What's it Like to Live: Chapter 4: He went away
(((((())))))
Luckily he was able to escape to the airport before Joey got a chance to come knocking on his door, meaning that he was safe from seeing them for a good couple of months. They had been flying for about an hour on a three and a half hour flight, meaning that he had to keep his mind busy for another two and a half hours.
The little old lady sat next to him insisted on sharing her entire life story, starting with the family tree. She continued to chatter her way through the flight, not at all aware that Chandler had yet to catch on to one word that had come out of her mouth. He'd laid the peanuts, that the airlines thought that they could call food, he was given in the shape of a car, and continued to redesign it as other things, trying to keep his mind off of running to the front of the plane, opening the hatch, and jumping to his death.
- 2 hours later -
The lady had tired herself out, much to Chandler's relief, and was now lightly snoring beside him, her head resting against the large, biker like man on the other side of her. He had no problem with it, as long as she was done ranting about, from what he could make out, her very boring and uneventful life.
The pilot had announced that they were landing earlier than planned and everybody was told to fasten their seatbelts and shut off all electronic devices. Seemingly bored with everything there was to look at on the plane, he focused his attention to the small window next to him.
The clouds floated back up into the air above them as the plane desended towards earth. He was so far from home that he didn't even care anymore, besides, this was going to be his home for the next few months. He couldn't really call New York home anymore, he had lost the only descent friends that he managed to make, and nobody in his family lived there, although, there wasn't much to notice there, he never talked to them anyway.
The runway came closer and closer until the plane finally touched down. He dragged his tired body off of the airplane, headed for baggage claim. He must have waited for fourty-five minutes until he finally found his suitcase. As he started to walk away, he noticed the old lady from the plane, and he had to laugh. She was trying to pull her giant suitcase, that must have been at least twice the size of her, towards the pick-up area, atempting to dodge people left and right as they ran past her.
He brushed off the idea of helping her as a strong craving for anything intoxicating came rushing at him. He knew he would never have been able to make it through the airports with anything on him so about three days ago he had mailed a small box containing everything to tie him over for a week to the apartment that he was going to be staying at.
He rushed out of the airport into the California sun and hailed a cab with his much practiced New Yorker style. Within seconds a yellow car came speeding up to meet him at the curb. The cabbie, seeing that he had luggage but not wanting to make the effort to get out of the car, popped the trunk so he could throw it in. He hopped in the cab behind the drivers side, leaning his head back. He barely heard the driver ask where he wanted to go, too caught up in his thoughts. "Sunset Apartments," he replied, cracking the window so fresh air could ventalate the stuffiness of the cab.
Ten minutes later the cab pulled up outside of the apartment building and Chandler hopped out, throwing the man some money before walking around to the trunk to collect his suitcase and carry-on. He tiredly dragged both bags up to the front doors, setting down the smaller one so he could open the door. The now setting sun reflected off of the door handle and into Chanlder's eyes. He turned his head, sheilding his eyes from the blinding light. Looking down the street was like looking at a painting. The sun was at the end of the long strip lined by stores and restaurants, people walking in and out of every building, some heading home from work, some just heading out for a night on the town.
It was almost like New York, home. He had come here to get away from it, but now that he was here, the only thing he could think about was going back. He gave a heavy sigh before walking inside the building, heading directly for the mailboxes. It had been several years since he'd lived out here and he couldn't remember what his apartment number was. He took his key out and tried it in all of the boxes until he finally found the right one. '32, right,' he said to himself. Swinging open the little door, his eyes landed on the small brown box and severaly other envelopes. He grabbed everything and walked over to the elevator, struggling to press the "up" button and balance all of his things at once.
He finally got up to the fifth floor, throwing his things in his apartment as he kicked the door open. "Finally, peace and quiet." He said, pulling open several drawers, trying to find a knife. Just as he was about to slit the box open, a small pudgy woman with long brown hair and dark rimed glasses hopped out of the pantry. "Chandler, you're here!" Chandler jumped a clear two feet in the air, almost dropping the knife on his foot. 'Close one, don't want to lose any more toes.' He thought to himself, thinking back to the infamous Thanksgiving incident.
The woman ran over, wrapping her arms around Chandler in a giant bear hug. "Lynn, hey, what are you doing here?" He tried to sound happy, but was clearly annoyed that he had to deal with her a day early. "I thought we weren't going to meet until tomorrow." Lynn was one of four of Chandler's assistants and despite her constant energy and clingyness, he actually liked her the best. She was always ready when he needed her and she never raised her voice or yelled at him. "Weeeell, I just thought I'd drop by and get you all setled in. I made your bed, drew you a bath, stocked your fridge, and, since I know your size, I went out and bought you some clothes, just to get you in the California mood and out of those suits that you wear all the time." She clapped happily and bounced up and down as her getting his apartment set up was the most fun thing in the world for her to do.
"Well thank you Lynn, that was very nice of you." She continued to stare at him with the biggest smile on her face. "What?" He asked, clearly not understanding what she wanted. "Nothing. Just glad to have you here. It's been almost three years since I've last seen you, you look so different." She chimed. "Well, I'll take that as a compliment." He said, followed by a big yawn. "Do you need anything else?" She asked. Chandler could tell that she really wanted to do something more for him, but he didn't need anything done. "No Lynn, I'm fine, you can go home now." He said, walking over to a coat rack to hang up his coat. "Ok then." She said, not really wanting to go. She leaned up and gave him a kiss on the cheek before walking out the door.
The second the door clicked shut, he ran over to the counter, ripping the box apart. Inside were a few syringes, needles, pill bottles, and small white packets. He grabbed one of the bottles and shook a few pills in his hand, quickly throwing them into his mouth. He set the bottle back into the box and carried it into his room, pulling open a drawer on his nightstand and setting it in there.
He slowly walked towards his bathroom, discarding his clothes on the way. The bath was the size of a hot tub, bubbles and all. He carelessly climed in, sinking down so just his head was sticking above the water. It felt so lonely, he didn't like taking baths when there was no girl to go with it, and the only girl he had ever taken a bath with was Monica. "Monica." He whispered as if saying her name would bring her to him. Just thinking about her made tears fall from his eyes. Why did he have to be so selfish and just take off. He could have ended things better with her, if he had, maybe they still could have been friends, and he would never have moved away.
"Well, no use dewling on the past." He said quietly before being completely submerged by water.
T B C
Sorry this chapter took FOREVER to get up, I've been really busy, and just not in the mood to write. please review!
(((((())))))
Luckily he was able to escape to the airport before Joey got a chance to come knocking on his door, meaning that he was safe from seeing them for a good couple of months. They had been flying for about an hour on a three and a half hour flight, meaning that he had to keep his mind busy for another two and a half hours.
The little old lady sat next to him insisted on sharing her entire life story, starting with the family tree. She continued to chatter her way through the flight, not at all aware that Chandler had yet to catch on to one word that had come out of her mouth. He'd laid the peanuts, that the airlines thought that they could call food, he was given in the shape of a car, and continued to redesign it as other things, trying to keep his mind off of running to the front of the plane, opening the hatch, and jumping to his death.
- 2 hours later -
The lady had tired herself out, much to Chandler's relief, and was now lightly snoring beside him, her head resting against the large, biker like man on the other side of her. He had no problem with it, as long as she was done ranting about, from what he could make out, her very boring and uneventful life.
The pilot had announced that they were landing earlier than planned and everybody was told to fasten their seatbelts and shut off all electronic devices. Seemingly bored with everything there was to look at on the plane, he focused his attention to the small window next to him.
The clouds floated back up into the air above them as the plane desended towards earth. He was so far from home that he didn't even care anymore, besides, this was going to be his home for the next few months. He couldn't really call New York home anymore, he had lost the only descent friends that he managed to make, and nobody in his family lived there, although, there wasn't much to notice there, he never talked to them anyway.
The runway came closer and closer until the plane finally touched down. He dragged his tired body off of the airplane, headed for baggage claim. He must have waited for fourty-five minutes until he finally found his suitcase. As he started to walk away, he noticed the old lady from the plane, and he had to laugh. She was trying to pull her giant suitcase, that must have been at least twice the size of her, towards the pick-up area, atempting to dodge people left and right as they ran past her.
He brushed off the idea of helping her as a strong craving for anything intoxicating came rushing at him. He knew he would never have been able to make it through the airports with anything on him so about three days ago he had mailed a small box containing everything to tie him over for a week to the apartment that he was going to be staying at.
He rushed out of the airport into the California sun and hailed a cab with his much practiced New Yorker style. Within seconds a yellow car came speeding up to meet him at the curb. The cabbie, seeing that he had luggage but not wanting to make the effort to get out of the car, popped the trunk so he could throw it in. He hopped in the cab behind the drivers side, leaning his head back. He barely heard the driver ask where he wanted to go, too caught up in his thoughts. "Sunset Apartments," he replied, cracking the window so fresh air could ventalate the stuffiness of the cab.
Ten minutes later the cab pulled up outside of the apartment building and Chandler hopped out, throwing the man some money before walking around to the trunk to collect his suitcase and carry-on. He tiredly dragged both bags up to the front doors, setting down the smaller one so he could open the door. The now setting sun reflected off of the door handle and into Chanlder's eyes. He turned his head, sheilding his eyes from the blinding light. Looking down the street was like looking at a painting. The sun was at the end of the long strip lined by stores and restaurants, people walking in and out of every building, some heading home from work, some just heading out for a night on the town.
It was almost like New York, home. He had come here to get away from it, but now that he was here, the only thing he could think about was going back. He gave a heavy sigh before walking inside the building, heading directly for the mailboxes. It had been several years since he'd lived out here and he couldn't remember what his apartment number was. He took his key out and tried it in all of the boxes until he finally found the right one. '32, right,' he said to himself. Swinging open the little door, his eyes landed on the small brown box and severaly other envelopes. He grabbed everything and walked over to the elevator, struggling to press the "up" button and balance all of his things at once.
He finally got up to the fifth floor, throwing his things in his apartment as he kicked the door open. "Finally, peace and quiet." He said, pulling open several drawers, trying to find a knife. Just as he was about to slit the box open, a small pudgy woman with long brown hair and dark rimed glasses hopped out of the pantry. "Chandler, you're here!" Chandler jumped a clear two feet in the air, almost dropping the knife on his foot. 'Close one, don't want to lose any more toes.' He thought to himself, thinking back to the infamous Thanksgiving incident.
The woman ran over, wrapping her arms around Chandler in a giant bear hug. "Lynn, hey, what are you doing here?" He tried to sound happy, but was clearly annoyed that he had to deal with her a day early. "I thought we weren't going to meet until tomorrow." Lynn was one of four of Chandler's assistants and despite her constant energy and clingyness, he actually liked her the best. She was always ready when he needed her and she never raised her voice or yelled at him. "Weeeell, I just thought I'd drop by and get you all setled in. I made your bed, drew you a bath, stocked your fridge, and, since I know your size, I went out and bought you some clothes, just to get you in the California mood and out of those suits that you wear all the time." She clapped happily and bounced up and down as her getting his apartment set up was the most fun thing in the world for her to do.
"Well thank you Lynn, that was very nice of you." She continued to stare at him with the biggest smile on her face. "What?" He asked, clearly not understanding what she wanted. "Nothing. Just glad to have you here. It's been almost three years since I've last seen you, you look so different." She chimed. "Well, I'll take that as a compliment." He said, followed by a big yawn. "Do you need anything else?" She asked. Chandler could tell that she really wanted to do something more for him, but he didn't need anything done. "No Lynn, I'm fine, you can go home now." He said, walking over to a coat rack to hang up his coat. "Ok then." She said, not really wanting to go. She leaned up and gave him a kiss on the cheek before walking out the door.
The second the door clicked shut, he ran over to the counter, ripping the box apart. Inside were a few syringes, needles, pill bottles, and small white packets. He grabbed one of the bottles and shook a few pills in his hand, quickly throwing them into his mouth. He set the bottle back into the box and carried it into his room, pulling open a drawer on his nightstand and setting it in there.
He slowly walked towards his bathroom, discarding his clothes on the way. The bath was the size of a hot tub, bubbles and all. He carelessly climed in, sinking down so just his head was sticking above the water. It felt so lonely, he didn't like taking baths when there was no girl to go with it, and the only girl he had ever taken a bath with was Monica. "Monica." He whispered as if saying her name would bring her to him. Just thinking about her made tears fall from his eyes. Why did he have to be so selfish and just take off. He could have ended things better with her, if he had, maybe they still could have been friends, and he would never have moved away.
"Well, no use dewling on the past." He said quietly before being completely submerged by water.
T B C
Sorry this chapter took FOREVER to get up, I've been really busy, and just not in the mood to write. please review!