359. The Belated Apology - Leslie

• FADE IN:


• INT. COLLEGE BANQUET HALL - EVENING


• The banquet hall is packed with people milling around tables, the buzz loud buzz of conversation filling the place.


• A sign hangs above the small stage near the front, proclaiming WELCOME HOME ALUMNI!


• JACK wanders the tables, searching for familiar faces.


• He winds his way through the mass of people and spots an empty table on the edge of the room.


• He sits down sideways, head still swiveling to pick out a familiar face.


• Hearing someone sit at the table, he turns around.


• LIZA is sitting across from him, her name printed in large sharpie letter on her name tag.


• She gives him a half smile.


• LIZA
• Hey Jack.


• JACK
• Wow...it's been forever.


• LIZA
• Fifteen years.


• JACK
• How are things? I heard you'd gotten married to Henry - you guys running a restaurant?


• LIZA
• We co-own it and I'm the exec chef.


• JACK
• Wow, that's pretty amazing. Sounds like it worked out well for you - it's what you wanted...exactly.


• LIZA
• I'm kind of impressed with myself too. You still designing clothes?


• JACK
• Still doing the fashion thing. Had a runway show in New York two months ago - still tough, but it's getting better.


• LIZA
• Good to hear you're sticking with it.


• They pause awkwardly and Jack looks around.


• He looks back, Liza's ring catching his eye.


• JACK
• How's Henry?


• LIZA
• He's good, he's good.


• They are silent for a while longer.


• JACK
• I'm sorry, I have to ask. This has been eating away at me since college.


• LIZA
• Yeah?


• JACK
• Did I break your heart?


• LIZA
• Yeah, you did. It wasn't the worst heartbreak I've ever had, wasn't the worst heartbreak at the time, but you did.


• JACK
• I just...


• LIZA
• One day everything was ok, the next you couldn't even hold my hand without wincing.


• JACK
• Yeah, I guess it seemed like it. Internally, I'd been debating for a long time - and I guess one day, I just realized it wasn't working, and then it got really hard.


• LIZA
• You could have said something, and not tried, badly, to keep things going.


• JACK
• Man, I must have been the biggest idiot.


• LIZA
• You were a jerk.


• JACK
• The more I've thought about it, the worse I've felt. I wanted to be perfect, the perfect nice guy - and instead...


• LIZA
• You were really sweet, you were the nice guy - you just handled the whole break-up part badly.


• JACK
• And the worst of it was,


• LIZA
• That you never said anything and I had to break up with you - and I was still very in love with you. I had to break up for you.


• JACK
• I really screwed up and I never apologized. I'm so sorry. I really am.


• LIZA
• It's ok, I got over it - we both learned. At least I did. You better have.


• JACK
• And keep learning every day.


• Liza glances over at the bar on the other side of the room.


• LIZA
• Hey, Henry's waiting for me. I just wanted to say hi.


• JACK
• Good seeing you.


• LIZA
• You too. Hey, chin up. You're still a nice guy. Just, well, you know. But you say you've learned.


• JACK
• I'm sorry.


• LIZA
• Bye, Jack.


• JACK
• Bye.


• He watches her go, then turns to the wall and slumps a bit in his chair.


• FADE TO BLACK.