Special Guests-
Demi Moore as Allison
Gwyneth Paltrow as Stacy
"Something New"
Rachel tore off a piece of paper on her calender. It was independence day. She looked at the date for a second. It was freaky but the boredom the dogged her a couple of months ago was back. She had nothing to do and nothing she felt like she could do about it.
Rachel got a job at the god awful magazine place to fill the time, but her hours had been cut down. They only went in three days a week now, leaving four days to fill out of her week. Sales were going so badly they cut down the staff. Greta and Janet were looking for other work, Janet already had another job but Greta was looking to get another acting job.
"That place is so stifling! Oh my god! I tried to read a script and the boss chewed me out for not working." She said. "If I don't get something else soon, my creativity is gonna dry up like a raisin in the sun. Oh!"
Rachel picked up a tossed aside newspaper. This was where she found the ad for the job. Maybe here she would find an idea for something to do, at least for today. Today was independence day. She decided to do something to declare her independence.
She jumped up as the phone rang.
"Hello?" She asked.
"Rachel, its me Allison. Are you busy?"
Chandlers place
Chandler woke up to an empty space in his bed. He patted the pillow next to him and sighed. Stacy seemed to leave early a lot lately. He rubbed his face and sat up. When he reopened his eyes, Stacy was standing in front of him with a breakfast tray.
"Morning sleepy head." She said. "I made breakfast, as you can plainly see."
"I figured that. Unless you carry a tray of food with you everywhere." He reposnded.
"Yeah, it was really my destiny to become an airline stewardess. Or whatever it was they call them these days." Stacy said.
"Close enough. I don't really remember either." Chandler said.
Stacy put the tray at his lap. "Scrambled eggs, extra eggs. Bacon and toast with a dab of marmalade." She said handing him a fork. "At least thats what I think the orange stuff is. I used a little of it cause I wasn't really sure." She said.
Chandler took his fork, lifted the eggs to his mouth and slowly ate them. Stacy watched contently from her spot on the bed.
"This is great." Chandler said with food in his mouth.
"Eat every drop." She said. "I don't know when we might be able to do this again, for a long time."
"What do you mean?" He asked. For the first time he noticed her sadness. "Whats wrong?"
"It's a long story." She said.
"I don't work today." Chandler said. "Tell me whats on your mind."
Allisons fave hangout
Allison wasnt kidding. When she called Rachel, she told her to put on her work out gear and meet her at the fifth street gym, she had no idea what she was getting into. Allison met her at the front door.
"Hi!" She waved.
"Hey." Rachel said. "What are we doing here."
"Oh you mean besides getting the most painful wedgie in my life by putting this on? We're here for aerobics class." Allison said. "I'm just kidding about the wedge joke. This thing fits like a glove."
"Don't you have to be a member?" Rachel asked.
"I do, but today is bring a friend day. I heard about the job from Chandler, well through Wesley. Hes the biggest gossip, although he doesnt look it. I thought you would like to come with me today." She said.
"Thanks." She said. "I think."
Rachel spent half an hour doing stretches and more jumps than ever did in high school. The differance was that she felt it a little more now that she was a little older. After the workout she sat with Allison at the juice bar. Allison drank her prune juice concentrate in one gulp. Rachel held her glass and wrinkled her nose at the smell.
"It tastes better if you think it tastes like soda." Allison promised.
"Sure." She took a gulp. She stiffly swallowed it. "Soda thats gone very very very bad!"
"Oh ok, its not everybodys cup of tea...."
"It aint even close to that." Rachel cut her off.
"..but you wanted to do something different today." Allison said continuing. "I thought this would be a good warm up."
"For what? We're not doing the decathalon or something are we?" Rachel asked.
"Oh no." Allison shook her head. "Thats next week." She joked. "But today we are gonna do something different." She stood up. "Something that throws the old Allison and Rachel right out the window! Well technically, out of a plane." Rachel looked at her. "We are going skydiving today!"
"Do we really have to throw the old me out the window?" Rachel cringed. "I kinda like it."
"Its a once in a lifetime experience." She said. "I know what you're thinking. I've changed a lot since I've married Wesley but its not, hes taught me how to live every moment of life to its fullest. I want to do that with you now." She said. "I'm gonna go, with or without you."
Rachel didn't look reassured.
"Please? I really would rather go with you."
"Well." Rachel thought. You were gonna do something to declare your independence today. This would be the perfect thing. "I'll do it."
Chandlers place
"My roomate kicked me out." Stacy said.
"Roomate?" Chandler said. "But you live at the hotel. While your place is being repainted."
"That was a lie." Stacy said. "She kicked me out so she could have her boyfriend move in. She didnt even warn me, I just found my stuff in the hallway one morning."
"Oh my god."
"I know. I was so mad but so embarressed that I didn't know it was coming. I moved to the hotel. I been there ever since then. I only told you that it was being repainted because I didnt know how well we would get along." Stacy smiled at him. "And we do get along very well."
"Like a dream."
"Exactly. I need to find another place to live, I can't afford to live there any more." She sighed. "I dont know what I'm gonna do."
"I'll tell you." Chandler said. "What you're gonna do is move in with me."
Stacy looked up sharply. "But we havent been dating that long..."
"I know." He moved the tray. "Come on." He took her hand nd led her into the spare room. "There is a bed and some drawers and a very nice closet. Very roomy."
"But not roomy enough for all of my things." Stacy said.
"No problem. I got extra storage space downstairs." He put his arm around her. "What do you say?"
"I'll do it!" She smiled at him. "Wow, I can't believe it." She said and looked into the room. "Can I knock out the wall and make a patio deck?" Chandler turned to her. "Kidding! Kidding. Ok?"
The airfield
Rachel and Allison were a bundle of nerves. They had sat through two hours of parachute "training" but they doubted they remembered anything the handsome instructor had told them. This much was remembered:
They would go up 3,000 feet.
It was a tandem jump, so a someone would be attached to them both. Allison with someone and Rachel with someone. Pros preferably.
They could get hurt or even killed if something went wrong with the jump or the ride on the way down.
The last factor is what stuck with Rachel the most, and is what affected her bladder the most.
"Think anyone evey peed on their tandem jumping partner?" She asked Allison as they waited for the plane to ascend tot he right height.
"Theres a first time for everything." Allison said. "I shouldnt have had that prune juice at the club."
"I had a sip. Imagine what the rest of that is doing to your system." Rachel said.
"Green?" Her tandem partner called out.
"Great." Rachel said. "I'm ready." Her partner attached all the right gizmos and clips. They stood at the door.
"Any last words?" Allison shouted.
"Shut up!" She called. "You're going next!"
"Great, I'll remember that." Allison said.
Her partner did a short countdown, they took a deep breath and jumped. The whole world seemed to be in slow motion. Rachel could see everywhere.
"I think I can see my house from here!" She shouted. She watched Alisons jump. She waved to her and blew a kiss. Alison blew one back. The whole thing was amazing. She had been so scared but now she never felt more free. She wasnt even aware if she had wet her pants like she had feared. She reached the ground first and waited for her friend to land. After untangeling their parachutes they hugged each other.
"Wow, I can't believe I did that!" Rachel cried.
"Me neither." Alison said. "I wet my pants." She moaned.
"At least they won't make you keep them." Rachel said.
"What do we do tomorrow night?" Alison said.
"I don't know. I saw this ad in the paper for a contest. I think I'll do that next. I need to recover from this."
"What kind of contest?" Alison asked.
"You'll see." Rachel said.
