Okay. Silly error. See I, being the forgetful person that I am, forgot that Hang took place on the island of Maui, not Oahu like I wrote it. But seeing that it doesn't really affect the story that much, I'm just going to leave it that they live on Oahu. I hope that's okay with everyone!
Sorry for my mistake. And sorry this chapter took a while. I was swamped with homework and a fever this week.
Rachel tried to remain calm. "Joey…how could you leave Monica and Chandler's presents back in New York?" She asked through gritted teeth.
Ross and Phoebe joined in with their share of upsets and shocked remarks.
"Look, I'm sorry! Okay? I mean, what would you expect from me anyway?" Joey held his hands up in defense.
"Yeah…that's true." Phoebe suddenly realized, "Who assigned Joey caretaker of the presents in the first place?"
"Plus," Joey continued. "I was so excited about coming here and seeing Chandler and Monica, that I just…forgot to bring them. I mean, it's a harmless mistake. Anyone could have done it, right? No big deal…" Joey smiled meekly. Phoebe sighed heavily.
"No big deal?! Joey!! We have no presents for them now! And Christmas is a week away!" Rachel yelled. Ross gave her a small hug from the side.
"Relax honey. We'll think of something…won't we?" Ross glared hard at Joey.
"What? What are you looking at me for? I didn't forget the presents!" Everyone looked at Joey irritably.
"Yes you did, Joe." Ross said bluntly.
"Oh…right."
Meanwhile, Monica and Chandler were in their rooms upstairs changing into something more comfortable.
"Honey? Could you give me a hand with this zipper?" Monica faced her back toward Chandler.
After tugging with her zipper and finally getting it undone, Chandler spoke. "So, how'd you like dinner tonight?"
"It was great! Yeah…it was nice having dinner all together. Not the best restaurant in the world, however," Monica stated.
"Hey! Everyone likes the spinning restaurant," Chandler tried to defend his pick. Monica rolled her eyes and sat down on the edge of the bed, where Chandler had taken his seat.
"Did you really enjoy yourself?" Chandler could tell Monica was having mixed feelings. He tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear.
"It's just…" Monica paused. She was tired of saying the same thing over and over, " I really miss them. It was hard saying goodbye to…my life in New York, y'know? And every time they all come back to visit us, it makes me just…want to be back home."
"I understand how you're feeling Mon, but, I thought you liked it here."
"No I love it here Chandler! I'm not saying I want to move back to New York. I would just like to…maybe…visit them sometime?" Monica shrugged. She didn't really know exactly what she wanted. The case was, whenever the rest of the gang would come to visit or give them a call, she'd feel a sense of loneliness and nostalgia.
Chandler gave her a soft kiss. "Okay, how's this? Next time I win the lottery, we take a trip to New York City." Monica laughed and stood up.
"I'm gonna go see what the rest are up to."
The four were still lying on their beds, trying desperately to come up with a solution.
"Maybe we should just sleep on it. Y'know, maybe it'll just come to us in the morning." Ross suggested, fed up with reaching no avail. The rest of them agreed in unison and shot up from their lying positions as soon as Monica entered the room.
"Hey Mon! We weren't thinking about anything. We were just lying here…relaxing," Joey said nervously. Phoebe gave him a small whack under the covers.
"Okay…ummm, I was just wondering if you guys were getting tired," Monica said. "Because you've guys had a long day. Considering it's almost 3 in the morning New York time."
"Oh yeah. I haven't even noticed the jet lag." Rachel said. "I guess we should get to sleep." She looked at the others who nodded in agreement.
The next morning, Monica awoke to find Chandler had disappeared from his side of the bed. She looked at the digital clock and noticed it was already 7:30. She must have been exhausted the night before, for she usually woke up before 7. She stepped out of bed, the cold morning floor giving her bare feet chills. As she walked past the guestrooms, she noticed they were all still asleep, or seemed that way.
"Okay, so how are we gonna manage that?" Rachel whispered to Ross, who had woken them up 15 minutes ago when he found a solution to their evident problem. They didn't want to wake anyone in the house, or let Monica and Chandler know what they had done.
"Well, I'm not exactly sure yet. I was thinking, maybe two of us can stay with Chandler and Mon and keep them busy the whole day, while the other two of us go shopping for their presents," Ross whispered proudly.
"Yeah but, wouldn't it be weird if only two of us stay with them. I mean, what are they gonna think the other two of us are doing without everyone else?" Joey pointed out. The others pondered this for a moment.
"Oooh, maybe Ross and Rachel can go shopping. They can say they're…spending quality time alone in this magical place of paradise," Phoebe moved her hands mystically to emphasize her point.
"Hey, that's not a bad idea," Rachel whispered.
"Yeah, except how the hell are we gonna know where to go?" Ross whispered back.
"C'mon. It can't be that hard. I mean, you're a scientist, you can figure it out," Phoebe patted Ross' back.
Chandler frantically hung up the phone as Monica entered the kitchen.
"Honey, what were you doing?" Monica asked with a detective-like tone in her voice.
"No-nothing," Chandler stuttered. He was never good at covering up when he got caught. "What would you like for breakfast dear?" He tried to change the subject.
"You were checking the surf report again, weren't you?"
Chandler feigned shock. "How dare you accuse me of such a thing Monica. I mean, don't you trust your own husband? To think…" Chandler gave up as he saw Monica's unfazed _expression. "Yeah, I was."
"Chandler! What did I say before?" Monica slammed her hand on the table, obviously overreacting.
"I know, Mon, but c'mon! You have to let me go out there once! This is the best time to go! The surf is huge this time of year! Especially since El Nino is coming--"
Monica interrupted him. "Look, I don't need to hear your El Nino crap again." Monica sighed. "How many times have I told you? It's too dangerous out there! Do you just not listen when they put the high surf warning in effect?"
"That's just what I was about to tell you! They changed it to just a high surf advisory. I just called Harry--" He was interrupted again my Monica's outburst.
"Harry?! So you've already planned to go out surfing?"
"No! I mean…" Chandler groaned in frustration. "I just called Harry and he said the waves don't look that threatening. C'mon Monica, you have to let me go just this once!" Chandler pleaded with her.
"Chandler, I don't want you to get hurt. We've been through this last year when you got that huge bruise on your arm," Monica's tone changed from angry to concerned.
"I won't get hurt, Mon. I've been caught in bigger, 60 foot waves. And look, I'm still here. I know what I'm doing out there honey! It's not like I just started surfing." He pleaded with his sad, puppy-dog eyes.
Monica gave out a long, hard sigh and closed her eyes. "Okay Chandler…" She paused. "You can go this time. But if anything happens, don't count on it next time."
"Yes!! Thank you!" He gave Monica and quick, anxious kiss. Just as he was about to call Harry to tell him they could go, Joey, Phoebe, Ross, and Rachel came bursting into the kitchen.
"Did I just hear you say you're going surfing?" Joey asked excitedly. "Can we come?"
"Oh yeah! That would be a great idea honey!" Monica pulled on Chandler's sleeve. "We didn't have any plans for today, so why don't we all go down to the beach?"
"Sure, that sounds okay," Chandler shrugged.
"Uhhhh…I don't know, Mon. I've never really liked the beach," Ross stated. It was all part of his plan to get him and Rachel to go shopping alone.
"Yeah, and, Ross and I actually wanted to go out…by ourselves. To…y'know," Rachel smiled and squeezed Ross' hand.
"Oh, okay honey, but are you sure? I mean, the whole day at the beach? Doesn't that sound appealing? You and Ross could just hang out there," Monica wanted them to come along.
"No…I don't know. I kinda saw this cool…thing that I wanted to see." Rachel scrambled to think of something.
"Alright fine. But are you sure you know where you're going? You don't want me to come along and navigate?" Monica asked.
"NO!" They both said quickly. "I mean, you guys go have fun. We'll catch up with you later this afternoon." Ross said as he and Rachel went back to their rooms to get changed.
"Hey brah! Nice to see you back out on the waves again!" Harry welcomed Chandler when they got down to the beach. "Hey, your friends stay back in the Islands! Howzit guys? Long time no see!" Harry's singsong pidgin English was easily heard against the crashing waves.
"It's nice to see you again, Harry." Phoebe squinted her eyes against the sunlight.
"Spam musubi?" Harry offered to them. Spam musubi was one of the Islander's many favorite local foods. Phoebe and Joey shook their heads in disgust. "You guys don't know what you missing."
"Ready to go Harry?" Chandler nodded towards the waves.
"Always ready brah!"
Monica, Joey, and Phoebe watched as Chandler and Harry went out into the ocean. Monica was becoming more nervous as she saw the large waves crashing down against the shore. Chandler knows what he's doing, she reassured herself.
"Awww…I wanna learn how to surf!" Joey whined as he watched the two men ride the beckoning waves.
"Me too!" Phoebe stomped her foot in the sand. "How cool would I look on a surfboard?"
"Well maybe when they take a break, you can ask them to teach you." Monica said while she put her towel down on the sand to rest.
Rachel squinted at the map of Honolulu. She tried to correspond each position on the map with where they were actually driving.
"Okay, I think this Waikele place is coming up pretty soon," She told Ross who was driving. When they finally reached Waikele shopping center, it was almost lunchtime.
"See…that wasn't that bad, now!" Ross tried to lighten the mood. Rachel looked at him menacingly and slammed the door shut.
"We have exactly 3 and a half hours until we're supposed to meet Mon and Chandler at the beach. Meaning, we probably only have about one and a half hours here considering the rate it took us to find this place," Rachel explained.
"Alright, how about we go looking around for half an hour, then stop for a quick lunch and resume shopping when we're done?" Ross started walking off into the shopping areas. They walked around the open mall for a few minutes when they came across a store selling glass figurines.
"Oooh! I bet Mon would really like something from here!" Rachel squealed as she pointed at the beautiful crystal desk clock.
"Alright, let's take a look. But be careful. We don't want to give Monica a shattered pieces of glass for Christmas," Ross held the door open for Rachel.
"Can I help you two?" A middle-aged, Hawaiian woman stepped up to Ross and Rachel who were looking around. Fifteen minutes later, they came out with a glass vase that cost them $75.
"Okay, now we have $64 to buy lunch and Chandler's present," Rachel stated as they walked around more.
"Well I guess we'll be eating at McDonald's then," Ross pointed to the inexpensive fast food restaurant across the street.
The waves were starting to calm down a bit just as Chandler and Harry were getting out of the water. They had been out surfing for nearly an hour, while Monica and Phoebe talked and Joey built sandcastles around their towel.
"Hey!" Chandler's other friend, Meili, called out from the grassy cliff above the beach. "You finally decided to come back out, eh Chandler?" David was also with her and laughed.
"Hey Meili! David, what are you doing out here? I thought you had to work?" Chandler questioned.
"Hey man, you're not the only one that can take a vacation here and there!" David ran down to greet Harry and Chandler.
"David, Meili, you remember Phoebe and Joey, right?" Chandler re-introduced the four friends to each other.
"Well, maybe we would forget them if you would stop talking about them for a while," David joked.
"You guys like stay and kau kau with us?" Harry asked Meili and David.
"Whoa whoa whoa, I'm not eating any cow!" Phoebe protested. They all laughed except for Joey, who was just as clueless as Phoebe.
"No Pheebs, kau kau is Hawaiian for food…or lunch," Chandler corrected her. Phoebe sighed in relief and blushed slightly.
"Of course we like stay!" Meili exclaimed. "What we having?" Monica pulled out her picnic basket and revealed her homemade hotdogs and plate lunch.
"Ooh! Monica's homemade plate lunch!" David cheered happily. "Let's eat now!" Plate lunch was another Island favorite, which consisted of any main course like chicken or curry, and had macaroni salad on the side, put in a Styrofoam box.
"Hey Chandler, I was wondering…could you teach me and Pheebs how to surf?" Joey said with his mouth full of hotdog.
"Well…Harry and I can teach you the basics, but you shouldn't go out in those waters until you're pretty good," Chandler replied.
"Basics are fine!" Phoebe said ecstatically, "As long as I can get on a surfboard!"
"When was your other friends going come?" Harry asked Monica.
"They're supposed to come around four I think," Monica replied. "Why?"
"Well, I was thinking we throw one bonfire or something, huh?" Harry pitched the idea to everyone. "Y'know…like one dinner picnic on the beach. Sound good, eh?"
"Ooh yeah! I've never been to one before!" Phoebe got excited again. "I mean, in my past life I did have sex with a Jamaican bald man near the shore at night, but that's not quite the same and as fun!"
"Ross! C'mon! What are we gonna get Chandler? We have 40 more minutes here and then we have to leave!" Rachel started panicking.
"Okay…why don't we check this little kiosk here?" Ross walked up to the booth with many tourist-y things.
"Yeah, sure. Let's get Chandler wind chimes that say 'Hawaii' on it. I'm sure he'd love that," Rachel said sarcastically. Ross sighed.
"Well then you think of something!" They stood in the same spot for about 5 minutes when Rachel suddenly clapped her hands together.
"Why don't we just buy Chandler some nice swim shorts and some kind of…surfer type thing?" She pointed to the store carrying just those things.
Twenty minutes later they came out with a pair of red swim shorts, some board wax for Chandler's surf board, and nice T-shirt. They quickly hurried back to their rented car and started their long and confusing drive back home, where there were more directions to the beach waiting for them.
"Honey! We're here!" Rachel said with happiness and pride in her voice. "See! I didn't need one bit of your help!" She gazed out at the beach. Ross was still sleeping with his head against the window. When Rachel was finally able to wake him up, they grabbed their belongings and headed out to the sand.
"Do you see them?" Ross squinted his eyes and looked around.
"Uhh yeah Ross. They're right there," Rachel pointed straight ahead. The beach wasn't that crowded since it was nearing the late afternoon.
"Hey guys!" Monica yelled and waved her arms at the couple coming towards them. "You made it right on time!" She was surprised they didn't get lost.
"Yeah well…" Rachel pointed to herself, "I might just be the best navigator ever."
"How would you like having a bonfire picnic out here tonight? We can hang around here until it gets dark and then light a fire," Monica explained. Ross and Rachel looked elated.
"Sure!" They said in unison. Ross bent down to whisper in Rachel's ear. "How romantic would that be?" Rachel blushed.
"Okay! Teach us how to surf now!" Joey and Phoebe jumped up anxiously.
That's it for this chapter guys. Next chapter will be the bonfire night. I hope you liked this one. I had a small writer's bock because of my fever and DAMN HOMEWORK. so sorry. PLEASE REVIEW!