
Part 1.
In Phoebe's apartment Joey was being serious.
"But I just don't get it Pheebs. How
could they just like, break up?!" He shook his head as he and Phoebe sat
together on her sofa devouring their way through an express espresso
frisbee sized with everything pan-pizza. "I mean, this is Rachel and
Ross we're talking about here. They were meant to be together. Like Fred
and Wilma. Like Starsky and Hutch. I just don't get it. I wonder what
the problem was?" he frowned.
This was not good. He was the sort of
guy who liked everything in his life to run smoothly and that included
his friend's personal relationships.
Phoebe Boufette licked her lips then her fingers clean, one at a time. "Sex."
"Huh?" Joey wore an expression that was like a blank canvas. Sex? No way could it be that. After all, he was an expert in such things and he would of known if it was something like that. His brow furrowed for it suddenly occurred to him that he hadn't had a girlfriend in like, a whole month. Four weeks?!! He really needed to get back into the ballgame as soon as possible. He, Joey Tribbiani needed to keep his well oiled machine - well oiled. He wondered if that cute sales assistant at that big department store on Upper West Side was still available for a date. He figured he still had her phone number lying around his apartment - somewhere.
Phoebe got up from the sofa and took the pizza box to the waste disposal before raiding the fridge. Of course it was sex. It was ALWAYS sex. Boy, people can be so in denial sometimes. She came back to sit beside Joey and handed him a cool beer. He still had that cute "hello…anyone home?" expression on his face. Joey, good old non-complicated Joey. "Yes Joey, sex." she said firmly again. "How did all your relationships break up?"
Joey raised a characteristic eyebrow at that question. That one was a bit too near the knuckle for comfort. His eyebrow got higher as he went mentally through the reasons for all those he could remember. Ding ding. "Er, ah." he muttered sheepishly, unable to meet her knowing gaze. "Sex too I guess."
"See. You can have the IQ of the brainiest person that ever lived but it all comes down to how much or how little you're getting. Simple huh?" she smiled. "I'm a people person. I really should have been a psychiatrist like Dr Ruth. I am the knower of and solution to like all of the worlds' problems."
But Joey was still frowning. "Ok so it's like sex k." he said. "But this is Rachel we're talking about here Pheebs. We are talking about a woman who put the x in porn here." His eyes were wide open and his head was nodding in that determined way he had as if to emphasis his point - no matter how dumb it was. He paused for a second and frowned like he had thought of something really - really - mind bogglingly terrible. "You don't think that Ross got suddenly gay do you?" he blurted out.
Phoebe shrugged as she sipped her beer. She'd noticed lately how Joey had always somehow managed to engineer Rachel into his every conversation. "Ross is too much of the drama queen to be gay, though he does seem to be developing a queer taste for sleeveless sweaters and watching QVC lately. OO OO hey, if he is really going gay do you think he would help me with my décor?" she asked brightly.
*
It was Wednesday and Rachel was at work sitting behind her plush desk on whose top sat a pile of paperwork >----------< this high. But her mind was on anything but her work. It had been a week since she and Ross had split up. The reason for breaking up was something they had seen coming from a long way off. It had been a long fuse on a slow burn. Despite everything, the companionship, good sex (but not great - her fault?) and the spanking it had somehow gone pear shaped.
She swizzled around
in her chair until she was looking out of her office window at the
cityscape below. Even despite the spanking. So much for the others
always telling them their relationship "ever since high school was meant
to be". She felt a deep sadness in her heart for she had discovered how
much Ross had wanted her back then. But times moves on and people
change. Even true love can fade - despite the spanking.
She lifted a hand
and rubbed her temple. Things had got complicated real fast. Since when
did spanking go to the top of her list of most important things in a
relationship? Ever since the first time he slapped her big fat Greek
ass. But in reality, the reason was sadly so simple. The thrill had
gone. The zip, zing, pizzaz - whatever, had gone. Work had contributed
too she realised. It had been much easier when she worked as a waitress
in Central Perk just serving coffee. But through circumstance, she had
moved up in the world to land her dream job. He had his professional
life and she had hers. They had drifted apart and the spark just wasn't
there anymore.
Even despite the
spanking. The spanking. She sighed. Now that was one thing she would
really, really miss. What would the next man in her life think of her if
on their first date she asked him "Do you spank?" She made a face. That
would never EVER happen for there was no way she could be so bold. It
was all his fault. "Damn you Ross Geller." she whispered out loud. "Why
did you have to spank my ass?" She got to her feet and rested her head
against the glass looking down at the worker ants far below. Sighing, a
face suddenly appeared into her consciousness - someone totally
unexpected at that moment.
She smiled as the face asked her. "Yo Rach, how's your ass doin' ?"
*