oldEpisode Four-hundred-fifty-four: Jack
Finds a Box of Jennifer's Old Toys in
the Attic; He Also Finds Some Things the
Other Tenants Have Left Behind, When He
Asks Bill about the Tenants Bill Is Evasive.

[Air date mid-November 1992]

 

SCENE ONE: IT IS A FEW DAYS LATER, JACK IS UPSTAIRS CLEANING OUT THE ATTIC. OF COURSE HE'S WEARING A SHIRT AND TIE. HE MOVES A VERY HEAVY BOX TO ONE SIDE JUST AS JENNIFER COMES UP THE STEPS.

 

JACK: Oooooh, oie!

JENNIFER: Hi.

JACK: Hi.

JENNIFER: Oh, I finally got Abby down. How's the clean-up going?

JACK: Well I have established that this entire place is a fire trap.

JENNIFER: We didn't bring all these boxes from my grandparents, did we?

JACK: No, no. A lot of them were left over from the previous tenants. However there is something over there that you might find very interesting.

 

HE WALKS OVER AND PICKS UP A BOX.

 

JACK: Going through all these things I found that this was quite the surprise.

JENNIFER: Oooh. Well stop building this up and show me already. What is it?

 

JACK HAS JUST STRUGGLED TO GET THE HEAVY BOX OUT OF THE STACK.

 

JACK: Actually I found it rather interesting that of all the things you brought over from your grandparents that this was included.

JENNIFER: Well we can't open it Jack. It's not ours.

JACK: Correction. It's not mine. It's yours.

JENNIFER: Mine?

 

JACK TURNS THE BOX AROUND AND WRITTEN ON THE SIDE IS "JENNIFER'S TOYS."

 

JENNIFER: OOOOOH! This is all my old toys from when I was little?

JACK: Yes. Please go ahead and open it up.

 

JENNIFER GETS VERY EXCITED AND STARTS PULLING TOYS OUT OF THE BOX. FIRST SHE PULLS OUT AN OLD BARBIE DOLL.

SCENE TWO: JENNIFER IS EXCITED BECAUSE JACK HAS FOUND A BOX OF HER OLD TOYS IN THE ATTIC OF THEIR NEW HOME — BILL'S OLD HOME.

 

JENNIFER: OH! I don't believe it. My Barbie doll. Can you believe this?

JACK: An antique. It should fetch quite a bundle on the open market.

 

JACK TAKES THE DOLL FROM JENNIFER BUT SHE GRABS IT BACK.

 

JENNIFER: You give me that. I'm going to save this for Abby so she can play with her. Oh my gosh, let's see. (Beat) Oh my gosh, look at all this stuff. Look at this.

 

SHE PULLS OUT AN OLD PLASTIC TYPEWRITER.

 

JACK: A typewriter.

JENNIFER: Yes, my grandmother gave it to me for my fourth birthday.

JACK: Quite the psychic, isn't she?

JENNIFER: Oh no, don't tell me. It's Judy.

JACK: Judy?

JENNIFER: Judy, she's my best friend.

JACK: Humph, you keep your best friends stored in boxes? I suppose I should take notice and take care.

 

JENNIFER PULLS OUT THE DOLL. IT IS FACE IS FADED AND ITS EYES ARE SCARY LOOKING.

 

JENNIFER: I don't believe it. Oh I used to play with her for hours. My mom gave her to me one Christmas. (Beat) Oh I really wish that my mom could see Abigail. She would love her so much. She would be such a wonderful grandmother. I can just see her playing with her and talking to her. (Beat) Oh, it just doesn't seem fair, you know. Sometimes I wish so hard that she would get better. Last time I saw her she had no idea who I was. She hasn't known who I am for years.

JACK: Who knows, perhaps.... perhaps some day she will.

JENNIFER: Yeah.
oldEp454A
JACK: And some day, you and our child can.... can play with.... the little doll together and have.... have memories of your own.

JENNIFER: Yeah. And maybe one day Abby can have a box like this with all of her old things.

JACK: Some of your old things too.

 

JENNIFER: I love you.

 

THEY KISS EACH OTHER.

 

JENNIFER: Okay, all right. So.... do you need any help up here?

JACK: I don't believe so, why?

JENNIFER: Well I thought since Abby's asleep, maybe I'd go help Carly with more of her wedding plans. JACK: That would be fine. Just leave the monitor.

JENNIFER: Oh all right. It's....

JACK: It's right there.

JENNIFER: It's right here.

JACK: Yes.

JENNIFER: I'll put it right here. I won't be too long.

JACK: That's no problem. Do what you have to do. I'll have everything here....

JENNIFER: Yes, you have everything under control. I'll see you later Jack.

JACK: Yes, no problem.

 

HE PICKS UP THE DOLL.

 

JENNIFER: Oh, no, no, no. Thank you.

 

JACK SMILES AS SHE LEAVES THEN HE PICKS UP THE TOY TYPEWRITER AND PRESSES A FEW OF THE KEYS AS HE THINKS.

oldEp454B


SCENE THREE: JENNIFER MEETS CARLY AT THE BRADY PUB AND THEY DISCUSS SOME OF THE DETAILS OF THE SHOWER AND WEDDING. CARLY TEASES JENNIFER ABOUT HAVING COWBOYS AT HER WEDDING.

SCENE FOUR: JACK IS HOME LATER THAT EVENING WITH ABBY WHEN BILL COMES CALLING.

 

BILL: Hi Jack.

JACK: Ah, Jennifer's not here but please.... come in.

 

JACK IS HOLDING ABBY.

 

BILL: Well, I hope I'm not coming at a bad time.
oldEp454C
JACK: No, as a matter of fact, you're coming at a perfect time.
HE HANDS ABBY TO BILL.

 

BILL: Oooh you need help with something?

JACK: Yes. You see I'm upstairs cleaning out that attic and it seems that it's full of a lot of boxes belonging to your old tenants. Now if you could give me their names, numbers and addresses, perhaps we could ship it off to them.

BILL: Ah, no, no, no, Jack. You know I wouldn't do that. Whatever they wanted, they took with them. I checked after they left. Any else is junk.

JACK: Well what am I supposed to do with it all?

BILL: Throw it out.

JACK: Hahahaha, excuse me but after losing so many of my worldly possessions I feel a little odd doing that. BILL: You know Jack, you know I'm not even sure who the last tenants were. The whole thing was handled by a real estate broker.

 

BILL IS COOING OVER ABBY AS HE TALKS.

 

JACK: Well, perhaps we could call up the real estate broker, get those person's names and numbers and then we could find a way to get rid of it.

BILL: Oh Jack.... look Jack we are talking about junk. I don't think the broker would even know their current address. Now whatever they wanted they already took with them.

JACK: You know perhaps if we....

 

JACK SEEMS TO BE IN PAIN AND LIMPING A BIT.

 

BILL: Are you all right? It seems to me you're moving around here a little bit slowly.

JACK: I'm fine, thank you.

 

BILL: Oh you know one of the reasons I came by is I wanted to .... I wanted to check and make sure that Abigail's christening is this Friday. I have to head back to Chicago next week and I sure as heck don't want to miss it.

JACK: You won't. Perhaps by the time you get back you'll be able to remember more about those tenants. Excuse me.

 

BILL LEAVES AND JACK GETS ON WITH MOVING BOXES.

SCENE FIVE: A WHILE LATER, JACK IS STILL AT MOVING BOXES WHEN JENNIFER GETS HOME.

 

JACK: Oooooh.... aaaaah.

 

JACK DROPS A BOX AND PICKS IT BACK UP QUICKLY WHEN HE HEARS JENNIFER ENTERS.

 

JENNIFER: Hi Jack.

JACK: Hello.

JENNIFER: How did everything go when I was gone? Is Abby okay?

JACK: Sleeping.

JENNIFER: She's sleeping? You're a miracle worker.

JACK: Yes. Be that as it may perhaps we could take advantage of this brief time that we have together.

JENNIFER: What did you have in mind?

JACK: Just let me show you.

JENNIFER: What? Show me what?

 

JACK LIFTS THE LID ON A BOX REVEALING A LITTLE GIRL'S CHINA TEA SET.

 

JENNIFER: Oh my gosh! I can't believe it. I can't believe you found my tea set Jack. Do you know this was my favorite tea set? I used to sit and I used to play dolls and I would have Judy and Barbie and we all would sit around the table and I would set it up like a cute little tea thing.... you know what? I'm going to make tea for us. We're going to have tea right now.

JACK: No, why don't we just sit down and....

JENNIFER: No, you hold this. You set it all up. You know how to set it up right? You set it up and I'll be right back. JACK: Why don't we just sit down....

JENNIFER: Set it up Jack.

JACK: .... like adults.

 

JACK SIGHS HEAVILY AS JENNIFER GOES TO THE KITCHEN.

SCENE SIX: A SHORT WHILE LATER JACK IS LEANING OVER HIS COMPUTER WITH A TINY TEA CUP NEXT TO HIM.

 

JENNIFER: Okay here we go. Some tea for you?

JACK: Ah no....

JENNIFER: Look, little baby cookies. Come on, humor me, okay?

JACK: Yes.
oldEp454D

SHE BEGINS TO POUR SOME TEA INTO THE CUP WHEN ABBY STARTS TO CRY.

 

JENNIFER: Oh, it's time for a feeding. Here let me take care of all this Jack, for you?

 

SHE LEANS OVER THE COMPUTER.

 

JACK: Ah, no don't, don't.... please. This is all set up. You go take care of the child and I'll.... take care of this.

JENNIFER: You look very tired. Let me just do all this.

JACK: No listen, I'll deal with this. Believe me.

 

SHE PUTS HER ARMS AROUND HIM THEN KISSES HIS CHEEK.

 

JENNIFER: Drink your tea.

JACK: Yes.

JENNIFER: Goodbye. Mommy's coming honey, hold on. Here I come.

 

JENNIFER RUNS UPSTAIRS TO ABBY.

 

JACK: Don't worry about a thing.

 

JACK STAGGERS TO THE COUCH AND PUTS HIS FEET UP.

 

JACK: I have everything here under control. Aaaaah, I have everything here under control.

 

HE CLOSES HIS EYES AND RESTS AND THE CAMERA PANS TO THE LABEL ON A BOX HE HAS NOT OPENED YET. IT READS: "DO NOT OPEN - CONFIDENTIAL."

 

[Transcribed by Carol Vaughan
added material by Sally A. Wilson]