Mr. Monk's Day At The Spa

Chapter 2

As they were preparing to go to the spa, Molly decided to help Mr. Monk pick out his outfit. He led her to his bedroom and opened his closet doors. Inside were identical shirts and identical jackets. Molly looked like she was about to explode with laughter from the sight of it all. It was all exactly what you would expect to find in the closet of Adrian Monk. Hesitating for a moment, she slowly asked him a question. "Adrian, are these the only clothes you have?" She tried to ask calmly while holding back her laughter.

Mr. Monk looked confused as he answered her. "Yes, why? Should I have more? I don't think I need more. I have a suit for every day of the week." He said proudly.

Molly was still trying to control herself when she asked him this question, "Isn't a suit a little too formal for a spa? Do you have anything else, anything at all?"

He paused for a minute before he responded to her question. "No," he said, "I don't have anything except what you see in this closet" Mr. Monk told her.

She then grabbed a random shirt and pants and thrust them into his hands. "Here put these on, and quickly too. I'll be waiting for you downstairs in my car." She said hurriedly.

Mr. Monk looked frazzled when Molly finished talking. "But," he said, "But this shirt doesn't go with these pants, and what about a jacket? You didn't hand me a jacket." He said anxiously.

Molly laughed at him again and replied. "Adrian, all your shirts are identical. Just put that one on, and you won't need a jacket today so stop worrying about it." She said while closing the closet doors.

He hesitated before he eventually conceded, and then Molly left to give him privacy to change clothes in. He muttered under his breath, "They aren't all identical."

Still within earshot Molly yelled back "I heard that Adrian." Then she continued down the stairs, satisfied that her point was made.

Mr. Monk then prepared to change out of today's suit and into the dress shirt and pants that Molly had chosen for him. He quickly pulled down the shades and closed the curtains so that he could change clothes privately. Adrian was soon finished and began to descend the stairs toward Molly's car.

Molly had begun to worry about him, fearing that he would never come out of the building. She shut off her car, ready to go back in for him, and as soon as she did Mr. Monk walked out. He noticed her car quickly, and began to walk across the street to get to it. "Adrian, you look nice in that outfit, though you could unbutton it a little." She said as she noticed that he had it buttoned all the way to the top.

He just looked at her like she had lost her mind for even saying that and slid into the car. "How far away is this place you're taking me?" Mr. Monk asked her warily.

She knew he was going to ask her that, so she had calculated the time while he was getting ready. "It will take about twenty minutes to get there. Is that ok with you Adrian?" Molly asked as sweetly as she could.

Mr. Monk waited a second before he responded. "That's fine," he said, "But I get to pick the radio station." He added immediately.

Molly just stared at him in disbelief. "Adrian, don't you know that the driver picks the music? I want to listen to the country station, so I hope that's okay with you" she told him straightforwardly.

He contemplated that statement before he asked, "The good country station or the bad one?"

She looked confused as he asked her that. "That depends on which one you think is good and which one you think is bad." Molly told him.

Mr. Monk replied by saying, "The good country station is 93.1 because it plays the older music, and the bad one is 93.5 because it plays newer music."

Molly now understood exactly what he was saying. "I'm putting it on 93.1 because I like that one better." She said as she turned the radio on and Willie Nelson's voice started to fill the car.

Looking lost in thought, Mr. Monk said to Molly, "You know I met him once"

Molly was again confused by Mr. Monk's statement. "Who did you meet?" She asked him quickly.

He finally regained enough focus to realize he had not been very clear. "Willie Nelson. It's actually a pretty good story." He said to clear things up.

Molly looked excited to be hearing another one of the brilliant detective's stories. "Let's hear it!" She said while turning down the radio slightly.

Mr. Monk proceeded to tell her the story of how he met the one and only Red Headed Stranger while on their way to the spa.