oldEpisode Five-hundred-thirty-two:
"The Journey": Before It Is too Late
Jack Remembers Their 2nd Anniversary.
Jack and Jennifer Share a Happy
and Romantic Anniversary Together.

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[Air date July 2nd, 1993]

SCENE ONE: IT IS A FEW DAYS LATER AND THINGS SEEM TO BE BACK TO NORMAL. JACK IS BACK AT THE PAPER AND ON THE PHONE WITH KATE.

 

JACK: Kate Roberts, how was your trip?

KATE: It was terrific. I got a lot accomplished but I'm anxious to know how everything went on here at the paper.

JACK: Everything is going great guns which fortunately is good.

KATE: Well listen if you're planning to be there for a while I could drop by now.

JACK: Okay, prepare for a full run-down. My schedule's free throughout the whole evening.

KATE: Oh that's great. I'm on my way. See you.

SCENE TWO: BACK AT HOME, JENNIFER IS TALKING TO AUSTIN WHO HAS JUST BEEN WITH HER TO SEE LAURA IN THE SANITARIUM. SHE ALSO TELLS AUSTIN THAT TODAY IS THEIR SECOND WEDDING ANNIVERSARY AND JACK SEEMS TO HAVE FORGOTTEN.

SCENE THREE: JACK IS STILL AT WORK ON THE PHONE AND WAITING FOR KATE WHEN JO ARRIVES.

 

JACK: Just get it done, right!

 

JO WALKS IN. JACK IS SICK WITH WORRY, SEEING JO, THINKING ABBY IS SICK AGAIN.

 

JACK: Vern, I'm very.... Jo what are you doing here?

 

JO GIVES HIM A LOOK.

 

JACK: Oh no, she's sick. She's sick. I know she's sick. It's alright. She has a fever. It's alright....

 

HE GRABS HIS COAT AND RUNS TO THE DOOR.

 

JO: No, no, no. Abby is fine. I'm here because you're here.

JACK: Excuse me?

JO: I think it's time for you to stop working and go home and be with your wife.

JACK: Jennifer sent you, didn't she?

JO: No. No of course Jennifer didn't send me but she's home and I think she's had a rough day and I think you should go home now.

JACK: Well thank you. I would love to go home now but unfortunately I have a lot of business to take care of which includes a business meeting with Kate Roberts which is about to take place in just a few minutes.

JO: Sometimes I wonder if you've actually learned anything, Mr. Jack Deveraux.

JACK: I learned one thing that's for sure. If you don't do the work, the job doesn't get done. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a lot of work to do.

JO: There are a lot of things in life that are more important than work. I just hope you find that out before it's too late.

 

JACK IGNORES HER AND PICKS UP THE PHONE.

 

JACK: Hello, yes, yes, it's me again. No I don't.... I don't like it and you know it. Thanks. You get in here and take care of it right now. Thank you.

 

JO LEAVES IN DISGUST.

SCENE FOUR: AT HOME, JENNIFER IS TRYING TO EXPLAIN THE WAY THAT JACK LOVES HER AND SHE SAYS THAT ALTHOUGH HE SEEMS TO HAVE FORGOTTEN THEIR ANNIVERSARY HE SHOWS HIS LOVE IN OTHER MORE ECCENTRIC WAYS AND THAT THERE IS NOTHING SHE WOULD NOT FORGIVE JACK FOR. HOWEVER, SHE SAYS THAT SHE WISHES SHE COULD SHAKE JACK SOMETIMES TO MAKE HIM TALK ABOUT HIS FEELINGS.

SCENE FIVE: AT THE PAPER, JACK IS GOING OVER ARTWORK FOR THE NEXT DAY WHEN KATE WALKS IN.

 

KATE: Oh just what I like to see. My editor-in-chief hard at work, making a successful newspaper even more so.

JACK: Thank you very much. Welcome back.

KATE: Thank you.

JACK: I hope while you were in New York you were able to squeeze in a few moments for the benefit of the small but successful Spectator.

KATE: I managed to squeeze in a little time, yes.

JACK: Good. Congratulations. Please take a look at this and you can congratulate me.

KATE: Oh my word. Revenues this high in less than a month!

JACK: Huh, huh.

KATE: Jack this is incredible.

JACK: Yes.

KATE: Congratulations!

JACK: Thank you very much. Now is this what you've got planned for tomorrow's edition?

JACK: Yes, yes, it is. I've got a couple of things there. I'm not quite pleased with the layout of....

KATE: What's this picture of Lucas?

JACK: Luc.... I'm not quite sure. I guess that was taken this morning at the opening of Horton Center.

KATE: I need a copy of it for my files.

JACK: Alright.

KATE: I'm making a file of every photograph and article that Lucas is in.

JACK: Huh, huh.

KATE: For his future.

JACK: You mean for your dream for his political career?

KATE: Yes, we have to have something that drives us in life if we're ever going to accomplish anything.

JACK: Here, here.

KATE: For me it's my son. I would imagine for you it's Jennifer and Abigail.

JACK: As a matter of fact it is.

KATE: Oh speaking of Jennifer.

JACK: Huh, huh.

KATE: I saw her at the Chicago airport when I was changing planes.

 

JACK IS VERY SURPRISED.

JACK: Jennifer was in Chicago?

KATE: Jennifer didn't tell you she was going to Chicago?

JACK: Well not exactly. We didn't actually have time to discuss our travel itinerary. As you can see I've been rather swamped.

KATE: Well she was there.... with Austin Reed.

 

JACK IS EVEN MORE SURPRISED.

 

JACK: Yes, ah, they were working on their TV show.

KATE: No, actually she said something about seeing her mother for some medical history for Abigail. Genetic information, that kind of thing.

SCENE SIX: JACK SLOWLY REALIZES WHAT IS GOING ON.

 

JACK: Jennifer went to see her mother. Hence Jo came here to see me to get me to go home to see Jennifer.

KATE: I don't get the connection.

JACK: I'm sorry. Jennifer's mother is.... she's been institutionalized outside of Chicago. She's catatonic and Jennifer gets rather upset when she goes to visit her.

KATE: Well Jack that's understandable.

JACK: It's tragic. It's.... she's been institutionalized since Jennifer was just a child. It's been some seventeen years.

KATE: Well that must explain why Jennifer looked so stressed. Do they give her mother any chance of ever recovering?

JACK: Ah, the doctor's don't give us much hope.

KATE: That's awful.

JACK: Then again it was.... good that Austin was there with her.

KATE: Well Jack I expect she needed a friend to help her face something that is obviously so painful.

JACK: Yes. Of course. Absolutely. Of course.

KATE: What else do you have planned for The Spectator's edition tomorrow?

JACK: For the edition tomorrow....

 

HE PICKS UP THE ARTWORK.

 

JACK: Tomorrow we have....

 

HE STARES AT THE ARTWORK.

 

JACK: Today.

KATE: What?

JACK: Not today. Oh not today, please. I couldn't have forgotten today.

KATE: What?

JACK: I.... ah.... my anniversary. My real anniversary. Not the fake one.

KATE: Your real anniversary.

JACK: My real anniversary. You'll excuse me. The story, it takes too long to tell and I need to get home. I'll tell you about it later. Have a good day. Have a good evening. I'll see you later.

 

SCENE SEVEN: AT HOME, JENNIFER IS READY FOR BED. SHE IS DRESSED IN A WHILE LACE NEGLIGEE AND ROBE. SHE TURNS OFF THE LAMP AS JACK BURSTS IN THE DOOR CARRYING A HUGE BUNCH OF WHITE FLOWERS SCATTERED WITH RED ROSES AND A BOTTLE OF CHAMPAGNE.

JENNIFER: Jack!

JACK: Happy anniversary, happy anniversary, happy.... anniversary.

JENNIFER: I knew that you'd remember.

JACK: Just in time. Yes. One of the most important days of my life. Yes.

 

JENNIFER IS BEAMING AS HE LEANS DOWN TO KISS HER.

SCENE EIGHT: THEY HAVE GONE OUTSIDE TO THE BACKYARD — WITH THEIR CHAMPAGNE AND A BABY MONITOR.

 

JENNIFER: Do you have any idea how happy you've made me tonight?

JACK: I'm finding out, thank you very much. I don't know how to tell you how happy you've made me feel. The past two years have been highly exciting and even more unpredictable.

HE KISSES HER TENDERLY AND PASSIONATELY.

 

JACK: Thank you.

 

SHE SPINS IN HIS ARMS SO THEY ARE BOTH LOOKING UP AT THE SKY AND HIS ARMS ARE WRAPPED AROUND HER. SHE BEGINS TO RECITE THE POEM, THE JOURNEY, WHICH SHE RECITED FOR HIM DURING THEIR WEDDING.

 

JENNIFER: "Now we will feel no rain, for each of us will be shelter to the other."

JACK LAUGHS.

 

JENNIFER: "Now we will feel no cold, for each of will be warmth to the other. Now there is no loneliness. We are two bodies.

JACK: We are two bodies.

JENNIFER: "There is one life before us."

 

JACK TRIES TO RECITE ALONG WITH HER, BUT HAS DIFFICULTY REMEMBER IT.

 

JACK: "One life before us."

JACK AND JENNIFER: (Together) "One home."

JENNIFER: "When the evening falls"

JACK: Falls.

 

JACK SCREWS UP HIS EYES TRYING TO REMEMBER THE NEXT LINE.

 

JACK: (Getting it wrong, but of course he would look down, he is taller.) I'll look down.

JENNIFER: "I'll look up."

JACK: Look up. I'll look up.

JENNIFER: I'll look up.

 

THEY BOTH LAUGH.

 

JENNIFER: "I'll take your hand."

JACK: I'll take your hand.

 

HE PUTS HIS CHAMPAGNE DOWN AND HOLDS HER HANDS AS SHE HOLDS HIS ARM.

JACK: "And you'll take mine. And we'll turn together to look at a road we've traveled.... to reach this, the hour of our happiness. It.... it's stretched behind us even as the future lies ahead. A long.... a long and winding road whose every turning means discovery."

 

SHE TURNS TO HIM AND HE HOLDS HER FACE IN HIS HANDS.

 

JENNIFER: "Old hopes."

JACK: Old hopes.

JENNIFER: "New laughter."

JACK: New.... laughter.

JENNIFER: "And shared tears."

JACK: Shared tears.

 

HE RUNS HIS FINGERS ALONG HER JAW LINE AND DOWN HER HAIR.

 

JENNIFER: "The adventure has just b...."

 

HE PUTS HIS FINGERS OVER HER LIPS TO STOP HER FINISHING THE POEM.

 

JACK: "Just begun...." thank you.

 

HE KISSES HER AGAIN AND AGAIN.

 

JACK: You know what I think?

JENNIFER: What?

JACK: I think that the neighbors have gotten enough of a....(Yelling so the neighbors can really hear.) I THINK THAT YOU'VE ALL GOT ENOUGH OF A SHOW FOR ONE NIGHT, DON'T YOU THINK?

 

JENNIFER PUTS HER HAND OVER HIS MOUTH TO STOP HIM YELLING OUT.

 

JACK: Don't you think?

JENNIFER: Yes, I do.

JACK: Okay, good, we don't do this outside. (Continuing to yell) WE'RE TAKING IT INSIDE...

 

JENNIFER KISSES HIM TO STOP HIM CALLING OUT. THEY CONTINUE TO KISS AS SHE GRABS THE MONITOR AND WALK INSIDE.