oldEpisode Two-hundred-thirty-five: Jennifer
Has Called Jack a Rapist. She Feels Terrible,
and Tries to Apologize, but Cannot Tell Him
About the Rape. The Wounds Are Too Deep,
Jack Is Devestated, His Deepest Fears Came True.

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[Air early January 1991]

 

 

SCENE ONE: JACK HAS TAKEN JENNIFER TO A CABIN IN THE WOODS AND WHEN HE TRIED TO KISS HER, SHE SLAPPED HIM AND CALLED HIM A RAPIST. HE IS STARING AT HER IN HORROR WHILE SHE TRIES TO EXPLAIN IN SOME WAY. TEARS ARE ROLLING DOWN HER FACE.

JACK: You called me a rapist.... you just called me a rapist.

 

EVEN JACK FINDS IT HARD TO BELIEVE SHE CALLED HIM THAT.

 

JENNIFER: No.... I didn't say.... no....

JACK: Don't say.... don't! (Beat) Don't say anything. (Beat) I think you just said it all.

JACK THINKS THAT ALL ALONG SHE HAS THOUGHT THAT AND NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS SHE WILL ALWAYS THINK THAT WAY. HE RUBS HIS FACE.

 

JACK: So you think I'm a rapist, huh? Is that what you think? You think I'm a rapist?

 

HE COULD NOT BE MORE HURT. HIS FACE IS FULL OF CONTEMPT FOR HER.

 

JENNIFER: Oh Jack, I'm so sorry....

JACK: NO, NO, NO. THERE'S NOTHING TO BE SORRY ABOUT IF THAT'S WHAT YOU REALLY FEEL.

JENNIFER: No it's not. I don't want you to think that any of this was your fault.

JACK: It's not.... no?

JENNIFER: I didn't mean to say that.

JACK: Then what did you mean to say?

JENNIFER: I didn't mean to say that.

JACK: THEN WHAT DID YOU MEAN TO SAY? WHY DID YOU SAY IT?

JENNIFER: I don't know I don't know what I meant to say. I don't even know I said it. I just.... I don't know. Maybe I have a lot of stress.... maybe it's work. Maybe.... maybe I'm doing this rape story and it just got to me. I don't know.

JACK: IT'S KAYLA! (Beat) It's because I raped Kayla. It's because I've finally gotten to you and you can't forget that I ever did that.

JENNIFER: No, that is not true, Jack.

JACK: It's not true? What is true? (Beat) Why don't you stop lying long enough to tell me what's true?

JENNIFER: You want to know the truth?

JACK: That would be very nice.

JENNIFER: The truth is.... is that I have been very upset lately.

JACK: I've noticed.

JENNIFER: But like I said, it's not because of you. Please don't think it is.

JACK: Then what is it?

JENNIFER: It's.... it's a lot of things. What about this marriage to Lawrence?

JACK: That'll soon be over.

JENNIFER: He's going to fight it Jack.

JACK: On what grounds Jennifer? On what grounds can he try to fight it? (Beat) Tell me!

JENNIFER: What about my grandmother? Alright, I'm worried about my grandmother.

JACK: And what about Emilio? He's dead. And what about Steve? He's dead too. And Hope and Nick? Everybody....

JENNIFER: Stop it Jack. You don't know what's happening. Just stop.

JACK: YOU STOP IT! (Beat) Stop trying to make things up. I know what this is about.

JENNIFER: I don't know what you mean.

JACK: It's always been there. (Beat) It's always been there hasn't it? And when we tried to think.... we tried to convince ourselves that it wasn't there but it always was. (Beat) We tried to rise above, so to speak. I can't tell you how many times you told me, I have changed. You told me that I had reformed and gotten past what happened with Kayla. I could now become a fine young individual in society. (Beat) And I bought it. (Beat)

JACK (CONT.) And I started thinking that I could have a relationship too.... a relationship free of judgment and full of unconditional love. Well I can say now, quite truthfully, that that's not true. And that's not going to happen. Because whenever we see each other across a crowded room.... or close up.... close enough to talk.... close enough to touch.... I know that deep down inside you're always going to be saying that I'm a rapist.

JENNIFER: NO I DON'T!

JACK: You don't?

JENNIFER: I mean it, I don't!

JACK: IT'S ALRIGHT, YOU SAID IT! YOU'VE ALREADY SAID THAT I AM A RAPIST. YOU SAID IT WITH YOUR OWN MOUTH. IT'S ALRIGHT. IT'S NOT YELLOW JOURNALISM WHEN IT'S TRUE!

JENNIFER: I love you!

JACK: You love me.

JENNIFER: You have to believe that. I love you more than anything.

JACK: HOW COULD YOU LOVE A PERSON THAT YOU THINK IS SO EVIL, SO VILE AND SO HORRIBLE? HOW COULD YOU LOVE A PERSON WHO IS SUCH A MONSTER?

JENNIFER: I don't think that Jack.

JACK: You don't think that.

 

HE BACKS AWAY FROM HER BUT SHE COMES TOWARDS HIM.

 

JENNIFER: No, listen to me. Listen to me.

 

SHE PUTS HER HAND OUT TOWARDS HIM BUT HE BRUSHES HER AWAY REVILED BY THE THOUGHT OF HER TOUCHING HIM.

 

JACK: No, don't...don't. DON'T TOUCH ME!

 

THEY LOOK IN EACH OTHER'S EYES AND BOTH KNOW THAT THE RIFT IS TOO GREAT TO FIX THIS TIME.

JACK: Don't.... don't come near me again. I mean, you never know you might get hurt, right!

JENNIFER: I don't want to hurt you.

JACK: It doesn't matter. I'm not blaming you. You can't help yourself anymore. You could just NEVER FACE my past. YOU COULDN'T COME TO DEAL WITH IT, COULD YOU?.... NO!

JENNIFER: If that were true, we would have never have made love in the first place.

 

THOSE WORDS REALLY CUT INTO JACK AND HE PAUSES, TRYING TO MAKE SOME SENSE OUT OF THEM.

JACK: If that was true.... what changed? What happened.... what happened?

 

JACK'S EYES FILL WITH TEARS.

 

JENNIFER: You just don't understand.

JACK: Oh no.... no, I think I understand.

 

JENNIFER IS CRYING.

 

JENNIFER: You don't understand.

JACK: I think I understand all too well Jennifer. If you'll excuse me, I think I'll get the limo.

 

JACK GRABS HIS COAT AND OPENS THE DOOR.

 

JENNIFER: Jack wait! Jack wait a minute.

 

HE PULLS IT SHUT IN HER FACE AND STOPS ON THE PORCH FOR A FEW MINUTES TO RECOVER A BIT.

INSIDE JENNIFER BEGINS TO SOB HEAVILY.

SCENE THREE: MINUTES LATER JACK IS WAITING IN THE LIMO FOR JENNIFER. HE IS SITTING AS FAR IN THE CORNER AS HE CAN TO BE AWAY FROM HER. THE SONG WICKED GAMES IS PLAYING.

The world was on fire,
no one could save me but you.
Strange what desire make foolish people do.

JACK PICKS UP THE ROSE THAT HE GAVE HER AT THE START OF THEIR TRIP.

I never dreamed that I'd need somebody like you.
And I never dreamed that I'd lose somebody like you.

SHE GETS IN THE OTHER SIDE AND LOOKS AT HIM. HE FREEZES UP.

No I don't want to fall in love.

 

JENNIFER: Jack, please look at me.

 

THE DRIVE BACK TO TOWN.

SCENE FOUR: AT THE LOFT JENNIFER OPENS THE DOOR AND JACK FOLLOWS HER IN WITH HER BAG. HE PUTS ON THE LIGHT AND SHE TURNS TO FACE HIM BUT HE AVOIDS HER EYES. HE PUTS DOWN THE BAG AND LEANS AGAINST THE KITCHEN BENCH STARING AT HER.

 

JENNIFER: I really wish you would say something.

 

HE CONTINUES TO STARE AT HER IN SILENCE.

JENNIFER (CONT.): Jack, I'm sorry. (Beat) I'm sorry for tonight and the way I've been acting these past weeks. I know I've hurt you. I've made you feel terrible. And whether you believe it or not, I didn't mean to. That's the last thing I wanted to do.

 

JACK HALF SMILES THINKING THAT SHE IS LYING TO HIM AGAIN. HE PUTS HIS HANDS IN HIS COAT POCKETS AND WALKS PAST HER.

 

JENNIFER (CONT.): I mean you say that I haven't accepted your past but that's not true. I have.

 

HE STARES UP AT THE CEILING.

 

JENNIFER (CONT.): All I care about is you Jack. I know it doesn't seem that way sometimes.... and I know how hard it is for you to understand. And I wish that I could explain it you but I can't. But you just have to know that it doesn't have anything to do with you. Nothing could change my feelings for you.(Beat) I love you Jack. I'll always love you.

 

HE SOFTENS A BIT HEARING HER SAY THAT.

 

JENNIFER(CONT.): You have to believe that. You just have to.

 

HE IS STILL SILENT AND FACING AWAY FROM HER.

 

JENNIFER (CONT.): I don't know what else to say. (Beat) Tell me, I mean tell me what I can do to make things right between us again.

 

HE TURNS TO FACE HER.

 

JACK: I don't believe there is anything that you can do. I don't believe there's anything that either of us can do.

JENNIFER: Jack, how can you say that? I mean there has to be something that we can do. We can work this out. I know we can.

JACK: I wouldn't be so sure about that anymore.

JENNIFER: Look what I said was a mistake. I didn't even know what I was saying. It was just a slip of the tongue.

JACK: A SLIP OF THE TONGUE? Is that what you just said, you said this was a slip of the tongue! How can you call someone a rapist and SAY IT'S A SLIP OF THE TONGUE, WHEN HE IS ONE!

JENNIFER: That's not true. You're not the same person anymore.

 

JACK SIGHS IN FRUSTRATION AT HEARING THOSE WORDS AGAIN.

 

JACK: No, I'm not the same person anymore. I'm so tired of that. I AM OF COURSE THE SAME PERSON! I HAVEN'T CHANGED. Oh of course there's been a few cosmetic changes on top. But inside I'm the same person I've always been. I know that, I've always known that. And I think deep inside, you think that too. But of course we had to wait until tonight to find that out.

JENNIFER: I WASN'T EVEN TALKING ABOUT YOU!

 

JACK IS NOW FURIOUS AND BEGINS TO SWING HIS ARM IN FRUSTRATION AND SHOUT AS LOUDLY AS HE POSSIBLY CAN.

 

JACK: WHO WERE YOU TALKING ABOUT IF YOU WEREN'T.... TALKING.... ABOUT.... ME? (Beat) WHO?

JENNIFER CANNOT ANSWER HIM AND HE MOVES AWAY IN FRUSTRATION AT HER SILENCE.

 

JENNIFER: Listen to me, alright Jack. You were the first man that I ever made love to and it took a long time because I wanted it to be right. And there was no man ever more right for me.

 

JACK FEELS THESE WORDS IN HIS HEART.

 

JENNIFER: And that's why I accepted your proposal because you're the man that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.

JACK: Don't throw that at me. (Beat) That was before I found out how you really felt about me.

JENNIFER: I DON'T FEEL THAT WAY. I DON'T THINK THAT.

JACK: THEN WHY DID YOU SAY IT?

JENNIFER: I don't know. I wasn't thinking.... I....

JACK: YOU WEREN'T THINKING.... YOU WEREN'T THINKING. YOU DISENGAGED YOUR BRAIN. YOU STARTED LETTING YOUR TONGUE ROLL AND SO YOU SAID WHAT YOU REALLY FELT INSIDE. THAT'S....

JENNIFER: No that's not true.

JACK: Isn't it?

JENNIFER: Just listen to me alright. I will admit that I'm having trouble with something right now. And I wish that I could tell you what it was but I can't. I can't tell you. Right. If you can just give me some time to work it out on my own, I can get through this. I can work it out.

JACK: THAT'S IT! You've got it, you've got it. We've got to work it out on our own. That's all we have to do.

JENNIFER: No I didn't mean that.

JACK: It's the best idea, all the way round. It's the best thing to do.

 

JACK HURRIES TO THE DOOR AND JENNIFER CHASES HIM.

 

JENNIFER: No Jack, listen to me. We need to talk about this.

JACK: It's the best thing to do.

JENNIFER: Jack.

 

SHE TOUCHES HIS ARM AND HE PULLS AWAY FROM HER.

 

JACK: I want to be alone, alright. I just want to be alone.

 

HE STOPS TO LISTEN BUT WILL NOT LOOK AT HER. SHE TURNS AWAY FROM HIM TOO.

 

JENNIFER: No matter what you think, I love you.

 

THEY TURN TO LOOK IN EACH OTHER'S EYES FOR A FEW SECONDS THEN HE SILENTLY SHUTS THE DOOR AND SHE FALLS AGAINST IT CRYING. OUTSIDE, JACK CAN HEAR HER CRYING BUT THE PAIN HE FEELS IS TOO DEEP TO HEAL. HE HAS BEEN TORN APART BY HER WORDS.

SCENE FIVE: AFTER HE HAS GONE, JENNIFER PICKS UP THE SHELL RING THAT HE GAVE HER ON THE ISLAND AND PUTS IT ON. SHE WALKS TO THE WINDOW AND LOOKS OUT ON THE FALLING SNOW AND BEGINS TO CRY AND SOB. THE SONG WICKED GAME PLAYS AGAIN.

The world was on fire, no one could save me but you.
Strange what desire make foolish people do.

JACK GETS IN THE LIMO FOR THE DRIVE HOME.

I never dreamed that I'd need somebody like you.
And I never dreamed that I'd lose somebody like you.

JACK PICKS UP THE ROSE AGAIN AND TAKES IN THE SCENT. THEN HE CRUSHES IT SLOWLY IN HIS HAND.

No I don't want to fall in love.
No I don't want to fall in love.