At opening, we see Clark behind the counter of the new Circle K. Clark is energetic and enthusiastic, in many ways seeming larger than life because of his huge animations. Enter a tired Munamis, trudging through the door. Despite feeling weary, he loves gas stations and is excited to see the new store.

CLARK: Hi there! Can I help you?

MUNAMIS: No, that’s ok. I’m just looking.

CLARK: Well, just let me know if I can help you find anything in our little circle, K?

Clark laughs at his own joke. Munamis proceeds to peruse through the isles. As a teenage boy, he gravitates toward the junk food isle. Clark watches him while attending to the front counter drawers and food presentation. Munamis starts to fill his arms with fandoms candies and bags of chips. He then drops a soda which explodes.

MUNAMIS: (nervously laughing) Oh, boy. I always find a way to look stupid.

CLARK: Don’t sweat it. It’s ok.

MUNAMIS: (softly) This is why I don’t have any friends.

(Beat)

I’ll bet you’re the life of the party with your friends, huh?

CLARK: How’d you know?

MUNAMIS: Are you kidding? Everyone knows you. Clark Clarkson, the great track champion. You probably don’t know me, but people call me Munamis.

CLARK: Nice to meet you.

MUNAMIS: What’s that like, being, like, I don’t know, popular?

CLARK: It’s fun. Well, for everyone else.

MUNAMIS: Huh.

CLARK: (looking to the floor) Actually, it’s pretty lonely.

MUNAMIS: Being surrounded by people who like you is lonely? Being Clark Clarkson is lonely?!

CLARK: I know everything looks perfect from the outside. High GPA, State Titles, beautiful girlfriend…

MUNAMIS: (reciting) Five all time school speed records, class president, National Honor Society President, Student Council President, not to mention the newspapers call you ‘The Face of Burraville’. Yeah people talk about you. A lot.

CLARK: Yeah well, listen…

MUNAMIS: And you say it’s lonely? I’m lucky I have a girlfriend who puts up with me.

CLARK: I know how it sounds, but—

MUNAMIS: And you say your life is lonely?!

CLARK: (standing, frustrated) IT IS!!!

(Beat)

It is lonely. No one gets it. No one understands. Everyone wants to hear about my accomplishments, but nobody cares about who I am, they only care about how I’ve done. Except Ashley. She really tries to understand me, but she’s never carried the weight of everyone’s expectations of perfection.

(Beat)

I’m sorry, let me clean this up and get your things checked out.

MUNAMIS: (standing) Wait, hold on. My name isn’t actually Munamis. I just go by it. My real name is Jimmy.

CLARK: (shaking hands) How’d you get Munamis from Jimmy? Middle name?

MUNAMIS: Well, I don’t really have any friends outside of my coworkers. And McDonald’s doesn’t hire the brightest minds. I thought it would be funny to write ‘My Name Is’ on my name tag once, and someone actually thought it was my name. He read it ‘Munamis’, and so it’s been my name ever since.

CLARK: But didn’t people know you as Jimmy before that?

MUNAMIS: (chuckling) Clark, nobody remembers a Jimmy. Well at least not this Jimmy.

CLARK: I’m sorry. 

(Beat)

I don’t get forgotten. But that’s my curse. I don’t ever get to let my guard down.

MUNAMIS: I’m sorry.

CLARK: It’s ok.

MUNAMIS: It must be exhausting.

CLARK: It is.

MUNAMIS: Do you… I don’t know, be friends?

CLARK: That actually sounds really nice Jimmy. You free on Saturday?

MUNAMIS: Yeah, I’m not scheduled for work, so I’m free. And I don’t have any friends, remember?

CLARK: Well, you do now. 

(Beat)

Let’s get your stuff checked out now.

(They proceed to the counter with the groceries as the lights fade)

***

Munamis loved convenience stores and so right after his shift ended, he made a point to hurry to the new Circle K on the north side of town. 

“Hi there! Can I help you?” The clerk, who Munamis recognized as Clark Thompson, asked as he walked through the door primed to make that electronic beep Munamis   secretly loved.

“No, that’s ok. I’m just looking.” The popular kids at school always made Munamis feel uncomfortable. Especially the jocks.

“Well, just let me know if I can help you find anything in our little circle, K?” Clark said, laughing at his own joke.

Munamis proceeded to look through the isles of junk food with his full attention on the packages in front of him until he came across something that caught his eye, “Sour Patch Kids soda?” He asked himself.

“Yeah, that stuff is actually bomb,” Clark replied to the rhetorical question.

“Maybe I’ll have to try it then,” Munamis said as he grabbed the green can of the shelf. The perspiration that constantly lived on Munamis’ hands caused the can to be slick and slip out of his hands. The can exploded as soon as it hit the floor, causing Munamis to fall on flat his back.

“Is everything ok?” Clark called out.

“Yeah, it’s fine… I just need to… actually, could you help me out?” Munamis asked.

“Of course!”

As Clark rounded the end cap, he also slipped on the soda and lands right on top of the grounded Munamis.

“Ouch!” They said in unison.

They both attempt to get up, but as the floor is too slick they both fall down again.

“Oh, boy. I’m so sorry. I just…”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m sure it’s fine,” Clark responded.

After attempting to get up and again, they fall once more, this time sitting back to back. After both letting out a long sigh, they begin to laugh. Clark’s laugh was genuine, but Munamis’s was nervous.

“Well, the security footage probably looks great,” Clark said to relieve the tension.

“Oh, boy. I always find a way to look stupid,” murmured Munamis.

Clark could sense that this situation actually had an effect on Munamis and so he said, “Don’t sweat it, it’s ok.”

Still only focused on his slip up, Munamis said, “This is why I don’t have any friends.”

Breaking the intense awkward silence, Munamis said, “I’ll bet you’re the life of the party with your friends, huh?”

Pretending to be innocent, Clark simply said, “How’d you know?”

“Are you kidding?” Munais said, “Everyone knows you. Clark Clarkson, the great track champion. You probably don’t know me, but people call me Munamis.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“You probably have a huge group of friends, don’t you?”

“Yeah.”

“What’s that like, being, like, I don’t know, popular?”

“It’s fun. Well, for everyone else.”

“Huh.”

“Actually, it’s pretty lonely.”

Munamis couldn’t believe his ears. “Being surrounded by people who like you is lonely? Being Clark Clarkson is lonely?!”

The only thing Clark wanted was to deescalate the conversation, “I know everything looks perfect from the outside: High GPA, State Titles, beautiful girlfriend…”

Picking right up, Munamis continued, “Five All-Time school speed records, Class President, National Honor Society President, Student Council President, not to mention the newspapers call you ‘The Face of Burraville’. Yeah, people talk about you. A lot.”

“Yeah, well, listen…”

“And you say it’s lonely? I’m lucky I have a girlfriend who puts up with me.”

“I know how it sounds, but—”

“And you say your life is lonely!”

Clark was getting continually frustrated with Munamis, and so he shouted “IT IS!!!”

After a long silence, Clark said, “It is lonely. No one gets it. No one understands. Everyone wants to hear about my accomplishments, but nobody cares about who I am; they only care about how I’ve done. Except Ashley. She really tries to understand me, but she’s never carried the weight of everyone’s expectations of perfection.”

After Munamis didn’t respond, Clark said, “I’m sorry. Let me clean this up and get your things checked out.”

“Wait, hold up—”

“I knew shouldn’t have said anything,” Clark said, “I’m sorry. Let me just—”

“No, I actually understand what you’re saying. Like how people seem to like you only if you act the way they expect you to.”

“Yeah.”

“My name isn’t actually Munamis. I just go by it. My real name is Jimmy.

“How’d you get Munamis from Jimmy? Middle name?”

“Well, I don’t really have any friends outside of my coworkers,” Munamis explained, “and McDonald’s doesn’t hire the brightest minds. I thought it would be funny to write ‘My Name Is’ on my name tag once, and someone actually thought it was my name. He read it ‘Munamis’, and so it’s been my name ever since.”

“But didn’t people know you as Jimmy before that?”

Munamis laughed. “Clark, nobody remembers a Jimmy. Well at least not this Jimmy.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t get forgotten. But that’s my curse. I don’t ever get to let my guard down.”

Munamis didn’t know what to say so he just said “I’m sorry.”

“It’s ok.”

“It must be exhausting.”

“It is.”

Munamis took a big breath. He didn’t know how to say it, but he felt like he needed to, “I know this probably wouldn’t work, but… I don’t know, I could really use a friend. And it sounds like maybe you could too. I don’t know—I know that you’re busy and… well, you’re the great Clark Clarkson.”

“That actually sounds really nice, Jimmy. You free on Saturday?”

“Yeah, I’m not scheduled for work, so I’m free. And I don’t have any friends, remember?”

“Well, you do now. Let’s get your stuff checked out now.”