Special Guest
Gywmeth Paltrow as Stacy
Salma Hayek as Janet
and a surprise special guest
"I know what boys like"
Rachel could barely concentrate on her job. Her mind kept flashing back to after the roller derby competition with Pearl. She had won, but at the feeling she felt like she lost something more important.
After Ross caught Chandler kissing her, he sped off like a bat out of hell. She held her hand to her face.
"Oh my god." She sighed. "I gotta go after him."
Then came what happened at the apartment. She rode up on the elevator. The doors opened and it revealed Ross standing there waiting for her. His sudden appearance startled.
"You scared me Ross." She said taking a breath.
"Who else would you expect here besides your husband?" He asked. "I can't believe he kissed you."
"Me neither."
"And I can't believe you let him." Ross said.
"Let him? I didn't expect him to do that you know." Rachel said.
"I did somehow." Ross said. "He confessed his undying love for you last week didnt he?"
Rachel stepped back. "What?"
"I saw you two." Ross said. "I was just getting back when I heard him tell you I love you Rachel and I always will. I didnt want to believe it so I went for a drive around town to collect my thoughts."
"So there was no Dino emergency?" She asked.
"Far from it. Once I decided what I saw was a figment of my imagination, I came back. But now I know I wasnt seeing things." Ross said.
"What do we do now?" Rachel asked.
"There is no we. Not for right now. Catch." Ross threw her a duffle bag. "I've set up a hotel reservation for you. You're going to stay there as long as it takes to decide which man you want in your life. But I want to know either way." He said.
Rachel held the bag tightly. "Are you sure there is something else I can't do?"
"Yeah. While you're thinking keep your distance from me and Chandler. So you dont become biased for some crazy reason."
"Wow. Talk about de ja vu." Rachel observed. "Emily would have wanted this same thing."
"I know. And for the first time I think I understand."
"I guess I'll see you later." Rachel said as Ross let the elevator doors close."
"I hope you make the right decision." He handed her a card. Heres where your staying." The doors closed.
Rachel blinked back tears all the way down.
Rachel shook her head. Someone tapped her on the shoulder. It was Pearl. She wordlessly left a can of soda and walked away.
"That girl is something else." Janet observed. "You can do nice stuff but this soda stuff is on the verge of sucking up."
"What?" Rachel said snapping back out of a small transe.
"Are you with me today?" Janet said. "Cause I dont think you are."
"Sorry." Rachel said making another call.
Chandler paused before opening the door. He had been talking to someone for the past week. He didnt want to quite use the word "shrink" but he needed to talk to someone to sort out his feelings for Rachel. The therapist wasnt much help. Instead he was given a place to go to talk to other singles in his situation. Well not exactly the same situation, but Chandler was compelled to make a jump at the chance to talk to other people. He opened the door and entered a small meeting place. A woman at the bar section took notice of him. A man reached him first.
"Are you Chandler?" He asked. "Hi, I'm Phil. Glad you could join us."
"Thanks." He said. The woman at the bar still looked at him. "Good to be here."
The woman got up and crossed the room. She was a blonde, almost as tall as him, if not taller.
"Hi." She said extending her hand as Phil left. "I'm Stacy."
"Chandler." He shook it.
"Do you want to sit down?" Stacy said.
"Sure." He said transfixed by her.
Rachel started eating her lunch in the cafeteria. She was in her own little world when she heard Janet call her name.
"Rachel , where are you?" Janet said.
"I'm sorry." She said again.
"Thats ok." Janet said. "I been trying to tell you we have a new person her with us. Pearl might go after her." Janet said. "After her encounter with you, she may be doing this to fix her rep."
"Do you know who this new person is?" Rachel said.
"Not yet. She was late today."
"Hmm." Rachel said. Then a voice caught her ear.
"Look honey. I sit damn well where I wanna sit. If you wanna say anything else about that, I'll bitch slap you to kingdom come, capiece?" She said pronouncing at least one or two words wrong.
"It can't be." Rachel said. She turned. It was. The girl talking was the fabulous Greta Chanel, Joeys old co-star in the soaps. "Greta!" Rachel called out. Greta looked her way. She waved. She pushed Pearl out of her way and strolled on over in her oversize clog boots.
"Doll! How have you been?" She said.
"Not good." Rachel said.
"Why?" Greta said. "I didn't think anything could be not good for you."
"I'll tell you about it." She said and summed up the past two weeks for Greta. She listened and nodded her head.
"Girl, you're in a pickle. A dilly too. Ha!" Greta said. "But seriously, you got to make a choice. Agree?"
Rachel nodded.
"I think we all need some dessert. Ice cream strikes my fancy." She stood. "Everyone, guess what? Pearl is treating us to dessert at Dairy Queen. Isnt she sweet! See you there in ten minutes!"
Pearl looked shocked for a second, then her straight line of a mouth curled into a smile.
That meeting place
"Let me tell you about myself." Stacy said. "I work in advertising. I am single, otherwise I wouldnt be here. And I prefer men, thank you very much, or I wouldnt have chosen you. Right?" She asked. "Right." She replied without waiting for a response. "Tell me about you."
"Well I..." He started.
"Sell yourself." Stacy said.
"What?"
"Make a pitch." She replied. "Make me want you." Stacy said. "Tell me about all the good things that I would get out of dating you. We are going to date right?"
Chandler said. "Yeah."
"I'm sorry." She sighed. "I had a bad day. I feel like a snapping turtle right now." She smiled. "I still want to know about you."
"Ok, I work at big company, computers and stuff. I don't really think there is a technical name for it. I play tennis. I like movies and all kinds of stuff." He said.
"I like tennis too!"
"No way!"
"Way!" She said. "Waynes world! One of my favorite movies! One of my biggest ambitions! To be a lifeguard on Baywatch!"
"I love Baywatch!" Chandler said.
"Great!" Stacy said. She looked up. Music started to play. "Oh I love this song."
"Don't give up, Peter Gabriel." He said.
"Yeah." She sighed.
"Do you want to dance?" Chandler said getting up.
"I was hoping you would ask me." She said rising from her chair. They moved to the center of the room.
"Theres no one else dancing." Chandler remarked as they moved slowly.
"Theres other people here?" Stacy said quietly.
"Not anymore." Chandler said.
They looked into each others eyes.
"I could be here all night." Chandler said.
"Not me. If I stand too long I get a kink in my back." Stacy said.
"Really?"
"No." She said.
Later
After a triumphant reunion with Greta, Rachel felt a little better sitting at her desk with her headset on. She was about to make another call when she was startled by her phone ringing.
"Thats funny, someone actually calling for the magazine." She observed. She picked it up. "Hello?"
"Rachel." The voice belonged to Chandler.
"I can't talk to you. Ross in essence threw me out. I can't talk to either one of you until I decide who I want to be with."
"Understandable." Chandler said. "I think I can help you."
"Chandler..."
"I've met someone."
"What?"
"I know what you're thinking. So much for undying love." Chandler said. "I met a girl at a singles group."
"I'm happy for you."
"I know you're not but thanks for trying." Chandler said.
"Well good luck." Rachel said. "I got to go, no personal calls!"
"Ok." Chandler said. "You are really all right with this?"
"Totally!" Rachel said hanging up.
"What was that?" Greta said over her shoulder.
"Chandler."
"I thought you couldnt..."
"Yeah. I know. But hes met someone." She said.
"Thats great." Greta said. "Now you can go back home."
"Thats right!" Rachel said. "But will he take me back?"
