oldEpisode Four-hundred-seventy-seven:
Jack finds $100,000, but the Money
Belongs to a Drug Dealer; He Thinks
All His Problems Are Solved.

---

[Air date early January, 1993]

 

SCENE ONE: THE SAME NIGHT AND AS JULIE LEAVES, CARLY ARRIVES TO SEE JENNIFER. CARLY SAYS THAT SHE HEARD JULIE SAY SHE WAS ARRANGING A FURNITURE SALE HERE TONIGHT. JENNIFER EXPLAINS THAT JACK HAS BEEN OFFERED A JOB IN SAUDI ARABIA AND SHE AND ABBY ARE GOING WITH HIM.

SCENE TWO: MEANWHILE IN THE BARN, THE MONEY IS STILL FALLING AND JACK BEGINS TO GRAB SOME OF IT.

JACK: What is this? This.... is some kind of a bizarre joke. Some kind.... no. No this is real. This is a real hundred dollar bill. It's hundreds and hundreds of hundred dollar bills. Aaaaah.... oooooh. This is no joke.

 

THE MONEY BEGINS TO POUR DOWN AND JACK SITS DOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF IT.

 

JACK: HAHAHAH. WHOA.... how, why, WHY.... HOW DID IT GET HERE? HOW DID IT GET HERE? WHO DOES IT BELONG TO?

 

HE SPINS ROUND.

 

JACK: Me! That's who it belongs to.

 

HE STARTS TO GATHER UP THE MONEY.

 

JACK: I mean finder's keepers. Possession is nine-tenths of the law and I possess. I.... I ah.... it's a sign. It is a sign. It's a sign. It's a sign. It's a sign that the lord works in mysterious ways.

 

HE CRAMS HIS POCKETS WITH THE MONEY.

SCENE THREE: BACK AT THE HOUSE, JENNIFER TRIES TO EXPLAIN TO CARLY ABOUT THE JOB AND SHE ALSO TELLS HER THAT JACK HAS NO IDEA THAT SHE IS SELLING THE FURNITURE AND GOING WITH HIM TO SAUDI ARABIA.

SCENE FOUR: SOMETIME LATER, JULIE SENDS OVER A GROUP OF BUYERS TO LOOK AT THE FURNITURE. THEY ARE ALL WALKING AROUND THE LIVING ROOM WHEN JACK COMES BURSTING IN HOLDING HIS COAT TIGHTLY SHUT.

 

JACK: Jennifer, Jennifer, I....

 

SHE IS TALKING TO A BUYER AND SHE TURNS TO JACK AND SIGNALS HIM WITH HER EYES TO BE QUIET AND LET HER FINISH. HE LOOKS AROUND AND WONDERS WHO ALL THESE PEOPLE ARE IN HIS HOUSE.

 

JENNIFER: And so we can make a deal and....

JACK: A deal.... I'm sorry, a deal? A deal with what?

JENNIFER: We are selling all our furniture Jack. Isn't that wonderful?

JACK: We are?

JENNIFER: Yes we are.

JACK: No.

BUYER: Okay I'll write you a check.

JENNIFER: Wonderful, wonderful.

JACK: No, no, you won't, you won't.

JENNIFER: Yes, he's going to write us a big check Jack.

JACK: No, you will do no such thing you understand. We don't need it. Excuse me.

 

JACK CLAPS HIS HANDS.

 

JENNIFER: No.

 

JACK: Attention everyone. There's been a big mistake tonight. This is not where the sale is. Actually the sale's down the street I believe. Wrong house.

JENNIFER: Jack you don't know what you're talking about.

 

JACK OPENS THE FRONT DOOR.

 

JACK: So sorry. Excuse me, we don't need your money. We're rich, rich, rich, rich beyond our wildest dreams.

JENNIFER: Jack, we're not rich.

JACK: I don't mean in money. I mean in faith. Faith in our friends. Faith in our country. Faith in our fellow man because we love our friends. We love our country and we love our fellow man.

 

HE HUGS THE BUYER.

 

JENNIFER: Jack!

JACK: Now get the hell out of here. Thanks for coming. Good day. Good night.

 

HE SLAMS THE DOOR BEHIND THE LAST OF THE BUYERS.

 

JACK: Good riddens. Yes! We are so....

 

HE RAISES HIS ARMS IN TRIUMPH.

 

JENNIFER: You get over here right now.

 

SHE GRABS HIM BY THE COLLAR.

 

JENNIFER: You say that again. Say it again.

JACK: What, that we're rich? That we're....

JENNIFER: You stink! You've been drinking. That's what you've been doing. You said you were going to go out and get some air and you've been drinking.

JACK: No, no, no, no. I am in complete.... full control of my faculties.

JENNIFER: No you're not.

JACK: Not only that I am full of a self esteem and a confidence and a good will towards all men and a deep and abiding faith in the future of all mankind.

 

JENNIFER IS CONFUSED. SHE GOES UPSTAIRS TO CHECK ON ABBY.

SCENE FIVE: A SHORT TIME LATER, WHEN SHE COMES BACK DOWN, JACK IS OPENING A BOTTLE OF CHAMPAGNE.

 

JENNIFER: What in the world? What are you doing Jack? How could you do this to me Jack?

JACK: Oh, oh, oh, is the little one still asleep?

JENNIFER: Yes luckily so she doesn't see what a fool her father is.

JACK: Isn't there a couple of glasses for champagne. The ones we got for the wedding.

JENNIFER: This is the last thing that you need and it is the last thing that I want to drink okay. There is nothing to celebrate.

JACK: Oh en contraire. The tide has turned Jennifer. It's turned.

JENNIFER: What tide? Are you talking about this job in Saudi Arabia?

JACK: Saudi Arabia! Sand! I love it, I love it, I love it.

JENNIFER: What?

JACK: I was such a fool to think I was actually going to go to Saudi Arabia. I must have been out of my mind.

JENNIFER: What are you talking about?

JACK: Jennifer I can't believe I didn't have the confidence in myself. That I didn't have the strength of mind to realize that I could turn it all around, right here, right here. I must have been.... so cynical.

JENNIFER: You're not cynical anymore Jack?

JACK: No, I'm not. And I never will be again. Don't you understand because you see.... one has things happen to them in life. And if something happens, something bad for instance, it may all happen for a brief while but I know now.... I know now that one need only have patience. One need only wait and wonderful wonderful miracles will fall right down on one's head.

 

JENNIFER IS FROWNING AT HIM LIKE HE IS CRAZY.

 

JENNIFER: What are you talking about?

JACK: I'm talking about miracles. I'm talking about me staying right here in Salem and taking care of you and our child. I'm talking about realizing a life that is wonderful beautiful fabulous and totally fair. Life is so fair. It's so.... incredibly sexy.

 

HE KISSES HER.

 

JACK: Excuse me. Did I say life was sexy? I meant....

 

SHE WIPES HER MOUTH FROM HIS KISS AND PULLS A FACE.

 

JENNIFER: Yes, yes you did say that Jack.

JACK: You know what I meant. I meant that you're sexy and I love you. May I do that again, please?

JENNIFER: No, Jack....

 

HE KISSES HER AGAIN ANYWAY.

 

JACK: Hmmmm, mmmm....

JENNIFER: Jack.... Jack, look I appreciate this wonderful mood that you are in all right and I wouldn't want to do anything to jeopardize it seeing it is so rare but I don't understand this behavior. I want to know where this optimism came from, okay. You walked out of the house. What did you do? Did you read a book? Did you see a psychic? Did you go to a channeller? What did you do?

JACK: No, no. No, no, no, no, no, Jennifer. No, no.

JENNIFER: Did you meet someone?

JACK: Meet someone?

JENNIFER: What?

JACK: Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. I met someone.

JENNIFER: You met someone? Tell me, who did you meet Jack? Who did this to you?

JACK: I don't know how to say this but things are changing. Things are changing for the better. You see.... I saw.... I saw a sign. I saw a sign and now I have the feeling that things.... things may get better and better all the time. You see that money is closer than it's ever been.

 

HE HUGS HIS COAT AND LOOKS UP TO THE CEILING. JENNIFER IS STILL TOTALLY CONFUSED AND JACK'S EXPLANATIONS DON'T HELP MUCH.

 

JACK: The man's face, you should have seen the look on the man's face. That I'm Victor Kiriakis and you're not look.

JENNIFER: Jack here's some nice hot coffee.

JACK: He was so arrogant, so full of himself, so sure that I was out of the loop, out of the picture. Well he's going to find out that Jack Deveraux is back and bigger than ever and I'm not about to let him take my paper from me.

JENNIFER: Okay, take a sip of this, okay. Take a....

JACK: I'm going to show him. I'm going to show everyone who ever doubted me that I am back. That I am invincible, invulnerable, intrepid.

JENNIFER: Intoxicated. Now take a sip of this coffee Jack.

JACK: No, no, no, no. Jennifer what you see before you is not a man who's had too much cheap wine although I have had too much cheap wine. You're looking at a man who's had a leap of faith. The exhilaration of a new lease on life.

JENNIFER: Okay, a little sip. Take a little sip of coffee.

 

HE TAKES A SIP.

 

JACK: If I can pull this off, just pull it off and it's going to be a coup. The coup of a lifetime. I'll show him. I'll show everyone that Jack Deveraux is no man's fool. Jack Deveraux is a winner.... a winner. I'll have the world on a string....

 

ABBY STARTS TO CRY.

 

JENNIFER: Okay, okay, Mr. Coup, you stay here. I'm going to check on Abby. You stay right here.

JACK: I'm right here.

JENNIFER: Don't move.

 

JENNIFER GOES TO SEE ABBY.

 

JACK: It's a coup. It's a coup for me and you and everybody and I've just.... AAAAAHHHH, it's a miracle, that's what it is. It's a miracle.

 

HE REACHES IN HIS COAT AND PULLS OUT SOME NOTES MIXED WITH HAY. HE STARES AT IT AS IF HE'S IN LOVE.

 

JACK: AAAAAH, aaaaah, how sweet it is.

 

JACK DECIDES TO EMPTY HIS POCKETS AND HIDE THE MONEY. HE SEE A LARGE OLD AND VERY UGLY VASE STANDING ON A TABLE AND HE STUFFS THE MONEY DOWN INTO IT AND STUFFS A SOCK DOWN ON TOP OF IT. HE HAS JUST FINISHED WHEN JENNIFER COMES BACK DOWNSTAIRS.

 

JENNIFER: All right, I finally got Abby asleep. Wouldn't it be wonderful if she slept through her 2 am feeding?

JACK: Yes, yes, it would.

JENNIFER: Wouldn't it be even more wonderful if you could sober up enough to tell me what happened to you?

JACK: You know it's been such a long day and it's been a much longer night, couldn't we just talk about it in the morning?

JENNIFER: Jack, you're not going to remember in the morning. You're going to be too hungover.

JACK: I.... I feel there is nothing I could look forward to more than just a nice soft bed. Would you join me, please?

JENNIFER: Ah, I'll be up in a minute, all right. I have to put the garbage out. Tomorrow's garbage day. You do ahead.

JACK: Okay, don't worry. Okay.

 

HE TRIPS OVER A BOX AS HE TRIES TO GO UPSTAIRS.

 

JACK: Oh.... I love you. Don't be long.

 

HE STAGGERS UPSTAIRS IN HIGH SPIRITS.

 

JENNIFER: You're going to have a hard morning Jack.

 

SHE PICKS UP AN OLD CARDBOARD BOX AND WALKS AROUND PUTTING IN NEWSPAPER AND STUFF THAT NEEDS TO GO OUT WITH THE GARBAGE. SHE THROWS IN HIS BOTTLE OF CHAMPAGNE AND THEN SEES THE UGLY VASE THAT JACK STUFFED THE MONEY IN.

 

JENNIFER: Oh gosh, who would buy this ugly thing.

 

SHE PUTS IT IN WITH THE OTHER GARBAGE THEN COLLECTS SOME MORE PAPER TO GO ON TOP.

 

JENNIFER: All right Jack, I'll be up in a minute. I just want to put all this out, all right.

 

SHE GOES OUTSIDE TO THE TRASH CAN AND PLACES THE BOX ON TOP OF IT.