#jacksonschrieber

In the Movie/Game Room at the other end of the house, Jackson has a visitor...

JACKSON- “Symia?  I wasn’t expecting you, everything okay?” He reaches over and pecks her with a kiss on the cheek.

SYMIA- “I suppose I am okay. The game was really awesome last night. You and Gabe were amazing out there!”

JACKSON- “Yeah it was. Glad to end with a win and a winning season. Makes it all worthwhile I suppose. Dad was happier than I was I think.”

SYMIA- “Rowan was pretty excited too. Listen, Jack, we need to talk about something...”

JACKSON- “Sure babe, anything.  My mind and attention are all yours now that football season is finally over.”

SYMIA- “I never thought you let football get between us, Jack. You are always willing to listen to me, but this is important.”

JACKSON- “Okay, I am listening, seriously...”

SYMIA- “I am sorry Jack, but I didn’t tell you the truth last week. I didn’t want anything to effect the game, or get you distracted so I lied...”

JACKSON- “Okay, and you just said that you never thought I let football come between us, and now you are saying you kept something from me so that I wouldn’t get distracted? So which is it, Symia?”

SYMIA- “Keep your voice down, please... I just didn’t want anything I did to pull your concentration from the game and this would have.”

JACKSON- “Okay, fine.  What is it?  What is so important that you couldn’t tell me the truth??”

SYMIA- “I am pregnant, Jack. I lied about the results of the pregnancy test. I bought three of them to make sure, and they all showed positive. I didn’t tell you the truth because...”

JACKSON- “Because you didn’t think I could handle it?  Or because you didn’t think I should know the truth?  How long do you think you could have kept this from me Symia??  I mean you are pregnant for watchers sake, Don’t you think I would eventually have realized it !? Why, why would you tell me you weren’t when you were!? I can’t believe you did this Symia!!”

She breaks down in tears...

SETH- “So boys, I talked to Franklin and he has agreed to do your ceremony, so that is out of the way. As your wedding planner I think now we need to focus on the music and entertainment... So a band?”

IAN- “Mark is your sister still here?”

MARK- “Yeah, she is going to be here for a while. She is taking a break touring and trying to relax before she starts working on her next album.”

DANIEL- “So you think a band would be better than a DJ?”

SETH- “It’s your choice, I mean you know what you would like better. I think with a DJ you would get more of a mix of music.”

JACKSON- “As long as we all can dance to it, it doesn’t matter, I just wanna dance!”

IAN- “So do you think your sister would agree to sing at our wedding?, for the ceremony, I mean, not the reception.”

MARK- “Really?  I didn’t think you were a big country music fan, Ian.”

JACKSON- “You can’t dance to country music!!”

IAN- “Sure you can dance to country, but it’s for the ceremony, not the reception.”

MARK- “And you want Roxie to sing in your wedding??”

IAN- “YES!  I mean have you heard her??”

MARK- “Not really, I am not a big fan of country music.”

IAN- “OMG!  She is your sister, Mark, you should at least listen to her music.  But seriously, there is one song on her album that would be perfect for the ceremony. “For the Last Time”, Listen to it, you would love it. It would be perfect before we exchange vows.”

MARK- “Okay, I will ask her and see what she says.  But she is trying to take a break.”

IAN- “It’s just one song...and could you imagine the look on peoples faces when Roxie Cahill gets up and sings at my wedding?!!”

A FEW WEEKS LATER...

GABE- “Great game, Jack!!”

JACKSON- “Thanks to you!  We finally have a receiver that can catch the ball and run! There is no stopping us now! Oasis Springs down, once we play Windenburg and beat them, then it is on to the regional championship and then State!!”

GABE- “We are the dynamic duo, just like the coach said!”

JACKSON- “Brothers to the end!”

Jackson goes over to his locker to change and just stands there for a moment...

GABE- “Hey, Jack, you okay?”

JACKSON- “Yeah, just thinking about my mom.  Wish she could have seen this game. She was so excited for me to get the quarterback spot, and she didn’t even get to see me play.”

GABE- “Sorry brother, I know it’s got to be hard.  But at least your dad was here to see it!”

JACKSON- “Please don’t remind me! Of all the people I would want to be here, he is the last one I would have wanted to see in the stands.”

GABE- “Dude, I would love for my dad to be here.  He has never come to one of my games, ever! He always has something else to do, even now and he is retired!  Of course mom don’t come either, she is always too busy as well. Your old man is proud of you, I can tell.”

JACKSON- “Let’s just get dressed, Uncle Seth is waiting in the car for us.”

GABE- “Sure, but you should tell your dad thanks for coming.”

JACKSON- “Please just stay out of it, Gabe, okay?”

CASSIDY- “Am I missing something or is there something going on between you and Jackson?”

SYMIA- “Let’s just say that Jack and I have a difference of opinion on some things.”

CASSIDY- “Some things? Or Something?”

SYMIA- “Apparently more things than I realized.  Can we change the subject? I really do not want to focus on Jackson Schrieber tonight.”

CASSIDY- “Wow, must have been a big difference of opinions on those things, whatever they may be...”

SYMIA- “Please,... Cass?”

CASSIDY- “Okay, but sooner or later, you are going to half to talk about it. So the announcement is supposed to be made early tonight instead of waiting all night for the Prince and Princess to be crowned. Apparently due to the snow, they are not waiting.”

SYMIA- “And that’s another thing... Jackson will probably win the Prince title tonight, and If I was to be crowned Princess then we would have to dance together, and I am not wanting to be that close to him.”

CASSIDY- “Whatever it was, it was that bad, huh?”

SYMIA- “Yes.”

CASSIDY- “Well get ready for round two, because he is making his way across the dance floor, headed this way.”

Jackson puts Rowan down and she just glares at him, but what he wants to say is important and he has went over it in his head many times and wants to get it right...

JACKSON- “Listen Dad, I know at one time you loved mom, you loved her very much....”

ENOCH- “Yes, I did, she was an amazing mother, and wife Jackson.”

JACKSON- “I understand, I do. I mean you were only three years older than I am right now when I came along. When you should have been graduating high school, you were working and trying to be a father. I am sure it was difficult.  I can’t even imagine what I would do, or how I could do it.”

ENOCH- “I am not going to lie, it was hard. and I missed out on a lot.”

JACKSON- “Like football, college, all of those things that Seth was able to do. And over time I am sure you began to resent mom...and me and she probably felt the same at times.”

ENOCH- “Maybe she resented me, but she never ever did you.  You were her world, Jackson, trust me.”

JACKSON- “But she is not here anymore, at least not physically, all I have left is you dad. You and Rowan.  And you have done well for yourself this last year or two.  Hailey is a great person and great mom.  I am not saying I want to move in, because that wasn’t mom’s wish and honestly, I think it is better I am with Uncle Seth and Mark.  But I need a dad. And I am sorry for being such an---- an ass towards you. So if you will forgive me, I would really like to start over with you.”

Enoch grabs him and start hugging him.  So tight that he almost knocks the wind out of his son.

ENOCH- “I would like nothing more.  You have made me the happiest man alive right now Jackson!! You have nothing to apologize for. Your mother did good with you son, really good. You are smarter than any thirteen year old I’ve ever met.  I love you Jackson!”

ROWAN- “Dada, wove Jack Jack... I wove Jack Jack. He is my Jack Jack Dada!!  I wove Jack Jack!”

JACKSON- “Well girls, I just heard from a very reliable source that they are going to announce the winner of the Winter Princess.  SO I thought I would come over to congratulate the winner.”

CASSIDY- “Here it comes, Symia, you ready?”

SYMIA- “For you or Gloria to win.  I am not really into wearing crowns.”

ANNOUNCER- “Everyone, please, can we turn down the music. Due to the winter storm, we thought we would announce this years Winter Prince and Princess early so that those that wish to go home early can, to avoid driving in the dark in this mess.  so without further ado...

ANNOUNCER- “This years Winter Princess is Miss SYMIA BROWN!!  Symia, come on up and get your crown!!

CASSIDY- “See I told you, Congratulations, Symia”

JACKSON- “Yes, congrats, and soon you will meet me on the dance floor.”

SYMIA- “Fine, but will you step aside so I can go get my crown please?”

JACKSON- “Not before I properly congratulate you!”

MARK- “Franklin it is good to see you again, even if the circumstances are horrible.”

FRANKLIN- “Yes, such a terrible tragedy. You and your husband need to come out to the island and see our B&B, it is all completed and going to be ready for the Winterfest Season.”

MARK- “We will definitely need to do that! It may be a little more difficult to get away now that Jackson is living here with us.”

FRANKLIN- “Bring young Jack with you! We have activities for the kids so that the parents can have some time away from them.’

MARK- “Well, you have thought of everything.  And a beautiful eulogy today, thank you.”

JACKSON- “Grams, I apologized to Uncle Franklin, and I am sorry I was rude earlier.”

LILA- “Jackson, I know it has to be so hard for you, but you have to remember we all love you.  Including your father.”

JACKSON- “Sorry Grams, but I am just not ready for that yet.”

LILA- “Okay, but don’t wait too long. Life is short, son.”

JACKSON- “Yeah, I get that.”

LILA- “Oh baby, I am so sorry, give me a hug.”

Seth and Mark decided it was time to take up Franklin’s invitation and went to the Bed & Breakfast out on the Island near the lighthouse for a weekend stay. On the second night of their visit, very late in the evening, they get a visitor back at their house...

(’doorbell rings”)

JACKSON- “Coming, be right there!”

DANIEL- “(To himself)  “Nice house, being a vet and a psychologist pay off!”

DANIEL- “Hi, you must be Jackson, I an Detective Daniel Hartmann, is your father home?”

JACKSON- “Well my father doesn’t live here, he lives on the other side of town, but if you are looking for my uncle Seth, he and Mark went away for the weekend.”

DANIEL- “Oh... okay then.”

JACKSON- “But, Ian is here, if you would like to talk to him?”

DANIEL- “Oh, that would be great, thanks.”