Monica answered a knock on her door and discovered Janice standing in the hallway.
"Hey, Miss Engaged!" Janice waved a copy of the newspaper announcement and put out her arms for a hug. "Congratulations!"
"Uh, thank you!" Monica hugged her, but was still a bit shocked to see her. "Wow, um, you didn't have to come all this way, Janice! You could've just called."
"What, and not get a chance to see your ring?" She held up Monica's hand and eagerly inspected the diamond. "Oh my God! It's gorgeous!"
"Thank you!" Monica giggled. She loved to brag about being engaged, and she couldn't do it with her friends anymore. They ran from her now.
So Monica invited Janice to come inside and offered her some juice.
"Are Joey and Chandler still, um, you know?"
Monica nodded. "Yeah."
Janice saw her expression and waved dismissively. "Oh, don't you worry about me. I'm over him." She laughed cheerfully. "But come on, tell me about Mr. Millionaire! What's he like? How did you meet?"
They chatted happily for hours, and Monica saw what Chandler meant when he once said of Janice, "She was smart, she was pretty, and she honestly cared about me."
Janice had many stories about her little girl, too, and showed all the pictures in her wallet.
"Oh, I want a baby just like that! Pete promised that we could start trying for a baby immediately." Monica also got Janice caught up on all her friends' lives.
"Writing, huh? I never thought Chandler would quit that job, ever. I guess Joey really changed him."
Chandler suddenly came in. "Hey, can I borrow--?" Then he saw Janice. "Janice!"
"Hi," she said shyly. "I just came to, um, congratulate Monica on the engagement."
"Oh. Well, um, great to see you again. Are you doing okay? Did you get divorced from Gary?"
"Yeah, we tried to get back together for a little while, but it didn't work."
"That's too bad. Are you seeing anybody?"
"No, um, I'm just focusing on being a mother."
"Well, that's good too." After a pause, he decided to give her a hug for old times' sake. "I'll see you around."
"Wait, Chandler!" Monica caught up to him and whispered, "I was thinking about inviting Janice to my wedding. That wouldn't make you uncomfortable, would it?"
"No, it's fine. Bye, Janice!" He waved to her and went out the door.
***
After Monica invited Janice to the wedding, she accepted and said she better go home, since her baby-sitter was waiting. But when she went downstairs, she stopped in at the coffeehouse and had to take a breath.
"Why did he have to hug me, the heartbreaker?" she asked herself. "Why did I have to say I'm focusing on being a mother? What a great way to tell him that I'm pathetic!"
Gunther noticed her mumbling to herself at the counter. "Excuse me, but you look familiar to me. Do I know you?"
"I'm Janice, Chandler's ex-girlfriend. He's broken up with me a few times here."
"Oh, right!" He cleared his throat and tried to overcome his nervousness. "Listen, are you seeing anybody right now?"
"No, okay! It turns out I'm not completely over my ex-boyfriend turning gay."
Gunther looked disappointed. "Okay, um, I just--I just wanted to ask you out, but if you're not ready..."
She looked surprised. "You what?"
"I was too forward, I shouldn't have--"
"No, um, did you really mean it? You're asking me out? It's not 'cause I look so pathetic here?"
"You're not pathetic. I think you're pretty."
Janice smiled at him and impulsively kissed him. "You've got yourself a date, Mister! Oh, um, what's your name again?"
They turned out to be quite happy together, and Gunther didn't even freak out when Janice told him that she was a single mom. Janice wanted to take things slow, of course, to make sure that she was completely over Chandler.
"I mean, I want to be totally fair to you, and to my little girl, too."
Gunther was patient and happy to know that Janice thought about what was fair to him. Janice seemed genuinely interested at least, and Phoebe's pep talks to get him over Rachel had really helped.
"Hey, Miss Engaged!" Janice waved a copy of the newspaper announcement and put out her arms for a hug. "Congratulations!"
"Uh, thank you!" Monica hugged her, but was still a bit shocked to see her. "Wow, um, you didn't have to come all this way, Janice! You could've just called."
"What, and not get a chance to see your ring?" She held up Monica's hand and eagerly inspected the diamond. "Oh my God! It's gorgeous!"
"Thank you!" Monica giggled. She loved to brag about being engaged, and she couldn't do it with her friends anymore. They ran from her now.
So Monica invited Janice to come inside and offered her some juice.
"Are Joey and Chandler still, um, you know?"
Monica nodded. "Yeah."
Janice saw her expression and waved dismissively. "Oh, don't you worry about me. I'm over him." She laughed cheerfully. "But come on, tell me about Mr. Millionaire! What's he like? How did you meet?"
They chatted happily for hours, and Monica saw what Chandler meant when he once said of Janice, "She was smart, she was pretty, and she honestly cared about me."
Janice had many stories about her little girl, too, and showed all the pictures in her wallet.
"Oh, I want a baby just like that! Pete promised that we could start trying for a baby immediately." Monica also got Janice caught up on all her friends' lives.
"Writing, huh? I never thought Chandler would quit that job, ever. I guess Joey really changed him."
Chandler suddenly came in. "Hey, can I borrow--?" Then he saw Janice. "Janice!"
"Hi," she said shyly. "I just came to, um, congratulate Monica on the engagement."
"Oh. Well, um, great to see you again. Are you doing okay? Did you get divorced from Gary?"
"Yeah, we tried to get back together for a little while, but it didn't work."
"That's too bad. Are you seeing anybody?"
"No, um, I'm just focusing on being a mother."
"Well, that's good too." After a pause, he decided to give her a hug for old times' sake. "I'll see you around."
"Wait, Chandler!" Monica caught up to him and whispered, "I was thinking about inviting Janice to my wedding. That wouldn't make you uncomfortable, would it?"
"No, it's fine. Bye, Janice!" He waved to her and went out the door.
***
After Monica invited Janice to the wedding, she accepted and said she better go home, since her baby-sitter was waiting. But when she went downstairs, she stopped in at the coffeehouse and had to take a breath.
"Why did he have to hug me, the heartbreaker?" she asked herself. "Why did I have to say I'm focusing on being a mother? What a great way to tell him that I'm pathetic!"
Gunther noticed her mumbling to herself at the counter. "Excuse me, but you look familiar to me. Do I know you?"
"I'm Janice, Chandler's ex-girlfriend. He's broken up with me a few times here."
"Oh, right!" He cleared his throat and tried to overcome his nervousness. "Listen, are you seeing anybody right now?"
"No, okay! It turns out I'm not completely over my ex-boyfriend turning gay."
Gunther looked disappointed. "Okay, um, I just--I just wanted to ask you out, but if you're not ready..."
She looked surprised. "You what?"
"I was too forward, I shouldn't have--"
"No, um, did you really mean it? You're asking me out? It's not 'cause I look so pathetic here?"
"You're not pathetic. I think you're pretty."
Janice smiled at him and impulsively kissed him. "You've got yourself a date, Mister! Oh, um, what's your name again?"
They turned out to be quite happy together, and Gunther didn't even freak out when Janice told him that she was a single mom. Janice wanted to take things slow, of course, to make sure that she was completely over Chandler.
"I mean, I want to be totally fair to you, and to my little girl, too."
Gunther was patient and happy to know that Janice thought about what was fair to him. Janice seemed genuinely interested at least, and Phoebe's pep talks to get him over Rachel had really helped.