just want to make sure you
have been receiving our
notifications.
There's another pause but this one longer than the one
before.
DAVE
Hello?
TOBIAS(V.O.)
I've already told you people that
I'll have your money soon. What
more do you want from me?
DAVE
Your payment sir. We would like to
provide a service to you that can
be beneficial for the both of us.
Are you aware of our 3 star payment
plan?
Tobias does not respond but instead a barely heard muttering
of frustration. Dave opens a folder on his desk.
DAVE
So Mr. Hassel by signing up for our
3 star payment plan it can
actually--
TOBIAS(V.O.)
I'm not interested. All you want
to do is take my money. All
anybody wants to do is take. Take
everything from me...my family, my
job. Everything.
Dave is amused but remains professional. He looks over to
Lance's cubicle and sees him on the phone. He signals for
Lance to come over and Lance mouths "one minute".
DAVE
Sir we don't want to take anything
from you we just want to help you
take care of this payment before it
causes any more damage to your
credit.
TOBIAS(V.O.)
Why are you doing this to me David
Lassiter?
Dave leans back in his chair and exhales deeply as he taps
his pen on his desk out of frustration. He picks up his
meds and takes two pills.
DAVE
(frustrated)
Sir I am not doing anything to you.
I am trying to help you. It's in
your best interest to set up a plan
at this point of the collections
process.
A beat.
DAVE
Sir?
TOBIAS(V.O.)
Everything I've worked for my whole
life; it's all being taken away
from me. One by one. My job, my
wife, my kids. How will I see them
if you want to take my car Dave?
DAVE
Mr. Hassel I have nothing to do
with the repossession of your
vehicle. I'm only here to make
sure that doesn't happen.
TOBIAS(V.O.)
No you're not David. You just want
to take it all away from me don't
you? Why have I done to you David?
Dave leans forward in his chair. The hand holding the pen
turns into a fist.
DAVE
For the last time Mr. Hassel I have
nothing whatsoever to do with your
situation and it doesn't look like
that's getting through to you.
TOBIAS(V.O.)
Why do you want to die David?
Dave quickly stands up at his desk.
DAVE
(yelling)
Look sir maybe if you paid your
damn bills on time and actually had
a sense of what's going on in the
world around you instead of feeling
sorry for yourself maybe you'd
still have a family to come home
to. That is if you even had a job!
Dave's co-workers turn their attention to him. Dave is
still looking down at his computer waiting for a response.
Rick peeps his head out of his office.
TOBIAS(V.O.)
What did you just say to me?
DAVE
(regretful)
Sir I didn't m--
TOBIAS(V.O.)
I'm going to kill you David
Lassiter.
Tobias hangs up. Dave tosses his headset down on his desk.
Rick approaches.
DAVE
Damn it!
RICK
In my office. Now.
Rick walks off as Lance walks up.