Worker 7
By
Gavin Liddick
tud46932@temple.edu
INT. SWEATSHOP
A couple dozen Oriental workers are sitting in their individual
stations, which consists of nothing but fabric and a sewing
machine. The sound of sewing machines fills the room, and
nobody is seen talking to one another. A man in a suit
holding a cane walks slowly between the isles of workers,
keeping watch over them as they work. There are piles of
socks in front of each worker, the piles grow bigger slowly
over time. We see one of the workers with a name tag that
says "Worker 7".
WORKER 7 is a small oriental women, where she originally came
from is unknown. She is dressed casually, but she does not
wear socks, only an old pair of sandals.
WORKER 7 looks ups at the clock, the time is 5:59 am. She
stares at the second hand as it slowly make its way around
the 9. Then 8...9...10...11...BAM. The man in the suit
smacks the cane on her desk. She is startled and looks up at
the angry man. Suddenly, a bells chimes. It is 6:00, the
work day is over. WORKER 7 quickly grabs her things and
makes a hasty exit.
EXT. CHINATOWN SUNRISE
WORKER 7 makes her way through an alley. She turns the
corner and a road appears, along with sidewalks. There are
restaurants, outdoor markets, and construction. She is in
Chinatown. She makes her way down the sidewalk, the sun
begins to come up over the taller buildings. The sound of
others talking, traffic, and construction can be heard. She
makes a turn into a taller building, an apartment complex.
She takes a shortcut through an outdoor market. A younger
boy and his friends comes running through, probably on their
way to school. The one in front bumps into WORKER 7, and a
key is dropped. WORKER 7 does not notice the key being
dropped.
INT. APARTMENT BUILDING MORNING
WORKER 7 stares at the elevator, it is out of order. She
moves towards the stairs. She makes her way up the flights
of stairs, 11 in total. The sounds of crying children can be
heard on her way up to the 11th floor. She reaches her
floor, and then reaches her door. A crying infant can be
heard from the other side of the door. She goes to her bag
to grab her key. She suddenly realizes that she does not
have her key with her. She panics, and frantically dumps out
her bag in search of the key. She cannot find it, so she
gathers her things and quickly runs down towards the stairs.
2.
EXT. CHINATOWN MORNING
She makes her way back to the street and begins to retrace
her steps. The sun is higher in the sky by now. She makes
her way past construction, restaurants, and more kids who
are running to make it to school on time, and reaches the
outdoor market. She pushes through other people in search
for the missing key. She then spots it on the ground in
front of her. Relieved, she turns and heads back towards her
apartment complex. The sun is slightly higher in the sky by
the time she makes it back to her apartment building.
INT. APARTMENT BUILDING MORNING
Finally, she reaches her door again. The crying infant
inside is crying louder now. WORKER 7 frantically gets the
key into the door and into her apartment. She throws down
her things and goes over to an infant in the other room. She
tries to comfort the child by feeding it and changing it.
Once the child is at ease, there is silence. She goes to her
room, where the bed is unmade and clothes are scattered
across the floor. On the dresser, there is a picture of an
odler couple, but the woman is not WORKER 7. She stares in
silence at the picture.
WORKER 7 heads towards the phone and dials a number. A man
picks up the phone.
MAN
Hello?
WORKER 7
(with a heavy accent)
Hi. I..It is me again.
MAN
(with contempt)
Oh, of course, Ms...
WORKER 7
(interrupting)
I-I’m sorry to be calling. But do
you have any more information? Any
more information about my family?
MAN
(sighs)
No, I’m sorry I don’t. And listen I
told you this already, if there is
any word on the situation that I
would give you a call. Now next
time you...
(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 3.
WORKER 7 hangs up the phone. She starts to cry a little but
holds herself back.
She gets up and wipes away a few tears. She goes back into
her bedroom and opens the top drawer of the dresser. Inside
is a bunch of dollar bills and even more change. It appears
to be her life savings. She stares at the money, and closes
the drawer again. She paces the room for a bit, opens the
drawer again, but quickly closes it.
INT. KITCHEN NOON
WORKER 7 is sitting in her kitchen eating a light meal. She
sits quietly, she is not reading anything or watching
anything, she is just eating quietly. Her mind begins to
drift.
FLASHBACK BEGINS
INT. SMALL APARTMENT KITCHEN DAY
A family of four is sitting around a dinner table in a
different place. One of the four is WORKER 7, another is the
child, and the other two are the man and women from the
photograph. WORKER 7 is crying.
WOMAN FROM PHOTOGRAPH
(to WORKER 7)
You don’t need to wait.
WORKER 7 stares at the table and continues to cry.
MAN FROM PHOTOGRAPH
Take your brother with you, he is
better off with you. Just for now.
The WOMAN FROM THE PHOTOGRAPH reaches across the table to
grab WORKER 7’s hand. WORKER 7 quickly pulls it away.
CUT BACK TO PRESENT TIME
INT. KITCHEN NOON
WORKER 7 continues to sit in silence, staring across the
table, but only a wall is in front of her.
4.
INT. SWEATSHOP MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT
WORKER 7 is seen working. She has complete focus on her job,
but she is visually upset and tired. She begins to fall
asleep. As soon as she is about to doze of, there is a
sound. SMACK! She jolts up and has a horrified and worried
look over face. She looks down a few aisles. One of the
other workers is seen being carried away.
WORKER
No! Let go of me! I need to feed my
family!
MAN IN SUIT
Get this thief out of my site!
One of the other men working for the MAN IN SUIT digs into
the WORKER’s pockets. He pulls out extra lose change. She
had attempted to steal it.
WORKER
Please! I-I need it! My husband is
sick! He cannot work! No!
The two men pick her up and take her towards the door. The
MAN IN SUIT opens the door and the two men carrying the
WORKER throw her out of the door. The door is quickly shut
behind her. WORKER’s muffled shouts can be heard on the
other side of the large metal door.
MAN IN SUIT
Get back to work! All of you!
WORKER 7, now fully alert, continues to work. She is shaking
discretely.
EXT. CHINATOWN MORNING
WORKER 7 is on her way home. As she walks along the
sidewalk, she looks over and sees the bus come to pick up
and drop off passangers. She stops and stares for a moment.
ANOTHER FLASHBACK
EXT. CHINATOWN EVENING
WORKER 7 is shown getting off of the bus with her baby
brother in her arms. She looks around with slight amazement
at the area around her. She walks slowly along the sidewalk,
taking in the familiar, yet foreign buildings in her
surroundings. and sees an older American couple taking
pictures. She goes over to them.
(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 5.
WORKER 7
(in another language)
Excuse me, where is this address?
She holds up a piece of paper.
OLDER MAN
Uh, what now?
WORKER 7
(holds paper up to him)
Where is this?
OLDER MAN
I-I’m sorry dear, I don’t speak
your language.
WORKER 7
(trying to speak english)
A-Ahh-Ahhpart-ment?
OLDER MAN
Ahhhpart-ment?
OLDER WOMEN
I think she meant apartment, dear
OLDER MAN
Oh, oh apartment! Oh, let me see
here.
The OLDER MAN takes the paper and looks at it and finds the
address.
OLDER MAN
Hmmmm...well it looks like it
should be right around here...
He looks around and sees the apartment right across the
street.
OLDER MAN
Well, wouldn’t you know it! It’s
right over there! Ha-ha!
He points across the street, but WORKER 7 does not
understand. The OLDER MAN notices this.
OLDER MAN
(pointing)
Ahhhpart-ment!
WORKER 7 catches on to what he is trying to say.
(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 6.
WORKER 7
(nodding)
Ahhhpart-ment!
WORKER 7 stands in front of them staring up at the building
with a slightly amazed look on her face.
CUT BACK TO REALITY
EXT. CHINATOWN MORNING
WORKER 7 stares at the bus, then she stares up at her
apartment building. Her face is a look of disappointment.
She enters her apartment.
INT. APARTMENT BUILDING MORNING
WORKER 7 is staring at the money in her drawer. A sad look
is on her face. She closes the drawer.
WORKER 7 is sitting at the table staring at the wall. There
is a knock on her door, she is startled. She gets up quickly
and heads to the door and peeks through the peephole. It is
a man in a suit and tie. She quickly opens the door.
WORKER 7
Please come in, yes?
MAN
Um, I’m sorry I can’t. I only have
this letter for you.
It is the same voice from the phone call. He hands her a
letter. WORKER 7 stands there holding the letter, silently.
MAN
It is the beginning of a new week,
I’d like my payment now.
WORKER 7 is not paying attention to her, she is staring at
the envelope.
MAN
Ahem!
Her concentration is broken.
WORKER 7
Huh? Ah, yes. Wait.
(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 7.
She heads into the back room towards the drawer and begins
counting out some of the money. She comes back with a
handful and gives the money to the MAN. He counts out the
money.
MAN
Very well. I’ll let you know if
anything else comes up.
He walks away and WORKER 7 closes the door.
She takes the envelope to the table and opens it up. There
is a letter inside, the letter is in a different language. A
voice over reads the letter.
(V.O.)
Daughter, we are very sorry that we
have not yet been able to make it
to America. Times are getting
tougher here and we cannot make
enough money to make the move out
to you. We are afraid that we won’t
be able to make it this year, or
even the next. Please, take care of
your brother, and maybe someday we
will be reunited.
The v.o. ends and WORKER 7 is staring at the letter. She
begins to cry.
INT. SWEATSHOP
WORKER 7 is working quietly. Every few seconds she glances
around the room carefully, monitoring the location of every
person in the room. She watches as the MAN IN SUIT watches
over everybody else. Then, a man comes in and gets his
attention and takes him into another room.
There is a desk in the corner of the room where the MAN IN
SUIT sits and counts up the money to give to each employee.
WORKER 7 gets up and makes her way over to the desk quickly.
The other workers stare at her with eyes wide, but are too
afraid to stop working or even to say a word. She makes it
to the desk and opens one of the drawers. Inside one drawer
is a stack of money. She quickly reaches in and grabs
handfuls of money and puts it into her pockets. She hears
the two men arguing in the other room, so she quickly closes
the drawer and heads back. The other workers are amazed at
her courage, but are also terrified of what could happen.
MAN IN SUIT comes back out and continues to make his rounds.
He does not think to check the drawers since he only pays
the workers at the end of a shift.
8.
The end of the shift arrives. Instead of staying to receive
payment, WORKER 7 makes a hasty exit, unnoticed, just as the
MAN IN SUIT sits down at the desk as worker line up to get
payment.
EXT. CHINATOWN MORNING
WORKER 7 makes her way out to the alley, and just as she
does she can hear the MAN IN SUIT yelling. She begins to run
towards the outdoor markets, hiding herself among the
others. She has made her escape.
INT. APARTMENT BUILDING MORNING
WORKER 7 is staring into her money drawer again. There is
now a much larger amount and she is excited. She hurries to
the telephone and makes a phone call.
MAN
Hello?
WORKER 7
I think I have enough now, please
be here soon!
MAN
What? Oh, right, right,
right...okay hold on.
He hangs up. WORKER 7 hangs up and she is more excited.
She goes to the money drawer and gathers up all of the
money.
There is a knock at the door and WORKER 7 quickly heads over
to the door to answer. Without looking through the peephole
she opens the door. It is the MAN IN SUIT and two other men.
WORKER 7’s face has a paralyzed look on her face.
MAN IN SUIT
(coldly)
I heard from the other, workers,
that you have some things that
belong to me. Is that correct?
WORKER 7 stares silently
MAN IN SUIT
Now, I could have the police
involved in this, but that would
make things too much of a hassle, I
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 9.
MAN IN SUIT (cont’d)
think it is better for us to work
out things this way. Don’t you
agree?
She continues to stare.
MAN IN SUIT
(frustrated)
I hope you realize that no matter
what happens that you will no
longer be getting any more work,
correct? That means no more
payment, so no more food.
Eventually, no more place to live.
WORKER 7 says nothing.
Frustrated, the MAN IN SUIT looks over to one of the men and
nods her way. One of the men begin to enter the apartment.
At that moment, the MAN comes up the stairs and into the
doorway.
MAN
Well, well, what is this?
MAN IN SUIT
None of your concern, who might you
be?
MAN
I’m, uhh, a friend of this young
women, who might you be?
MAN IN SUIT
The same.
MAN
Is that right? Well, you wouldn’t
mind if I borrowed our friend here,
would you?
The MAN IN SUIT holds back his anger.
MAN IN SUIT
This women is a thief, she has
stolen from me!
MAN
Then why don’t you call the police?
File a report? I’m sure that
they’ll be able to help you out and
with the situation, right?
(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 10.
MAN IN SUIT
(holding back anger)
It is not that simple...
MAN
Oh? And why is that?
MAN IN SUIT
It is none of your concern.
MAN
Hmph. Then I guess we will be on
our way.
He looks to WORKER 7
MAN
I see your things are packed, grab
your brother and come along, will
you?
WORKER 7 does what she is told and quickly leaves with the
MAN.
Once outside, they get into a taxi that is waiting for them.
MAN
Airport, please.
WORKER 7 smiles at the MAN and he smiles lightly back at
her. The taxi takes off as the sun is seen rising into the
sky.
