Never Too Late

By: Caroline Layman

INT. NURSING HOME HALLWAY - MORNING 

The halls are quiet. ALICE (82), quiet and sweet, closes the door to her room and slowly shuffles down the hallway. 

She walks past the bulletin board filled with flyers of the events happening in the nursing home. Her pace falters as she glances at the board, but she lowers her head with regret and continues walking. 

Alice approaches a room full of people. She stops to observe, peeking in through the doorway. 

Someone spots her and waves for her to come in. Her face scrunches with confusion, and she shakes her head, standing frozen in the doorway. The person is persistent and stands up to greet her. She yields reluctantly and glances around the room as she walks in. 

INT. NURSING HOME ROOM - MORNING 

Chairs form a big semicircle in the middle of the room. The other elderly people sit, holding papers and pens, with smiles on their faces. 

Alice awkwardly makes her way to an empty seat, not making eye contact with anyone. 

The event continues. The instructor starts passing around papers. Alice receives a paper, looks down, and reads the bolded words at the top of the page: Autobiography. Her eyes widen with curiosity.

She looks up from her paper and glances at everyone around her. They are jittery with excitement and already beginning to write notes down. 

INT. ALICE'S ROOM - AFTERNOON 

Alice sits down at her desk with her paper and pen. An excited smile forms on her face as she looks from the assignment to a stack of books on her desk, their spines imprinted with the name Alice Alden. 

She moves as quickly as she can from her desk to her closet and rummages for an old wooden box. 

She brings the box back to her desk and quickly opens the lid. She picks up her pen with one hand and explores the contents in the box with her other hand.

2.

In the box, she finds her old volunteer badge from the library, a photo of her family when she was a child, and a photo of FRANKLIN (30s, Deceased), photographed mid-laughter and bright-eyed, his arms wrapped around a younger Alice. Alice pauses and smiles bittersweetly as tears well in her eyes. 

She reaches for another item, but her hand is met with nothing. She looks into the box, confused, and then back to the blank page and the three kept memories. She frowns and balls the paper up with frustration. 

Alice throws the memories back into the box, but then pauses. Her eyebrows raise as she spots a discolored piece of paper stuck to the bottom of the box. 

She delicately lifts the paper from the box and turns it over to examine it. An expression of remembrance flashes across her face. 

BEGIN FLASHBACK. EXT. PARK - DAY 

A young Alice (25) and Franklin (27) lie on a blanket in the park. The sun is setting, and vibrant colors paint the sky. Franklin lies on his back, arms behind his head, looking at the sky. Alice, next to him, lies on her stomach, swinging her feet in the air. She writes something on a piece of paper and turns to show Franklin. It reads Alice and Frank's Bucket List. She laughs as he reads it. He rolls to his side to look at Alice with a soft smile. His hand gestures for the list. She hands it to him, and he begins writing. 

END FLASHBACK 

INT. ALICE'S ROOM. AFTERNOON (CONT) 

Alice wipes the tears falling down her face. She gets up and lifts her chin as she walks out the door. 

INT. NURSING HOME HALLWAY - AFTERNOON 

Alice walks down the same hallway as before. 

She goes right up to the bulletin board that she has dismissed many times before, but this time she stops, stares at the board with a smile, and a newfound excitement for life. 

MONTAGE BEGINS 

INT. NURSING HOME KITCHEN - DAY 

3.

Alice ties an apron around her waist. Her eyes dart around the kitchen, looking at the strangers surrounding her. 

INTERCUT – ALICE’S ROOM – DAY 

Alice crosses the first item off her bucket list 

INT. NURSING HOME ROOM - DAY 

Alice sits behind an easel and canvas, paintbrush in hand. She looks at the lady next to her, and they both laugh at their messy canvases. 

INTERCUT – ALICE’S ROOM – DAY 

Alice crosses the next item off her bucket list: 

INT. Nursing HOME EVENT ROOM - DAY 

Alice has eyes on the instructor, trying to replicate the dance moves. Alice is radiant, freely moving to the music. 

INTERCUT – ALICE’S ROOM – DAY 

Alice crosses another item off her bucket list, her smile full of energy. 

MONTAGE ENDS 

INT. ALICE'S ROOM - MORNING 

Alice sits at her desk, staring proudly at her bucket list. 

She sets it next to her calendar. She stops. Her eyebrows raise when she sees the date. It has been a week, and the writing class is today. She frantically looks around for her autobiography, throwing things off her desk. 

Alice stands up to look around and freezes when she sees it on the floor, crumpled up in a ball. She sits back down with a sigh and puts her head in her hands. 

Eventually, she looks up at the clock. It's 12 pm. She looks at her calendar and reads under today's date, Writing class 12 pm. She unfolds the piece of paper and sits still, staring at the blank page. 

Alice looks at the open box of memories. She picks up the picture of Franklin. She starts crying, yearning for the life she could have lived. 

Through blurry eyes, she looks at the clock, 12:15. 

4.

Her gaze moves across her desk and she notices the bucket list. She smiles through her tears, almost everything is checked off. She wipes her tears and looks towards the door. 

Alice takes a deep breath, grabs her papers, and heads out the door. 

INT. NURSING HOME ROOM - DAY 

Alice quietly and hesitantly walks into the room. Everyone is seated in the semicircle of chairs, just like last week. 

The instructor notices her, turning his attention to her. Alice looks at the clock, then apologetically shrugs. The instructor smiles and generously waves her in. 

Alice stands before the group, familiar faces looking back at her. She presses down her clothes and breathes deeply. She lifts up her bucket list to show the group. 

The others are confused at first, squinting to see the paper. She then passes it around. As people see her list, handwritten and crossed off, they joyfully smile and pass it on, awaiting the next person's reaction. 

Alice stands before the group with a proud smile. One old man looks at the paper with his brows furrowed. He holds the paper up to Alice and points to the last unchecked box. Alice smiles mischievously. 

ONE MONTH LATER - INT. HELICOPTER - DAY 

Alice stands proudly with her hands on her hips, looking around her at all of the new friends. The group is nervously fidgeting; they are terrified but smile back at her, trying to hide it. She grins childishly as she pulls out the list and exaggeratedly checks off the last thing. 

Alice steps toward the edge of the helicopter. She closes her eyes and is met with a vision of Franklin, clear as day. He smiles, cheering her on. She takes a breath, and jumps.