Tea made it's first real appearance in London 1658, when the new beverage was advertised in a pamphlet by a local coffeehouse.
"Hmm, interesting." Monica turned the page in her London Travel Guide Book to where she found a picture of the famous city. "Why couldn't I be raised here?" She muttered to herself as she laid back on her comforter in her hotel room on the second night they spent there. She was about to flip the page once more when her computer lit up and a picture of Rachel appeared.
Setting the book aside she got up and moved the mouse to where she clicked on the blinking light. "Hey Rach!" Monica exclaimed as she was now on video chat with her best friend.
"Hey! I knew you wouldn't be out exploring." She shook her head disappointed with her friend
Monica looked out the dark window "Rach, it's eleven O'clock at night." She told her
She thought about it for a few seconds "Right, sorry. Forgot there is a time difference." Monica watched as she turned around in her desk chair "Jill get out of my room!" She shouted
"Where is my blue sweater?"
"I told you I don't have it." Rachel reminded her sister
Jill rolled her eyes and left.
Monica waited patiently as Rachel came back into focus. "So how is that family reunion coming?"
"It's a disaster. They have us all staying in the same cabin now."
"Cabin?" Monica questioned "I thought it was only a one day thing."
"It was suppose to be." She whined "But my great grandma saw how big we were getting and she rambled to when the last time she saw us was when we were little bitty, then she said that she didn't want us growing up to be adults before she saw us again so she made us rent out a cabin." She explained in one quick breath. "I don't really want to get into it." Her expression changed from annoyed to thrilled "So tell me all about London!" She grinned
Monica smiled and thought back to the previous day and her drunken night that caused her to break a few norms. "Well, not much really happened yet...I told you about Chandler Bing, right?"
She nodded "He came up in a few texts." Rolling her green eyes she continued "I can't believe out of all the people that were to be pair up with you he was the one mean old Mrs. Emerson chose."
"Rach, she's like thirty."
"Yeah, that's old." Her elbows rested on her desk in front of her as she leaned in closer "Why couldn't you be partnered with Chip?" She quickly added "Which by the way I hear Susan found a new friend."
"No!" Monica's eyes grew wide "Who is he? Is it Tommy?"
Rachel shook her head "It's a her, and her name is Carol." She filled her in "Apparently Susan isn't the ball of yarn Chip said she was."
"What are you talking about?"
"Susan had a threesome." She told her softly as all the gossip she had built up inside her came out
"Susan had a threesome!?" Monica shouted then realized how loud that was "Susan had a threesome?"
Nodding Rachel leaned back in her chair as Monica grabbed her computer screen wanting to be closer, as if it was going to bring her to know all the new gossip in town. She had eight more days and she was already missing so much back in New York.
Looking back at her clock she saw it was almost midnight "It's getting really late, I should get to bed." She yawned for the second time that night. First being when she was reading the interesting fact about tea. "I'll talk to you later."
"Okay, have fun! Love you!" Rachel smiled before exiting out and shutting her screen.
Monica smiled and did the same before climbing into bed for the night.
She got up early the next morning and got in the shower before the sun rose and she would be walking with tours all day.
The rain outside tapped on her windowsill lightly. Surprisingly that was the first time it rained here in Jolly Old England. "Doesn't it usually rain everyday?" Monica asked herself as she got her purse and everything she needed for the day before heading downstairs to wait on her classmates.
But when she got to the lobby all she saw was Mrs. Emerson waiting.
"Where is everybody?" Monica looked around "Aren't we suppose to meet at 8?"
She watched as her teacher nodded "I sent everyone back to their rooms." She said sadly, "I'm afraid it is just not the right weather for an outdoor tour."
"But it's barely raining..." She said just as a clash of thunder sounded. Sighing, she continued "Shakespeare always preformed, no matter what the weather was to be. We have umbrellas and rain coats."
"I'm sorry dear, but today is not a day to explore." Mrs. E said feeling bad for her best student "It looks like a great opportunity to work on you reflection paper." She suggested
Monica sighed once again "Yeah," She said softly before turning and heading back to her room.
Starting up her laptop she started to think of ways to begin.
-The time I've spent...
No
-As these past ten days...
No
She cleared the page so it appeared blank once again before retyping.
-London is a city with history, a city with passion and memories, it's a city where you get lost with time. And that is why the previous week was so magical...
"There we go." She smiled as she went into a writing frenzy.
She was three hundred words in when she felt her phone buzz inside her pocket.
"Rough Trade East, know it?" - Tyler
Monica quickly opened Google and located it on the map. Rough Trade East turned out to be a records store just a few blocks from the hotel. Just about five minutes away. She could walk there now. But then what? She couldn't see him, what if he turns out to be a pervert? No, she definitely couldn't see him now.
But maybe she could scope him out from afar? Maybe she will recognize him from the party?
Going back to Tyler's text Monica clicks reply and begins to tell him that she is busy. Before pressing send she thinks it over. If she tells him she is busy, he might leave. No, she wants him to stay right there. Ignoring his text she acts like she never received it, then she will head over to the record store and do a little detective work.
Forgetting about her vow not to break any more rules, she quickly jots down the directions from Google and folds the paper placing it safely in her pocket. She grabs for her umbrella and is about to leave when there was a knock on the door.
Monica peers through the peep hole only to see Chandler Bing's bright blue eye staring back at her. Damnit.
The door swings opened and Chandler walks inside before she can slam it in his face.
"What do you want?"
"Now that's no way to greet your buddy." Monica just rolled her eyes. No time for patience, her sole mate could be waiting for her right now. Not that he would know because she didn't reply.
"Look, I was in the middle of writing my paper."
"Great, that is just what I came to talk to you about." He stepped past Monica and walked in the room "I was wondering if you were done with my paper yet?" He said "I'm going to need it to be done earlier so that I can do a little editing. Making it my own words."
"Not finished yet." Trying to keep things short and sweet to try and get rid of him so she can leave. "I'll text you when I'm done."
"You'll text me?" He repeated "You know these phones have limits." He reminded her
"The longer you talk to me the longer it will take for me to finish." She said rather annoyed with him already. Walking to the door she flings it opened "Now go."
"Alright, alright. Back to work." He mocked her heading to the door. He stopped suddenly when seeing her attire "Were you just about to leave?" He asks, motioning to the door after seeing her coat and umbrella in hand.
"No." She said a little too quickly
"Then why do you have your bag?"
When not hearing a reply, Chandler grins "Did you get another text from Lover Boy? Planning on meeting him somewhere? Possibly a place down the street?"
"Okay, fine!" She exploded just to get him to shut up "I am planning on going to meet him, are you satisfied?"
He smiled "Well good thing I showed up. I'll get my coat." He left and walked down the hall to his room
"Is this it?" Chandler looked down at the piece of paper the address was jotted down on then back up to the sign outside of the record store.
Monica looked inside. There were only a few people inside. Was one of them her mystery Tyler? There was only one way to find out.
She pulled opened the door that had the store hours written on them before walking in with Chandler.
Walking in Chandler saw thousands of records from numerous bands.
"I don't think he's here." Monica whispered
He turned to her "Why are we whispering?" He whispered back "We aren't in a library."
"Whatever." She says a little louder "I don't think he's here."
Looking around he asks "Are you sure? He looks like he may be a Tyler." He pointed over to a hairy old man then chuckled.
"What is your problem?" Monica hit him "Why don't you just leave."
He shook his head "We just got here, I ain't going anywhere." Chandler looked behind a shelf to find a couple making out. He pointed to them to get Monica to see.
Monica watched as the girl jammed her tongue down the guys throat. She caught her staring and flipped her off, giving her a dirty look. Monica looked back at Chandler "Nice." She tried to match the same dirty look the girl gave her.
"What?"
"Can we just go now?" She started heading for the door
"What, because you found out Lover Boy isn't here you want to leave?" He asked, but without waiting for a response he continued "Come on, we haven't even gone in the booth yet." He put down the record he had been eyeing and walked over to where the small booth sat in the corner of the store.
Monica shook her head "I am not going in there with you." She refused "Besides, it can barely fit two people." The last thing she wanted was to be in a closed proximity with Chandler Bing. After the plane incident she knew that he was part of the mile high club.
Chandler pulled back the black curtain to reveal a set of records and headphones next to a big speaker that connected to a stereo. "You're small enough." He pushed Monica in before she could protest or even escape.
He kept on nudging her a few times to get in front of the records. When he found the one he liked he covered the title and hip bumped Monica in order to get back to the stereo. She turned in a circle, trying to get out of the way, until she was shoved up against the corner.
"You read the sign Monica, only one person in the booth." Chandler told her "So you better hide."
"Are you kidding me?" Monica was in no mood for his jokes.
"Do you want to get in trouble for breaking the rules?"
He knew her too well.
Dunking so that she was halfway under the table, Monica saw how dirty the floor was. She tucked her knees into her chest to try and get away from the dirt that was tempting to clean. As she watched Chandler moving above her to place a record on the stereo, she couldn't help but wonder why she was the one that needed to hide, this was his idea.
But before she could turn that on him he handed her a set of headphones "Put these on."
Taking them and placing them on her ears he drops down to the floor sitting right beside her. With his knees against hers, and having the same set of headphones on they listened as the song comes to play.
Surprisingly Monica starts to enjoy it. She looks over to where Chandler is bobbing his head with the beat. "What is this song?"
He slides the headphone off one ear to reply "Sweet Caroline." He shouted
Monica nodded, she knew this song sounded familiar. The last time she heard it was when she was a kid.
Chandler covered his ear with the music once again.
When the song started to pick up speed in the middle of the chorus, he got up and started to dance. Stretching his hand out to Monica she gladly took it and got up with him.
With very little room to dance they were caused to be closer together in the booth. He started to sing the lyrics and air guitar to the song and Monica can't help but laugh. "Come on you know the song. Sing along!"
And after a moments hesitation she does. Making sure she burst out the lyrics just like her brother taught her. "So good! So good! So good!"
Just then they hear a knock on the side of the booth and see an angry sales clerk motioning for them to get out.
"Oh my God!" Monica's hand flies to her mouth "They can hear us in here?"
"Of course. Why else would they have headphones? The booth isn't exactly sound proof." He took off his phones and set them on the table
"Lets go before we get in trouble!" She hurries him out.
"Relax." He says when they are out and down another aisle of nothing but CD's. Chandler leans up against a rack "Now that I know you can let loose, we might actually be friends."
Monica couldn't help it when her heart flutter. It was nice knowing that she could actually have a friend on this trip, beats pretending to be friends with Janice or Kathy.