Phrases & Script

INT. SHOPPING MALL.

Two men and a woman sitting at a table outside a coffee shop. Early morning.
Various shoppers are looking around, some line up in front of some stores, others line the walls, resting their eyes. Christmas music plays over the P.A system.

One of the men tilts his head hard left & right, cracking his neck.
“Ah,” he sighs in relief, “what have you got on your list to get for, Lins?”

The woman, Lindsay, who was staring off into space snaps out of her trance.
“Television for my mother. Her Zenith finally burnt out. When I’m not there visiting the only thing keeping her company is her cable TV. What about you, Scott?”

Before he could respond, the other man cuts in.
“Not that Orion one you saw in the Black Friday ad.”

Lindsay, who was picking up her coffee cup, puts it back down. “Because the only three the Radio Shack has will be the first thing to go? Fat chance I’ll grab one. I know, Harry.”

“Ah-ah, no. It’s one of those many things that are sold exclusive to this shopping season. They’re made from dismal parts and aren’t worth turd pie. Spend the extra dollar for something less likely to catch your mother’s home on fire.”

Scott finishes the last of his drink, leans back to throw it in the bin behind him then speaks. “Charlie Brown was and always will be right, Christmas has gone too commercial. It starts when it wants and ends immediately after midnight. Until then it’s ‘gimme, gimme. I want this, I want that’. The decorations are out in stores around the same time Halloween rolls around.”

Harry and Lindsay stare at him with blank expressions as he continues.

“Getting time with my kid and the missus and actually bonding is good for me but for good measure I get them both a little something, even if it’s not something on their wish list. New phone upgrades, though the ones they have now do everything except butter their toast. My daughter wants a…”, he hesitates, “…selfie stick. Bound to be something more fitting for a girl in one of these toy stores.”

“Wh-what, uh..”, stammers Lindsay.

Harry answers her implied question. “A ‘narcissistick’ is what I call ‘em. They’re essentially just a telescoping stick with a grip on the end for a phone or anything with a camera on it. [Imitates attaching something to a prop and holds up a peace sign]. Do-do-do-do-do… and they do the duck face, peace sign and whatnot. Self-indulgent people, especially young women tend to upload like a thousand pictures to Facebook or some crap like that… yeah, a day.”

Scott looks at his watch. “Few more minutes ‘til seven and the stores open. Really starting to get packed in here.”
All three looked around. Masses of people were huddling in front of steel gates, waiting for the clerks to raise them up and let people in to get started early shopping for the holiday season.

“So much tech these days. This was unheard of back in ye old days, yeah? I remember asking for Tinker Toys and model cars to assemble. Now it’s tablets, phones, whatever,” says Harry.

Lindsay closes the ad magazine she was reading and drops it in the center of the coffee table and says, “I suppose I can buy one online anyway. It wasn’t in my best interest because risk of damage and all. I’mma go look around. Maybe get something for my place. Electric blanket or thicker comforter. I’ll see you two … here, in an hour?”

Harry and Scott nod as she gets up from her chair and walks off in the direction of a Sears.

“Why the advanced stuff for the wife and kid anyway?” Harry asks.
Scott takes a pouch of Mini Muffins out from his coat and digs in.
“It keeps them happy. Assuming so.”

Harry sighs deeply, removes his glasses and rubs an eye.
“Y’know that’s really been bugging me, technology in a way connecting us but in many ways driven us further apart than ever before. People sometimes talk to each other if they’re not staring at a screen, but even then they’re not really communicating.”

Scott finishes his pouch and crumples it in his right hand, faces Harry, who put his glasses back on. “Then you’re not getting anything while you’re here? Some tools maybe?”

“I’ll be hav—“, Harry starts but is cut off by a chime over the P.A.
(BREAK) Almost simultaneously, the gates of all the stores slide upward or swing out. Hordes of people begin filing in just about every one of the hundred stores on all 3 levels in anticipation to get a good deal on merchandise.

“… having a look around,” he continues. “My dad and I have been on mostly good terms this year so I’ll get him a little something. Maybe a robe and pajama set. I go over there in the summertime and he’s got the heat turned on to ninety. Now…”

Harry looks around at the now-deserted food court. “I begin my quest. You still getting your kid that stick thing, you can get one for cheap at the Five Below upstairs. Take your time getting something for yer miss. I saw her face at the party two years ago when you got her fluffy socks. Try perfume.”

Scott started to brain storm.
“I’ll think of something. See you in a bit then.” He responds.
Harry pats him on the shoulder twice and walks off toward the crowd nearby.

A toddler who seemed to be no older than 5 is tugging on a woman’s arm, evidently wanting to venture into the crowded Apple store.
“Mooom, I want one, let’sa!”, he cries out, getting pink in the face.

Scott notices Harry paused to witness the event. The mother takes advantage of her superior strength and pulls the child away, who begins to wail, leaning backwards to prevent being pulled away. They both disappear in a bumbling crowd of shoppers. 

Harry turns to Scott’s direction and mouths the words “I weep for the future.” a common phrase he uses in any event to accentuate his disapproval in some cases.

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Quotes used whilst 'accidentally' eavesdropping:

• “Up ‘til maybe ten years ago people spent their youth finding their own identity, now everyone’s into that swag thing and aimlessly walking around with their eyes focused primarily on some tech device. Y’know that’s really been bugging me, technology in a way connecting us but in many ways driven us further apart than ever before.”
• “So much tech these days. This was unheard of back in ye old days, yeah? I remember asking for Tinker Toys and model cars to assemble. Now it’s tablets, phones, whatever.”
• “[A narcissi-stick] is what I call ‘em. They’re essentially just a telescoping stick with a grip on the end for a phone or anything with a camera on it. [Imitates the action in a silly manner]. Do-do-do-do-do… and they do the duck face, peace sign and whatnot. Self-indulgent people, especially young women tend to upload like a thousand pictures to Facebook or some sh!t like that… yeah, a day.”
• “Charlie Brown was and always will be right, Christmas has gone too commercial. It starts when it wants and ends immediately after midnight. Until then it’s gimme, gimme. I want this, I want that. The decorations are out in stores around the same time Halloween rolls around.”
• “I weep for the future.”