Their Story

(Chapter 2: Childhood Memories – Part 1)

Year 2039

"Abby, I have something to tell you." He said as he came through her front door, he looked worried, actually more nervous than worried.

"Sure Dad, what's up?" They walked to the couch in the lounge and sat down, silence, she started to get nervous herself, whenever her Dad – who was always joking around – got nervous and worried she did as well. Something must be really wrong, was it mum?

"Dad, are you okay?"

"Not really. Well there's no point delaying it – Abigail," he took her hands in his, "I'm dying, I've got lung cancer."

Silence.

"That isn't funny Dad."

"Wasn't meant to be sweetie."

"NO!" She jumped up and started pacing around the room, like she did when she got upset, nervous, excited, so okay she did it all the time – Abby always seemed to have too much energy. "This can't be happening – you can't die! I need you, Stephen needs you, God, what about Mum, she needs you so much!"

"I'm sorry Abby, but there's nothing the doctor's can do."

"But, but, but, I NEED YOU! I can't live without you. You are my role model Dad, you have always been. I love you; I don't want to loose you. There's so much that you and I haven't done, I was going to fly you and I to London for your birthday – show you where I studied and you were going to show me where Uncle Ross got married and you and Mum started dating. I've already asked Mum, she doesn't mind, this was going to be our trip."

"Life is too short at times… far too short."

"That doesn't make me feel any better! I can't live without you Dad."

"Abby, I have no worries about you, when you were born I looked into your eyes and saw your future – I knew you would rock the world and you have. I called you my little earth-mover 'cause you were gonna move the earth and you have! I never worried about you. You have a passion built inside you Abigail, so deep and strong, and you don't need me to help you anymore. It's your brother I'm more worried about, he's spent far too much time with Joey and Phoebe when he was younger – now as your Auntie Phoebe would say, he can be a bit flippy…"

"You mean floopy, Dad?"

"Yeah, floopy, he can be a bit floopy at times. You have to keep an eye on him!"

"No, I won't, because you are going to stay and keep an eye on him, yourself and if and when you leave us, then Mum will keep an eye on him. I don't want to be a parent to my younger brother."

"We aren't asking you to be honey. But there's something else I got to tell you."

"What?"

"Your Mum and I made a deal years ago, that if either of us got seriously ill and our children are grown up, then whoever isn't ill has the other's blessing to follow the other"

Silence.

"Is that a fancy way of saying that Mum is gonna commit suicide when you die?" She said is a surprisingly even voice.

"No, that means that WE, your Mum and I, are going to decide when we die and how."

"You're BOTH gonna commit suicide? So you also want a fucking joint funeral as well?"

"Abigail Geller Bing, watch your mouth!" She ignores him.

"Oh isn't it SOOOO Romeo and Juliet? SOOOO Romantic, '...and they loved each other so unconditionally that they decided to leave this world together, and spend the rest of eternity together…' is that what you two want to hear? To become a romantic legend, want me to put that on your fucking grave stone? Well guess what Dad? I happen to think Romeo and Juliet were very selfish – if they were real of course – I mean did they think for second about their family? And you're doing the same."

"You won't be alone Abby, you'll have Stephen, Aunt Rachel, Uncle Joey and Aunt Phoebe. You have to understand sweetie, your Mum and I watch everyday how your Aunt Rachel suffers without Uncle Ross by her side, she loved him so much and he died far too soon. I don't want Monica to live in pain like Rachel."

"What about us? You are so wrapped up in losing your wife and Mum losing her husband that you forget that you as making your children lose both parents at the same time!"

"It's not like that…" But Abby cuts him off.

"Yes it is, did I ever tell you about my friend Charlotte?" She continues without a response. "Well her Dad died when she was 21 and her brother was 16, he was only 48 and died because of a hospital fuck-up! And ever since we've been friends, which is many years now, not a week goes by when she misses her Dad. She adored her Dad like I adore you, but at least her Mum had the guts to let her husband die and stick around for her children."

"She was 21 and her brother 16, you're 39 and your brother is 37! Big difference!"

"Doesn't matter, we are still your children and we will still lose both parents at once. If you and Mum do this, then I'll never forgive either of you." With that she stormed upstairs, leaving Chandler sitting on the couch, tears starting to scream down his face.

Year 2041

Abby thought back to the moment that her Dad told her he was dying, and then she smiles – remembering how much he had achieved in his life, especially since he had such a crappy childhood. She begins to tell his story…

Unless you are an only child you cannot understand the loneliness an only child feels which are why many only children are spoilt brats! Of course there are a few exceptions and Chandler was kind of in the middle of the scale, he was spoilt but no to the point of becoming a spoilt brat. The money came from Charles being a successful accountant before he changed his career, while Nora was a typical housewife. She didn't have to work, but became bored easily considering her wild past (she used to be a model-turned-wannabe-actress). So by the time Chandler went to school Nora had decided to start work again, although she tried to go back to modelling she discovered that she was pregnant again so basically her career was over. Abigail Bing was born in 1972, but due to pregnancy complications she was born premature, baby Abigail fought for nearly year before she died, and the death of their only daughter shook the Bing family more than ever. Nora threw herself into a new career, she was an ambitious woman and thus tried something new – novel writing – no, let me rephrase, erotic romance novel writing. Oh it sounds bad I know but true and she was good at it. Think about it, a bored housewife with an overactive imagination writing erotic romance novels. Well it worked and lucky too because the Bing's financial situation was going to change dramatically in a few years and Nora would find herself thrown from submissive housewife to dominant career driven single mother.

Until his parents' divorce Chandler had an ordinary childhood – a shy, sandy brown, blue eyed boy, good at school, a few friends – not popular but not disliked. Chandler was a quiet boy, after school every night would be the same – his Mum would pick him up from school, while the house boy would be making dinner. He would come home to a family dinner then he would be asked about school by his parents. After about 15-20 minutes of 'polite' conversation Chandler would go upstairs to the study to do his homework before going to his room to play.

Before his parents started arguing Chandler never really watched TV, he would rather play with his toys or when he got older he would read. When he was 8 his favourite teacher, Miss Carter, noticed Chandler's flare for reading and writing and she had called Nora to arrange a meeting to discuss Chandler's potentials. It was a Friday after school when Miss Carter was waiting with Chandler for Nora to arrive but when she did the teacher was sadly shocked. Nora wasn't interested in discussing Chandler, instead she had a dinner arranged with her publisher and since she never needed extra help to read and write and she had made it as an famous author, why should Chandler? Miss Carter felt bad for Chandler, so from then every lunch time for about half an hour, she would sit with Chandler and talk to him about books and his story writing.

And on Christmas Day 1977, while his parents were at a restaurant having a Christmas meal, Chandler was in his room surrounded by presents that he hadn't even opened yet. Instead he was enjoying the early Christmas present Miss Carter had brought him – The Lord of the Rings. He was sitting on his bed, but in Chandler's mind he was standing next to Sam Gamgee while he carried his master, Frodo Baggins, up Mount Doom to destroy the Ring of Power.

However, after Thanksgiving 1978 Chandler never read or wrote passionately again…

Early 1978

A just turned 9 year old Chandler ran upstairs to his bedroom tears screaming down his face. This was the third time this week that THEY had said things. THEY being the boys picking on him at school. His Mum was becoming famous with her books, so famous that other parents were reading her books and with a name like Bing it didn't take long for parents to realise that Chandler Bing was Nora Tyler Bing's son, then like children do – they find out and then they start to make fun of Chandler. The problem was that his Mum had never really told him much about her books, she had always told him they were 'adult stories' and he wouldn't understand them, so Chandler accepted it and continued reading his books. But now THEY were saying that his Mum's books were 'giggle-giggle-naughty-books' and started telling Chandler about conversations their parents have had about 'things' in the books. But what really hurt Chandler today was that one of THEM has stolen a copy of one of his Mum's books and gave it to Chandler to read in reading time – well not actually gave, rather thrust in front of him open at page 47 and out of instinct Chandler read. When Chandler finally gasped out of shock THEY shut the book and showed the front cover to Chandler. The title wasn't important, just the name of the author – NORA TYLER BING. Chandler had run out of his class and ran all the way home. So here he was, running into his room, grabbing a bag and starting to chuck a few clothes and his favourite book and his writing pad into the bag. Then he climbed out of his window, knowing that the house boy would have heard him come in and would tell his parents if he went out. He dropped the bag on the gram and climbed down the tree that grew by his bedroom window; he picked up his bag and continued running. He knew he had no where to go, all his friends weren't allowed to see Chandler anymore because of his Mum's books. Their parents didn't want their children accidentally reading that 'smut' but it wasn't 'smut' when they read the books in their beds at night. So Chandler ran to the first place anyone would look for him, but he didn't care – he just needed to get away for a while, and he had no where else to go.

Year 2041

Abby paused, remembering the story that her Dad told her years ago, that because of his Mum's fame, he had no friends at school. Then with his parents' divorce, he just couldn't emotionally deal with it all – 1978 – that fateful year, the worse year of his life.

As the summer days ended so was the Bing's marriage – Chandler knew it was happening but he didn't know why. They argued more, Chandler tried to drown out the rows by blasting his TV some nights, they argued mostly about his Dad's late nights – some weekends he never came home until late Sunday evening. Although his Mum got angry at first, eventually she either gave up or stopped caring because she started going out more as well. By the end of the summer Chandler spent most weekends with his Grandmother (his Mum's Mother), not that he minded, Chandler loved spending time with his Nan, she was fun and she took him out to the Zoo and swimming pools and other fun places. But what Chandler enjoyed most was listening to stories and often they used to make up their own stories.

As Thanksgiving came nearer the problems between Charles and Nora got worse, Chandler hated going home, he left for school earlier and stayed after school for as long as possible then every weekend he stayed at his Grandmother's. It was during Thanksgiving dinner, which he was dreading anyway, that he finally found out what problems his parents were having and their solution – a divorce.

Thanksgiving 1978

[Scene: The Bing household, Mr. and Mrs. Bing and Young Chandler are eating Thanksgiving dinner as a housekeeper serves them.]

Mrs. Bing: Now Chandler dear, just because your father and I are getting a divorce it doesn't mean we don't love you. It just means he would rather sleep with the house-boy than me.

The Housekeeper: More turkey Mr. Chandler? (And he makes eyes at him.)

Everything changed after that fateful Thanksgiving – not just his parents' marriage and lifestyle but also Chandler himself. He became bitter and angry; he started to develop sarcasm that would forever be a part of his personality. The once shy, quiet boy who preferred his own company now wanted attention and the only way he knew to get the attention he craved was to rebel. He started skipping school, not doing his homework and worse, he started smoking!

And it worked, but by the time his parents noticed the damage had been done, and although over the years Chandler's defensive sarcasm would change from bitter to playful, he lost all confidence in himself and his family. In desperation Charles and Nora sent Chandler to Nora's mother for a period of time to hopefully calm him down and give Charles and Nora time to sort out the final divorce arrangements and other issues.

Chandler was nearly 11 when he went back to live with his Mum, who then dumped him in a boarding school, and that decision wasn't his Grandmother's or Chandler's. Living with his Nan did do Chandler the world of good, and he loved it, he still saw his parents, weekends, holidays etc. But Charles and Nora kept moving around so Chandler stayed put. Charles eventually quit his job and moved to Las Vegas and arrangements were made for Chandler to visit his Dad every summer. Nora stayed in New York but she decided to complete her book contract as soon as possible so she could have enough money to take care of Chandler on her own – translation – pay for Chandler to go to a boarding school.

Two years for a child is a long time, and Nora noticed that, even though she saw her son regularly it's not the same as living with him every day. Chandler went back to a quiet, shy boy but for the not the same reasons as before the divorce. Chandler never talked about his loneliness, he started painting like his Grandmother did. He had come home from school one afternoon to find his Nan sitting in the garden painting her large garden, but in the painting there was a small garden house. Chandler asked why she had painted something that wasn't there and she replied that this was the fun of painting. You can paint out your dreams and one day they may come true. She was planning to build a garden house with her husband but he had died before they would build it (he died when Chandler was 3). She told Chandler to try it, so he did and over the years he not only got better, his paintings got more detailed. His first painting was of him, his Mum, Dad and his baby sister Abigail in his garden – together, as a family. As he got older he painted himself with friends and girlfriends and his paintings kept him company. He stared at them, living in the paintings. He never showed anyone them but his Nan, not his Mum, Dad or his future friends. His paintings were his way of coping with his loneliness and the only other person he voluntary showed his paintings to was his future wife. Although Chandler loved painting he never pursued it at school, in his eyes it was a personal release, not a talent or career.

Chandler's teenage years were pretty much the same, he hated boarding school, and he was never popular and only had a couple of friends. He met Michael and John when he started at the boarding school and they got up to the usual mischief, when graduation came all 3 of them made the empty promises of staying in touch after moving to college, but it never happened. The only way Chandler would be remembered from school would be as the class clown of graduating class 1987. Chandler was dreading college, back to square one – no friends, and the fact that had been at an all-boys boarding school meant that Chandler still never had a girlfriend at 18. The only reason Chandler went to college was so he didn't have to go back and live with his Mum, and was convinced that his time at college would be as bad at his time as school.

But that was before he met his roommate, Ross Geller…