Bound Together by Tragedy
Monica splashed a handful of water over her burning eyes. She patted her cheeks, and wiped away the mixture of make up, tears and water from her face. She leaned against the bathroom sink with her eyes closed, quietly convincing herself, 'I'm only seeing things.' She sobbed quietly, putting her back against the wall and sliding down until she was sitting on the floor.
"Stop........." She whispered. "That wasn't him......" She weeped. Chandler had already said he wasn't coming. Monica knew that he meant it. He wasn't here. That wasn't his face in the back of the room, crying silently. Watching.
~~~~~Four and a half years ago:~~~~
Monica sighed, exhaustedly, with a six month old Hayley on her hip as she watched the headlights turn into her driveway. She had the telephone to her ear.
"Never mind, Rach." She said quietly, wiping the tears from her eyes. "He just pulled in the drive." She added, before hanging up. She set Hayley down on a blanket on the floor, and like always, Hayley began to scream. Chandler soon opened the door looking dazed and confused. Monica greeted him with her hands on her hips.
"I left messages. Why is it that your secretary doesn't seem to be doing her job?" She fumed. Chandler rolled his eyes.
"Come on Mon, I don't need this tonight." he sighed. Monica gritted her teeth and put her finger in his face.
"I'm not even going to ASK where you've been, or WHY you smell like her, but I will ask you WHY you don't find it important to call your wife back after messages that say it was an emergancy." Monica said in a low tone.
"Whatever, Monica. Everything is a fucking emergancy with you." He said, air quoting "Emergancy." Monica's eyes burned.
"Oh really? Well, since I just spent all night in the EMERGANCY room with OUR daughter!?" Moncia yelled.
"What happened?" Chandler asked, his tone changing. "Is Hayley alright?"
"NO! She's not alright! She's had a 104* degree temperature for the past five hours!" Monica yelled. "But I'm glad that fucking your little girlfriend was more important than coming home to your daugher." She said, starting to walk off. Chandler grabbed her arm.
"I'm sorry Mon. I'm so sorry." He said.
"Oh, wow. You're apologizing rather early in this fight." She said seriously. "What else did you do?" She asked, her eyes peircing into him.
"I'm trying Mon. I really am. Samantha just has a way..." He trailed off.
"You said you were going to stop seeing her." Monica whispered. "I'm not putting up with this." She added. "I'm paying up the ass in marriage counseling, which you don't even make it to." She began to cry.
"But Mon, I-" Chandler stopped. He watched her gaze. Slowly, he brought his lips to hers, but Monica pulled away.
"Go." She whispered. Chandler didn't think he'd heard right. "I'm not holding you back anymore. Get your stuff, and get out."
"Mon, no, I'm not-"
"GO." She said louder. "If you love Hayley, you won't let her grow up like this." Monica pulled her hands away from his. "Samantha's waiting." She added quietly. And that was that. He left.
~~~PRESENT:~~~
Monica hadn't ever meant to tell Chandler to leave. He was supposed to have tried to get her back, but never once did he try. Monica put her head in her hands.
"Monica?" A voice rang. Monica knew that voice, in fact, it sent chills up and down her spine.
"I thought you weren't coming." Monica said quietly, not looking at him. Chandler knelt down beside her.
"I wasn't going to." He said. "But, I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I hadn't." He added sincerly. Monica began to laugh. It was a hearty, full laugh. Chandler was taken aback.
"Oh, I'm so HAPPY that you came. Now you can live with yourself for NEVER BEING THERE." She screamed. She stood up quickly. "Wow. HOW THE FUCK do you sleep at night? Don't worry, Hayley's gone. You're in for some sweet dreams." She said hurtfully.
"This wasn't how I wanted to see you both again........."Chandler said quietly. Monica nodded.
"Yea, it wasn't my ideal situation either. But, you know, really you never lost anything. You and Hayley never had anything to begin with." She said seriously.
"Don't you think I know that?" Chandler said, suddenly defensive. Both were quiet for a long moment.
"I don't really think I have time for this." Monica said glaring at him. Monica didn't want to be mad at him, but she was. So much anger and hurt and love were still bottled up inside of her, mixing like il and water, which is not very well. So the anger was the oil: the only thing that stayed on top. She wanted to kiss him, and slap him and kill him, all at once. This breif meeting wasn't at all how she pictured it would be when they saw one another again. Monica sighed, and walked out of the bathroom, leaving Chandler there alone.
___________________________________________________________________
The casket arose over the group's heads and slowly began lowering. Monica stood there. Not one tear fell, and she didn't know why. She was numb. It was so much harder to say goodbye looking at her then saying goodbye after they'd closed the casket.
Monica held a bouquet. Pink carnations, to be exact. Soon enough, Ross, Rachel, Joey and Phoebe all sauntered over to Monica. Ross put his arm around her, slightly hugging her.
"We're all here for you Mon." He reassured.
"Yea, we'll be here for as long as you need us." Joey added. Monica smiled as much as her heart would let her. Suddenly, the reverend returned. He had a paper in his hand. It was the poem Monica had chosen for the closing service.
"Comes the dawn........." His voice boomed. Everyone looked to him. "After a while you learn the subtle difference between holding a hand and chaining a soul. And you learn that love doesn't mean leaning, and company doesn't mean security.And begin to learn that kisses acren't contracts and presents aren't promises. And you begin to accept your defeats with your head up and your eyes open. With the grace of a woman, not the grief of a child. And you learn to build all your roads on today because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain for plans, and futures have a way of falling down in mid flight. After awhile you learn that even sunshine burns if you get too mcuh. So, plant your own garden and decorate your own sou, instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers. Then you learn that you really can endure.... That you really are strong and you really do have worth, and you learn and you learn..........with every goodbye you learn."
XOXOElizabethXOXO
Poem: "Comes the Dawn" Authored by a 12 year old girl in Holland who was confined to a wheelchair. I don't know her name but good god! Isn't that a perfect poem? Sorry. More to come!
Monica splashed a handful of water over her burning eyes. She patted her cheeks, and wiped away the mixture of make up, tears and water from her face. She leaned against the bathroom sink with her eyes closed, quietly convincing herself, 'I'm only seeing things.' She sobbed quietly, putting her back against the wall and sliding down until she was sitting on the floor.
"Stop........." She whispered. "That wasn't him......" She weeped. Chandler had already said he wasn't coming. Monica knew that he meant it. He wasn't here. That wasn't his face in the back of the room, crying silently. Watching.
~~~~~Four and a half years ago:~~~~
Monica sighed, exhaustedly, with a six month old Hayley on her hip as she watched the headlights turn into her driveway. She had the telephone to her ear.
"Never mind, Rach." She said quietly, wiping the tears from her eyes. "He just pulled in the drive." She added, before hanging up. She set Hayley down on a blanket on the floor, and like always, Hayley began to scream. Chandler soon opened the door looking dazed and confused. Monica greeted him with her hands on her hips.
"I left messages. Why is it that your secretary doesn't seem to be doing her job?" She fumed. Chandler rolled his eyes.
"Come on Mon, I don't need this tonight." he sighed. Monica gritted her teeth and put her finger in his face.
"I'm not even going to ASK where you've been, or WHY you smell like her, but I will ask you WHY you don't find it important to call your wife back after messages that say it was an emergancy." Monica said in a low tone.
"Whatever, Monica. Everything is a fucking emergancy with you." He said, air quoting "Emergancy." Monica's eyes burned.
"Oh really? Well, since I just spent all night in the EMERGANCY room with OUR daughter!?" Moncia yelled.
"What happened?" Chandler asked, his tone changing. "Is Hayley alright?"
"NO! She's not alright! She's had a 104* degree temperature for the past five hours!" Monica yelled. "But I'm glad that fucking your little girlfriend was more important than coming home to your daugher." She said, starting to walk off. Chandler grabbed her arm.
"I'm sorry Mon. I'm so sorry." He said.
"Oh, wow. You're apologizing rather early in this fight." She said seriously. "What else did you do?" She asked, her eyes peircing into him.
"I'm trying Mon. I really am. Samantha just has a way..." He trailed off.
"You said you were going to stop seeing her." Monica whispered. "I'm not putting up with this." She added. "I'm paying up the ass in marriage counseling, which you don't even make it to." She began to cry.
"But Mon, I-" Chandler stopped. He watched her gaze. Slowly, he brought his lips to hers, but Monica pulled away.
"Go." She whispered. Chandler didn't think he'd heard right. "I'm not holding you back anymore. Get your stuff, and get out."
"Mon, no, I'm not-"
"GO." She said louder. "If you love Hayley, you won't let her grow up like this." Monica pulled her hands away from his. "Samantha's waiting." She added quietly. And that was that. He left.
~~~PRESENT:~~~
Monica hadn't ever meant to tell Chandler to leave. He was supposed to have tried to get her back, but never once did he try. Monica put her head in her hands.
"Monica?" A voice rang. Monica knew that voice, in fact, it sent chills up and down her spine.
"I thought you weren't coming." Monica said quietly, not looking at him. Chandler knelt down beside her.
"I wasn't going to." He said. "But, I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I hadn't." He added sincerly. Monica began to laugh. It was a hearty, full laugh. Chandler was taken aback.
"Oh, I'm so HAPPY that you came. Now you can live with yourself for NEVER BEING THERE." She screamed. She stood up quickly. "Wow. HOW THE FUCK do you sleep at night? Don't worry, Hayley's gone. You're in for some sweet dreams." She said hurtfully.
"This wasn't how I wanted to see you both again........."Chandler said quietly. Monica nodded.
"Yea, it wasn't my ideal situation either. But, you know, really you never lost anything. You and Hayley never had anything to begin with." She said seriously.
"Don't you think I know that?" Chandler said, suddenly defensive. Both were quiet for a long moment.
"I don't really think I have time for this." Monica said glaring at him. Monica didn't want to be mad at him, but she was. So much anger and hurt and love were still bottled up inside of her, mixing like il and water, which is not very well. So the anger was the oil: the only thing that stayed on top. She wanted to kiss him, and slap him and kill him, all at once. This breif meeting wasn't at all how she pictured it would be when they saw one another again. Monica sighed, and walked out of the bathroom, leaving Chandler there alone.
___________________________________________________________________
The casket arose over the group's heads and slowly began lowering. Monica stood there. Not one tear fell, and she didn't know why. She was numb. It was so much harder to say goodbye looking at her then saying goodbye after they'd closed the casket.
Monica held a bouquet. Pink carnations, to be exact. Soon enough, Ross, Rachel, Joey and Phoebe all sauntered over to Monica. Ross put his arm around her, slightly hugging her.
"We're all here for you Mon." He reassured.
"Yea, we'll be here for as long as you need us." Joey added. Monica smiled as much as her heart would let her. Suddenly, the reverend returned. He had a paper in his hand. It was the poem Monica had chosen for the closing service.
"Comes the dawn........." His voice boomed. Everyone looked to him. "After a while you learn the subtle difference between holding a hand and chaining a soul. And you learn that love doesn't mean leaning, and company doesn't mean security.And begin to learn that kisses acren't contracts and presents aren't promises. And you begin to accept your defeats with your head up and your eyes open. With the grace of a woman, not the grief of a child. And you learn to build all your roads on today because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain for plans, and futures have a way of falling down in mid flight. After awhile you learn that even sunshine burns if you get too mcuh. So, plant your own garden and decorate your own sou, instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers. Then you learn that you really can endure.... That you really are strong and you really do have worth, and you learn and you learn..........with every goodbye you learn."
XOXOElizabethXOXO
Poem: "Comes the Dawn" Authored by a 12 year old girl in Holland who was confined to a wheelchair. I don't know her name but good god! Isn't that a perfect poem? Sorry. More to come!