Chapter 4:
A typical date…. Yes, sure!
The night of the state dinner…
Chandler was getting ready for the event and then he went to his daughter's room. The 10 year old, Elizabeth Bing was there doing some homework before going to sleep… Chandler looked at the notebook in which Elizabeth was writing…
Chandler- doing math homework on a Saturday night?
Elizabeth- dad! You scared me….
Chandler- sorry sweetie…. Why aren't you watching TV and planning to do your homework 15 minutes before class like a normal kid?
Elizabeth- Are you actually telling me not to be responsible?
Chandler- I'm telling you to have a little fun… you could have invited your friends for a sleep over… I never see your friends around here…. Don't get me wrong…. I'm glad that you are a straight A student… but I want you to have fun like a normal kid…
Chandler was very worried about his daughter…. She seemed to be very lonely and way too concern about school for her age…Elizabeth- I told you… I have to study hard because people think I'm stupid, spoiled and I pass my classes just because I'm the president's daughter… so I want to prove then wrong…
Chandler felt terrible… apparently he wasn't the only one who couldn't have a normal life…Chandler- honey… what other people think about your self is not important… what you really are is what's important and you are actually great and wonderful… you are a great kid… yesterday I talked to your Social Studies teacher and she said you are her best student…
Elizabeth- you talked to my teacher?
Chandler- yes, normal parents have parent-teacher conferences….
Elizabeth- dad… you are everything but a "normal parent"… but I still love you…
Chandler- good… now I wanted to ask you something… you know that I'm having a date with a young lady…
Elizabeth- yes…. and you didn't have to add the "with a young lady part" I know you are straight because you told me never to believe what mean reporters say…
Chandler- great! But I wanted to know…. Are you ok with me dating?
Elizabeth- yes daddy… my mom died when I was a baby so is ok… you have to be happy…
Chandler was really impressed that Elizabeth was taking so well the news…. Chandler dated before, but secretly and very informally… His date with Monica was his first intend of a real date since Kathy died nine years ago.
Chandler- is it really ok? Because if you want to talk about it…
Elizabeth- dad… is cool… go for it! you always say that I should have a normal life but you don't do it your self…. Now go and have a typical first date…
Chandler- ok… but let me tell you I'm a little nervous….
Elizabeth- you will be fine… just be your self…
Chandler- My self?
Elizabeth- but not too much!
Chandler- all right…
A few minutes later…The people invited to the state dinner were arriving to the receiving area of the white house. There were like 200 guest and all were very well dressed. Man and women were making their entrances under the eye of the secret service agents (American and French) who were strategically placed throughout. Several members of the press were there covering the event and suddenly the light from a TV camera came on as a reporter noticed Senator Richard Burke making his entrance to the party. The reporter approached to Richard….
Reporter- (to the camera) Senator Burke has just arrived at what, for a few hours at least, is a non-partisan White House… lest see if he wishes to have a word with us… (to Richard) Senator Burke… Did you know that yesterday president Bing had a dinner party to celebrate his huge success in the latest polls?
Richard- yes… I'm very aware of that….
Her ex wife had cook that dinner for the president… Richard didn't mentioned it because he didn't know what it mean him self…
Reporter- and how do you feel about the result of the polls?
Richard- president Bing is very popular among the voters right now but the elections will be in one year from now… nothing is certain until they count the votes… things can change pretty fast…
Reporter- so… you think you can win the next elections? You are not worry about that?
Richard- I will worry about it when it's time... Right now, I'm just looking forward to a pleasant evening.
With that Richard left the reporter and started socialize with the other guest. Then he saw Monica making an entrance and he wondered what the hell was she doing there… he looked at her puzzled and very angrily then she passed him by not saying a word and approached to Phoebe and Joey.
Dressed in a formal, but not too festive, green dress and holding (as always) a notebook and a pen Phoebe was waiting for Monica to arrive and Joey was next to her… Then Phoebe noticed that Joey's bow tie was not very straight so she took it out and then tied it correctly… while she was tying Joey's tie Phoebe wondered why tying a man's tie was sexier than untying it…
Phoebe- perfect…
Joey- but is too tight!
Phoebe- it 's supposed to be tight… it is supposed to make you look respectable…
Joey- and is it supposed to cut off the blood flow to my face?
Phoebe- don't be such a baby Trivianny…
Joey- but it hurts my "Joey apple"
Phoebe rolled her eyes and fixed Joey's tie so it wouldn't be so tight…. Then Monica walked in looking gorgeous in a long blue dress…
Phoebe- hello Ms. Geller…
Monica- hi…
Phoebe- the president wants you to join him upstairs… may I show you the way?
Monica- ok… thank you… is my brother Ross already here?
Phoebe- yes… with his date and, of course, with the president….
They all started walking upstairs….
Monica- may I ask who is my brother's date?
Phoebe- an old college classmate of his… a Chinese girl called Julie… she is a paleontologist…
Monica- oh… just what my brother wanted to be…
They walked in the same room where Ross and Julie waiting until it's time for the president's Bing entrance. Ross approached Monica immediately…
Ross- hello Monica… this is my date Julie…
Julie- hi… the president told me about how he met you... it's unbelievable
Monica- I know! I mean I still don't know what happened… one minute I'm pulling a Monica and saying one inappropriate thing after the other… and the in the next minute I had a date… I have not idea how…
Phoebe- well… the president like people who don't watch their mouth in front of him because it makes him feel like a normal person…
Ross- yes… but Mon, Don't make the president of France feel too normal… all right? We have just signed a new trade agreement…
Monica- got it…
Chandler approached the group with the president of France and his wife.
Chandler- hello Monica…. You look beautiful…
Monica- thank you Mr. president
Then Chandler addressed very formally to the president and the First Lady of France…
Chandler- President D'Astier… would allow me to introduce you to Monica Geller… (to Monica) this is President Rene-Jean D'Astier and his wife Monique Danielle D'Astier of France.
Monica- an honor to meet you both…
They all shook hands politely… but then Phoebe interrupted…Phoebe- I'm sorry to interrupt Mr. president…. But is time for your entrance
Chandler- ok… thank you Phoebe…
Phoebe, Joey, Ross and Julie disappeared and Monica and Chandler started walking down the staircase that leads to the red-carpeted hall through which the President enters the East Room. The president and first lady of France are walking just behind then...
Monica- do you do this often, sir?
Chandler- This is, actually, only our second State Dinner. The first was for the Emperor of Japan, who died shortly after that, so we stopped having them for a while, just in case.
Monica- I meant if you go out on… if you… mmm do you…?
Chandler- do I date a lot?
Monica- yes… that was the question…
Chandler- I don't…. do you?
Monica- me? Lately I seem to have lots of first dates but no second dates…
Chandler- so… you have a lot of experience at first dates
Monica- oh yes… you can ask me anything…
Chandler- how are we doing so far?
Monica- that's hard to say at this point… but let me think… mmm… so far: I saw my ex husband who gave a me confused and not-very-happy look and you introduced me to the president of France and his wife… but that's just typical for a first date…
Chandler- dam! I wanted to be different from the other guys…
At the dinner…The room was beautifully decorated and the Marine Corps Dance Band were playing dinner music… of course, there were secret service agents strategically positioned. Chandler, Monica, Phoebe, Joey, Ross, Julie were sited at one big fancy table having dinner with the president of France plus his wife. Suddenly Phoebe noticed something and talked to Chandler…
Phoebe- sir… I'm afraid president D'Astier and his wife look a little bored… they don't talk much because they don't speak a lot of English…
Chandler- mmmm… I'm afraid my French is very poor… do you speck French. Ross?
Ross- no… sir… I speak English and Latin…
Chandler- well… that will be useful the next time Julius Caesar has dinner with us…
Monica overheard the conversation and then she had a short chat with the president of France in French… that impressed Chandler who said to Ross very proudly…
Chandler- that's my date!
Monica finished talking with the president and the first lady of France and Chandler asked her…Chandler- what were you talking about? You didn't dissolve our trade agreement… didn't you?
Monica- I just told president D'Astier that I love being here… at this beautiful room, hearing at this beautiful music but is a pity that nobody is dancing and I was wondering why… he told me that when Louis XVI was the king of his country the person who dared to start a dance without the king's permission ended up in the guillotine…
Joey- and Richard Burke didn't accused Louis XVI of not having guts… what does it say to you Mr. president?
Chandler- that I need to have more beheadings at the White House… but for now there is something else I have to do…
Chandler stood up and held his hand to Monica…Chandler- would you lie to dance?
Monica- (smiling) of course… I would love to…
Chandler and Monica moved to the dance floor and they could hear the "ooohs" and the "ahhs" of the guest… then the band begun playing a slow song and Monica and Chandler started dancing…
Every guest stooped doing what were doing and started staring at the president dancing with Monica… that didn't pass unnoticed to Monica…
Monica- this is very overwhelming to me…
Chandler- sorry… I should have warned you that I'm a horrible dancer…
Monica- oh, no! You are a great dancer… What's overwhelming is that there are 200 pairs of eyes focusing on you right now with two questions: Who is that girl? And why is our president dancing with her?
Chandler- well… you should know that the 200 pairs of eyes are not focused on me, are focused on you… and the answers to those questions are "Monica Geller" and "Because he said yes"…
They continued danced for a while… the felt very comfortable and very good… they felt so comfortable that they almost forgot the situation and they almost kissed. Chandler's lips were very close to Monica's… but then they remembered the 200 pairs of eyes and they stepped back and returned to their table casually… Everybody was looking at then curiously and amazed only one person was looking at them with anger an hate: Richard Burke….
After the president danced with his date and the general shock passed the rest of the guest felt free to dance as well and pretty soon everybody (including the president and the first lady of France) were at the dance floor having a good time…
Phoebe and Joey were dancing and looking at Chandler and Monica…
Phoebe- they make a great couple…
Joey- lovely!
Phoebe- I think we have troubles…
Joey- and BIG ones…
Phoebe sighed and looked into Joey's brown eyes…
Phoebe- Joey… have you ever been in love?
Joey smiled at her and without thinking it twice he said…
Joey- absolutely…
They continued dancing like everybody else did until a delicious cake was served with coffee… after that the evening was over and the guest left the White House talking about nothing but the mystery girl who danced with president Bing.
To be continued….
Thank you for the reviews! They are great…. I love them and I hope I will get more in the future…
I apologize to the "I hate Richard club" because I'm using him too much in this story… but I really need him… he is the one causing the conflict after all…. So you will see a lot of him but he won't be too happy in this story… I promise you that… I also promise that from now on I will spell the names as you told me to…
TO LEONDRA: I'm glad you like this… you reminded me that I forgot to say the differences between this fic and the movie: so far… the main difference is that the girl from the movie was a lobbyist and was very into politics… but she has no relation with the president's enemy…. While our Monica is not so into politics and she was married to Chandler's enemy… plus the president in the movie was a widower whose wife passed away recently while Chandler was just engaged…
If you noticed that everybody is in character is because the characters of the movie are not tat different from the characters of friends… that's the reason I was inspired to write a friends fic based on "An American president".