Lifestyles of the Skilled and Jobless: Episode 1

SCOTT: (yells back from the shower) I know. I was laid off once, remember? It gets better. Can you grab my towel?

CUT TO: INTERIOR, HOTEL ROOM - DAY: Sarah returns from her workout. She sits at her makeshift desk and opens her laptop. Her face lights up. She grabs her cell phone and calls Scott.

SARAH: (excited) Hey babe. You were right! Listen to this e-mail. “Hi Sarah. Funny that you should mention in your e-mail that we needed more females in our office. We were just discussing that same issue. It’s true. Females in the office bring a necessary vibe and influence the work greatly. I’d love to say we’re hiring women writers and art directors like crazy, but we’re not. We need to, but we’re not. However, I like your style. Let’s definitely get together and look at your work.” So, that’s great news, right?

Sarah smiles as Scott congratulates her.

SARAH: Thanks. Love you too, bye.

She takes a bite of scrambled eggs and opens the next e-mail. It’s an employee from the same office as the previous e-mail. Giddy, she reads the e-mail aloud.

SARAH: Hey Sarah. I saw on the likes and dislikes on your resume that you hate Ugg boots. I have a pair, but I’ll hang out with you if you’re in town. Let me know. Tom, Art Director.

Sarah shimmies in her desk chair and starts a reply to her new friend, Tom.

SARAH’S INNER MONOLOGUE: Hi Tom. I won’t hold the Ugg boots against you. I’d love to hang out. My husband-to-be and I are stuck in this weird hotel, and I’m always anxious to get out. He’s got a lot of new work friends, but alas, I’m still searching. When and where?

She hits send and smiles.

CUT TO: INTERIOR, RESTAURANT - NIGHT: Sarah and Scott are dining at Wahoo’s Fish Tacos.

SARAH: I mean, I don’t understand. I e-mail that art director that wanted to hang out, and then nothing. No reply or anything for almost a week. Was I too anxious?

SCOTT: Well, what did your e-mail say?

SARAH: Um, basically just that hanging out would be great because you already had work friends, and were at the office a lot and I needed to start making friends …

SCOTT: (laughs) Uh, bingo. You mentioned me. The dude was obviously looking for a date, not a friend, Sarah. Nice try, though.

SARAH: (deflated) Ohmygod. You’re totally right. I make no mention of you on my resume, obviously, so he just assumes I’m single. How tacky. What a sleaze.

SCOTT: (laughing) You’d still hang out with him if it got you a job though, right?

SARAH: (hiding her smile) Maybe. But, totally platonic of course, my love.

CUT TO: EXTERIOR, STREET - DAY: Sarah walks on Pearl Street. Her cell phone rings. She looks at the number and doesn’t recognize it. She answers anyway.

SARAH: Hello.

HR WOMAN’S VOICE: Hi. Sarah?

SARAH: Yes, this is.

HR WOMAN’S VOICE: Hi this is Sally from ABC Advertising in Denver. How are you?

SARAH: (perks up) Oh great. Fine. Thanks for calling me.

HR WOMAN’S VOICE: Not a problem. We received your resume and would like you to come in for an interview next Tuesday. Will that work?

SARAH: Next Tuesday. Yes. Perfect. I’ll be there.

HR WOMAN’S VOICE: Great. Then I’ll e-mail you directions to our office and we’ll see you next Tuesday.

SARAH: (holding back her excitement) Okay. See you Tuesday. Bye.

Sarah does a little dance in the middle of the pedestrian mall. She looks around and locates a bar. 

CUT TO: INTERIOR, HOTEL ROOM - DAY: Sarah returns from delivering her Scott to his office and turns on her laptop. She opens her mailbox and finds ZERO new e-mails. She hits “refresh” and still nothing. She gets up from the desk, wanders around, and sits down at her computer again. She taps on her keyboard, then looks out the window. She takes a deep breath and shuts her laptop.

CUT TO: EXTERIOR, PARK – DAY: Sarah relaxes on a blanket reading the latest issue of Vogue.

Tune in next time when Sarah meets a “gatekeeper,” phones a friends for advice when she’s down, parks at a bar for three days to ignore the fact that she has no job, and finally makes headway with four prospective employers.