Million Dollar 4
They didn't have much time. Emily was coming in two days and in that time they had to raise an advance payment of $5,000 for Joey's friend. It had been a nasty shock to discover that the friend was not prepared to wait until Emily had claimed her money.
'How does he think we're going to find $5,000?' Chandler said aghast.
'Don't ask me,' Ross said, 'This was all Joey's and your idea.'
'Okay,' Joey said, 'It's okay, we'll get the money.'
'How?' Ross asked sharply. He wanted a solution found before Emily arrived. 'You know that none of us has any money.'
'Borrow it!' Joey said.
'Who's going to lend us money?' Ross asked.
'Oh don't be such a downer,' Joey said.
'No Joey, you haven't thought this one through, we'd have to pay interest even if we did get a loan, which we won't,' Ross said. Goodness knows how much interest they'd have to pay.
'We can pay the interest out of the money you get from Emily,' Chandler said, suddenly reassured. Ross thought that the money he was going to get from Emily was going to have to cover a lot of things.
'I'll speak to this friend of mine - I think he'll be able to help us out.'
'Another friend?' Chandler asked.
'He was this guy I met at an audition - he didn't get the part either. He runs a loans business on the side.'
Ross had had another telephone conversation with her and she had said outright that what she had to say could wait. He couldn't quite bring himself to ask her if she was pregnant.
'So tell me about where we're going to live,' she asked, by way of a change of conversation.
'Oh, it's really nice,' Ross said. He and Monica had hurriedly put a deposit on an apartment. The rent was exorbitant of course but if he didn't need the apartment he wouldn't be paying rent. That did mean that the deposit was also high. Joey had told him to think of the big picture. He could write it off against the money he was going to get from Emily. If it turned out that he needed the apartment, he wouldn't be feeling so bad about things anyway, and they'd have all of Emily's one million dollars to play with.
'Where is it?' Emily asked. It was actually just a few blocks from where the others were. Ross figured that if Emily was pregnant and he needed the apartment he could talk her around. After all, what mother to be doesn't want to know about three potential babysitters just a few blocks away? But he couldn't tell her that.
'Er just two buildings down from where the other apartment was.' He was getting good at lying, he thought with unease. He supposed he could always say, if it came to it, that he was just confused.
'Oh that's good,' Emily said, 'I'm really happy about that,' and Ross felt a stab of annoyance that she hadn't even begun to approach him halfway on this one. Of course he hadn't asked her to. The trouble with playing his role of doormat to her was that he tended to be treated like a doormat.
'Yeah,' he said, 'Look I'd better go.' How anyone was going to be able to afford to pay the phone bill when it fell due was anyone's guess. Then Joey arrived with a huge,
'Hey!'
'Oh Joey's arrived,' Emily said.
'Yeah,' Ross said, 'Joey says hi.' Joey overhearing this, grimaced.
'He might not be so glad to see me this time,' Emily said with a laugh, 'I don't think I'll be able to afford to bring a big bar of chocolate like I did last time.'
'Oh he'll definitely be upset,' Ross said, 'But he'll understand. Bye sweetie, I love you,' he said, hanging up. 'Hi Joey.'
'You were talking about me?' Joey asked.
'She was just saying she wouldn't be bringing you chocolate,' Ross said.'
'Can't you be a bit nicer to her?' Joey asked.
'We've got more important things to think about than chocolate,' Ross said severely. Joey sighed and then shrugged.
'It's great to see you keeping up the good work,' Joey said, 'Not long to go. Where's Chandler?'
'I don't know, he's gone to see the girls about something.'
'Oh,' said Joey in a knowing voice.
'What?' Ross demanded. 'Why are you saying "Oh" like that?''Like what?'
'Like, like, you know something that I don't.'
'Well I'm enjoying knowing something you don't for a change, I know what you guys think of me, you think I'm stupid.'
'Er no, Joey,' Ross said, suddenly surprised to find himself appeasing Joey.
'I know what you think. That Joey doesn't know anything.' Joey decided to develop this theme. 'Well dammit! I do! I know lots of things you don't!' Ross took a few steps back.
'Sorry.' Joey's face cleared.
'That's okay, I was just practicing.'
'Right. So what's Chandler seeing the girls for?' Ross asked.
'Oh it will be about raising money,' Joey said hurriedly. Now was not the time to spring on Ross that his sister was in a relationship with his friend. In the warm and happy glow of even a part of a million dollars, his attitude might be a whole lot different.
'I feel so bad about that, this is all my fault.'
'How?'
'Well, if things hadn't gone wrong with Emily we wouldn't be in this mess.'
'If things hadn't gone wrong with Emily she'd be here. We'd have to fly her back out again so that she could fly back in - but yeah you're right it would have been better,' Joey finished. After all, there would only be two people in the apartment...
'Thanks,' Ross said. Joey really knew how to make him feel better.