TOW The New Plan
As Monica walks out from Richard's apartment and takes a cab on the way home, she starts to think about what she's going to do now. The uneasiness she feels spreads to all of her body as her heart's speed increases and her anxious mind swirls around this question. Her whole life went upside down in the last 48 hours. Not only has her friends behavior been more weird than usual, now Chandler started acting like a jerk all of the sudden. And apparently, according to Joey, he's a complex fellow who's unlikely to take a wife. She wonders what in the world is happening. Monica has known Chandler for more than 10 years and it's been pretty much 2 years now since they started dating. She thought she knew all about him! Yes, he has insecurities (like she does as well) and commitment-issues, but that never stopped him from entering new relationships. And both times he tried going for a more serious and stable relationship, his partner ended up cheating on him. No wonder he developed some trust issues too. That doesn't mean he never wanted to get married one day. At least, that's what she had established in her mind until now.
It just doesn't make sense! Of course their romantic relationship had an unusual start, but they eventually caught feelings for each other. She thought that, when they publicly became a couple, he knew what he was in for. It's not like he didn't know her before. Everyone that is more than just acquainted with Monica knows one of her biggest dreams is to get married and have a family. She always knew entering in a relationship with Chandler would require more patience and care and she would never pressured him to do it sooner than he was ready for. At Vegas, they decided the timing wasn't right because of Ross and Rachel's shenanigans. Then they talked about it again when he answered the voicemail from the Morgan Chase museum and reassured him when he said he wasn't ready. Not ready didn't equal never ready. That's what she's not getting – when did it all change?
When she exited the door of Richard's apartment, it didn't even take the ten minutes he had offered to make her final decision. She knew that even if her relationship with Chandler was over, she couldn't get back together with Richard. What she said before was true: getting over him was the hardest thing she's ever done. And she doesn't allow herself to think about him either. Not because she still has feelings for him – she doesn't. It's because all the memories of their relationship just reminds her how she was almost there. She had found the guy who met all of her expectations, but he didn't have what matters the most to her: the same wish for the future. He already had built his family many years before, he had done all of it. This is something that she had missed at the time; the problem with their age gap was that they were in different places in their lives. It wasn't his fault neither hers, that's just how life works. She just wished she figured that out before getting into that relationship in the first place, but the infatuation she felt blinded her sense of judgment. However, Monica is not the type of woman who makes the same mistake twice. As tempting as his proposal might be, since she longed to hear those words for so many years, she doesn't want it. Not anymore. Not from him. And if Chandler can't give that to her either, she'll have to move on. Again. Monica's chest starts aching just from thinking about going through all of that again. It would be even worse. She wouldn't just be losing her boyfriend, she would also be losing her best friend, their friend group would be ruined and her life would never be the same again.
She's glad that, by the time this thought comes to mind, the car stopped in front of their apartment building or the taxi driver would've seen the woman behind him cry her eyes out. Monica takes a deep breath before opening the door; now isn't the time to get emotional. She needs to find Chandler and talk to him about it, this time without starting an argument. She has to suppress all of her emotions, or she wouldn't be able to make it. If his answer remains the same, then Monica would have to pack her bags and leave before she breaks down.
By walking up the staircase, Monica feels her legs wobbling. At this point, her anxiety is skyrocketing. Trying her best to control the shaking of her hands while holding the keys, she manages to open the door and enters the apartment. The lights are off. Chandler isn't home. She can't wait around until he returns, she has to go looking for him. As she turns back to the hallway, the door from apartment 19 opens up. "Monica! Thank God you're back! I tried to go after both of you but when I got outside, you were already gone." Joey exclaimed, relieved that his friend was at home.
"Both of you!? Did you see Chandler?" Her voice was louder than usual and there was desperation in her tone. Joey didn't even hesitate as he replied "Of course I did! I told him to go find you after I said Richard wants to marry you."
"You did what?" She shrieked. Joey's expression turned into annoyance. "You wanted me to do what? Let you go after him while Chandler waits for you?" She made no answer to this question "He must be at Richard's already" This was too much for Monica to handle. If she goes out looking for him, they would miss each other again. She would have to wait for him to come back home. If he comes back at all.
"Oh my God, I can't believe this!" Monica walks back and forth, starting to panic. "I shouldn't have gone there in the first place" Earlier, when she went to apartment 19 looking for Rachel, she just needed to vent out everything that happened to her friend, hear some advice from her and try to calm down her nerves. But instead, she found Joey. His response was confusing and infuriating, so she made this stupid, reckless decision. By the time she got to Richard's door, she knew she wasn't supposed to be there. She even said that to him, but stayed anyway. Because she was looking for comfort and he used to be good at comforting her. Which was a mistake, since it didn't help with anything. That visit only made her more confused and frustrated with everything that has been happening. "This is all my fault!"
"No, it's not." At that moment, Joey knew what he had to do. He had to tell her the truth. "Yes, you shouldn't have gone after Richard, but Chandler shouldn't have lied to you either. If it's anyone's fault, it's mine and Phoebe's" An apologetic expression appeared in his features.
"What? What the hell are you talking about?" If Monica was confused before, that was nothing compared to now.
"This was a plan all along. Chandler was trying to throw you off the track so you wouldn't figure it out" Monica was so emotionally tired she didn't even try to guess what the plan was about before Joey revealed it "When you guys went to dinner, he was going to propose to you." She couldn't believe her ears! As her vision went blurry and her throat began to close, the only sound she managed to make was a gasp of surprise.
"But then Richard joined you two at dinner and Chandler never got to ask you. Since everyone was acting suspicious, he decided to surprise you. Phoebe and I encouraged him to trick you, but I guess he went way too far." Joey guessed that since the whole government talk Chandler made up yesterday at Central Perk, he must have messed up real bad to justify Monica's reaction.
Monica felt like the ground was taken from underneath her feet. It was too much to take all at once. She lost her balance for a bit and grabbed Joey's shoulder for support. He immediately guided Monica to apartment 19; at this point, her face was covered in tears. Sitting on the barcalounger, Monica took a glass of water Joey offered.
Her mind was also a mess. So many things went around in her head as she tried to make sense of everything Joey said. Her friends' weird reaction before Monica and Chandler went out for dinner. The even weirder reaction after she came back, asking to see her hand. She thought they were playing a prank on her, which was common, so she just ignored it. Monica was so distracted with her own musings she didn't notice Joey talking on the phone. She could only think about her behavior at the restaurant. It disgusted her just looking back to that moment. Why does she have to be such a people pleaser? All of her life, Monica craved love and attention from her parents. She did everything at her reach to please them, especially her mother. And it was never good enough. Her relationship with her brother was turbulent because of this. He wasn't aware of their parents' preference and was always picking on her. At school, she was just Rachel's fat friend. It's not that the other kids weren't nice to her, they were – it's that she didn't have any meaningful connections, no one was close enough to her to be considered her friend, no matter how much she tried to be. So she unconsciously developed this self mechanism of making everyone she meets to like her, inviting them to her house and making them food.
When she ran into Richard last year, he offered to take her to lunch and she wasn't able to say no. Her mouth was automatically trained by her brain to just agree with people whenever she was in an awkward situation. But she thought it was fine; she had no feelings for him anymore and her life was better than ever before. They briefly talked about her new relationship and her job changes since he last saw her. It was a pleasant conversation, but that's all that was. She didn't even trace any feelings coming from his side, so she also wonders what changed there.
So, when she saw Richard and his date entering the restaurant, all she was going for was to be polite and friendly, she didn't want to appear rude by ignoring them when her table was faced right to the entrance door and he would obviously spot her. What is clear now is that while she spent time considering whether she was being rude to Richard, she disregarded Chandler's feelings. She wasn't alone this time, it wasn't just her who would be uncomfortable and trying to make conversation despite feeling awkward just to be pleasing to others. When Chandler started making jokes, she should've known. When the waiter asked if they wanted to join the tables, she should've interfered. But Monica didn't want to be standoffish, so again, since it was an awkward encounter, she just agreed. At the time, it was just another date night; she didn't realize the impact this decision would make.
When analyzing her manners, she reminds of the answer she gave to Richard's compliment to her hair. Why on Earth would she say that? Yes, it's true he wanted her to grow her hair long, but that's not the reason she did it. Back when she was in a relationship with Richard (and even after the breakup), she wore a shortcut not just because she thought it was cute (except the incident with Phoebe; that was a disaster) but also because she wanted to rebel against her mother, who always said she should cover her big ears and wear her hair long to cover her face. Having a shortcut allowed her to display her so-called big ears and her face. Back then, she thought that meant she didn't care anymore about her mothers' opinion of her, but she was just fooling herself. She cared so much she was going as far as she could to provoke her just to gain some attention. That wasn't the case anymore. Monica doesn't believe a person can change another, but she believes they can help you to be the best version of yourself. Since she started dating Chandler, she felt no need for external validation. Not because she now wanted validation from him, but because he showed her she didn't need it at all. She started growing her hair because she wanted to; not because he asked her like Richard once did or because she wanted to please her mother. She just did it for herself.
That's why she was disgusted with herself. There was no need to remember what Richard said to her once if she didn't even consider those words after. She thinks about how Chandler must have felt hearing their exchange. Wow, she really behaved poorly that night. Just to please someone whose opinion of her she shouldn't even consider anymore. And Chandler still wanted to propose to her after his failed attempt being her fault and hers only. He really was the best man she's ever known.
The few minutes that passed since entering Joey and Rachel's apartment, all Monica had done was hide her full-teared face with her hands while Joey stood at the kitchen counter, anxious, not knowing what to do to comfort her. But as soon as she heard the sound of the door being opened, she lifted her face. Rachel and Phoebe walked in a frantic motion. Earlier, when Joey was on the phone, he had called the girls for help.
"Oh my God, Monica!" exclaimed Rachel, worried while Phoebe inquired to Joey "What happened?"
"Monica just got home. I told her about the plan." Joey replied to Phoebe while Rachel went into Monica's direction.
"Honey, what happened? Why are you crying?" she crouched down in front of her and took her trembling hands in hers.
"I've ruined everything!" she claimed in a crying, high-pitched tone. Trying to compose herself, she wiped the trail of tears from her face "Chandler and I… we had an argument. He said to me that he never wants to get married." She sniffed her nose before continuing "So, after coming here and talking to Joey, I went to Richard's apartment. He showed up at my job yesterday and said that he still loves me and wants to marry me" The shock was evident on both girls' faces. Phoebe was the first to react.
"Are you insane? Why did you do that?" and then turned herself to face Joey "And you! What is the matter with you? Why didn't you go after her?"
"Hey! I tried to!" Joey started defending himself "But those stupid boat shoes kept falling off my feet. It also happened when I went looking for Chandler"
"And it never crossed your mind changing your shoes and then going outside again?" Rachel snapped back at him. He knew she had a great point, but instead of admitting it, he just replied "Well, he ended up coming home anyway. I told him what Monica said before leaving and sent him to look for her, but Monica came back before he could find her. He must be at Richard's now. It hasn't been too long since he left."
"So what do we do now? Wait until he gets back?" asked Rachel to everyone. Monica wanted Chandler to come home as soon as possible, but she isn't sure if he will come back anymore. Would he be able to face her again knowing she went after her ex-boyfriend? "What if he doesn't?" whispers her in a hopeless manner.
"Why would you say that? Of course he's coming home!" exclaimed Phoebe like that was the only possible outcome.
"Maybe because you're right. I am insane! Even if he was telling me the truth by saying he didn't want to get married, I shouldn't have gone after Richard. It's not fair! God, how stupid I am!"
"Stop blaming yourself! Our plan was horrible!" insisted Phoebe "We know how much getting married means to you. We can't blame you for making an irrational decision, so you shouldn't either!"
"Phoebe's right!" added Rachel "And I'm sure he's coming back. Do you know why?"
"Why?" murmured Monica, now suddenly embarrassed by her outburst.
"Isn't it obvious? He went to look for you when he knew you said your ex-boyfriend wants to marry you and left! If he wanted to run away, he would've done it by now." her friend answered. Monica guessed that makes sense.
As she starts feeling a little more calm, Monica asks her friends "Do you guys think he still wants to propose? Now that I know everything, the surprise is ruined." Her voice tone gets sadder as she finishes her sentence.
"I'm sure he does. I don't think not being a surprise will make a difference if you're sure you want to." Phoebe declared.
"Of course I'm sure!" protested Monica; shed have felt a little offended by her friend's assumption if she hadn't messed up earlier by going to her ex-boyfriend apartament. "I don't care if it's a surprise, it's just…Chandler will be so disappointed. I ruined everything he planned. I want to make up for it."
"But how?" asks Rachel, trying to come up with a solution in her mind.
"I think I just know how." said Joey, who had been quiet for a few minutes. "What if you proposed to him?" The three women in the room turned their heads at the same time.
"What?" Monica was so stunned by his suggestion that she was only able to express her confusion. However, Rachel and Phoebe rejoiced over the new plan.
"That's a great idea!" Phoebe responds with enthusiasm "I've always wanted to propose to someone! This is so cool!" She giggles as she finishes speaking, as if the decision was already made.
"I can help!" exclaimed Rachel, now very excited "I'll quickly go to the store and buy loads of candles!"
"Wait, wait!" Monica felt overwhelmed with her friends' waffling about it before she said anything. "Guys, I don't think I can do it."
"Why? We all know the answer already" queried Joey, unhappy with her answer. He thought that he gave her the perfect solution and then everything would be fine again.
"What if I mess everything up again? I don't think I can forgive myself for ruining another proposal" Monica confessed. She felt a little silly when she heard herself voicing her thoughts out.
"That's not gonna happen" assured Rachel "And if that happens, which is not going to, you can blame me instead. No more mistakes coming from you today, Miss Geller!" she gave Monica a little smile while trying to cheer her up "You can do it!"
Monica was on the verge of tears again when she pulled Rachel into a tight hug "Thank you so much, guys." she faces all of her friends now, a smile finally appearing on her lips "I don't know what I would've done without you" Her friends all smiled back at her.
"So… what's the new plan going to be like?" Phoebe broke the silence with her curiosity.
"I was thinking of approaching Chandler as soon as he enters the hallway." Joey begins describing his idea "I would be taking out the garbage" he pointed to the trash bag on the floor, forgotten since Monica's arrival. "And I would say to him that Monica left to her parents house"
"Wouldn't he ask why you didn't told her the truth?" Phoebe interrupted his explanation.
"Yeah, you're right. Forget it!"
"No, wait!" Rachel interferes "You should do that and say she didn't believe a word you said. Monica can be quite stubborn"
"Hey!" blurted out Monica. Rachel silently apologized, but her body language gave it away; her friend wasn't good at hiding her true thoughts. She let it pass this time; anything that can help is welcome, even if it seems like an offense in disguise.
"So everyone is on board with the new plan?" asked Phoebe. The response was positively unanimous. Suddenly, Monica felt a wave of excitement and directioned everybody to their respective tasks. Joey and Monica would stay and rehearse; Joey needed to sound convincing and Monica wanted to practice her speech to make sure she wouldn't butcher it. And she needed to wash her face and re-do her makeup. Phoebe and Rachel went out to buy candles to put around Chandler and Monica's living room and light them up.
"Shouldn't we ask Ross to help?" Joey was reminded of their friend's absence.
"Today is his day of picking up Ben at Carol and Susan's" Rachel didn't even hesitate to give her answer. No one questions how she remembers this information.
The four of them began to put their plan into work as quickly as they could; Chandler must be on his way home, there was no time to spare.
When everything was ready, Monica exited her bedroom and stood in the living room. It looked beautiful. The candles were the only source of light in the room. Her girlfriends were still in the apartment. Both of them gave her a hug and wishes of good luck and said they were going to wait in Rachel's room (at apartment 19) until they were done. And then they left her alone. The only thing she has to do now is wait.
As soon as she hears Chandler's footsteps, Monica feels her stomach fluttering from anxiety. As usual, it's possible to hear any conversation held in the hallway. She instantly distinguishes their voices. Joey's acting is very convincing; she would've been fooled by him if she was in Chandler's shoes. When Joey says to him she ran away to her parents, his response was devastating. It broke her heart hearing her boyfriend saying he ruined their relationship. She's about to cry again when the door opens. When she looks at him and notices the amazed expression in his face and his watering eyes, all the nervousness and anxiety fades away. She finally feels at home.
"You wanted it to be a surprise"
THE END