It had been a long day at the diner looking after ignorant and ungrateful slobs. She had enough of it, but it was what could pay the bills and she had just turned 25, she had little experience in other fields to get another job anyway. Head Waitress/shift lead manager is what she was, and it made her sad. Especially when her father had passed away as he always thought that she would grow up to be a fashion designer not a waitress. That was her goal and plan, but like most things in life plans change and besides she needed to save up for school first.

Her mom had turned to drinking after he had passed and mostly had stopped working mostly just doing weekends at a grocery store. She knew that she needed to step up and take this job to help the family out especially her two younger sisters. They were financially strapped for cash and fashion school was looking less and less likely anytime soon.

She was just finishing up cleaning for the night and her ankles we are aching in pain, it had been a 10-hour shift that had turned into 12 as the closing crew was short staffed and she was only getting paid for 10. But that was life at a diner and with the recession going on any job was great. The housing market had crashed and after moving into a rougher area of the city they were already quickly draining through what little savings they had left from the sale of the house. Just at that moment a younger man walked in the door and sat down.

"Hi" he said weakly he sounded drained like her, so she took some pity for the man.

"Hi how can I help you today?" placing down a menu with some strain in her voice the day had taken it's toll on her. Usually the diner would tell guests that they were closing soon but what was one more guest anyway.

"I'll have a coffee double cream double sugar and a hamburger with lettuce pickles and ketchup please" he said clearly looking like he was done for the day as well.

"Sure, I'll just be a few minutes. Here let me take your menu for you."

As she walked into the kitchen she noticed that no one else was there including the chefs. It had been happening more ever since she became head waitress. The more experienced staff were upset and took it out by disobeying and leaving early. She sighed and started making the burger on the grill. As the burger was done she threw the pickles and ketchup on and slammed the buns down on the burger in frustration. She grabbed the coffee and poured some in a cup causing it to splash. She stomped her foot in frustration but quickly got back into customer service mode smiling at the gentleman as she walked back out into the dinning room. She frowned a little as she saw the man checking his watch in frustration.

"Here's your plate hamburger with pickles, lettuce and ketchup and your coffee double cream double sugar. Sorry for the wait the kitchen was cleaning up for the night" she said cheerfully betraying the fact that she was the entire kitchen and she would have to clean up.

"Its delicious pay compliments to the chef and no problem about that wait was just reading over some papers. Its way better then the stuff we have at the university cafeteria." He said smiling as he bit into another bite of his hamburger

As she was cleaning she decided to make conversation with the man as he was the only one in the diner "University, what program are you majoring in?" students were always nice and polite, they were some of her favorite customers and this man was proving that statement tonight.

"Oh, I am actually a professor of paleontology at Columbia University." This caused her mouth to drop in amazement

"Wow your so young how, how did you do it?"

"Well during my final year which was only a couple of years ago I ended up doing an thesis paper about the history of a terakatal species called the Wronia. The school was very impressed with my GPA and paper that they gave me a recommendation which I then used to apply for a lecture position which is one that I got. Ended up teaching 3 courses which has been bumped up to 5 courses this semester. Hence the reason I need the coffee" he laughed finishing his mug

"Wow that's so impressive, I wish I could say the same thing except only about fashion. Anyway, what's your name?"

"Ross Geller do you remember me from Lincoln High School out on the island" he said extending his hand

"Nice to see you again Ross" It finally clicked in her head how and why she remembered his face, it had been bugging her since he walked in. "My names Rachel Green in case you have forgotten. I remember your sister Monica how's she doing?" she added shaking his hand "Sorry Ross just have to do some cleaning I'll take your plate and grab your bill for you"

"She is doing good thanks, I'll be paying by card"

She brought back the diner's copy of the bill after taking it out to Ross to pay and was shocked at the tip amount. $10 for a $10 bill, 100% tip. It had been the highlight of her day.

As Rachel put the card reader back she sighed at the mess in the kitchen and looked at the time 4:00pm and her shift was supposed to be done at 2pm. The kitchen would take an extra hour of cleaning, so she would not get out of there until 5pm. She started angrily doing the dishes taking her pent-up anger out on them. It was sort of theopoetic for her and one she could afford. As she put her jacket on and hung up her apron grabbing her purse and the key she was surprised to still see Ross there reading the paper.

"Sorry sir, Ross I am going to have to ask you to leave, the diner closed 30 minutes ago. It was really nice meeting you though"

"Yeah sorry I'll leave lost track of time can't believe it's 5 pm already, hey are you far from here I can take the subway back with you. Where are you heading?" he asked folding the newspaper up

"Thanks for the offer Ross but I am walking back it's only 20 minutes to my mom's apartment" she said with a tang an embarrassment. Most of her friends had been moved out of their parents place for years and living on their own with a life of their own. Like her one friend and former roommate Phoebe who had been by herself since she was 16. Phoebe was actually coming over tonight to watch TV and play games as their weekly tradition and it was one of the main things Rachel looked forward to during the week.

"I insist besides it's getting dark and snowing, here let me grab your purse for you" he said trying to think of an excuse to talk to the friendly waitress. Besides he didn't want to go home.

"Thanks again but I think I'll be okay" she said as they walked outside, and she locked the door but dropped it with a piece of paper falling to the ground. She quickly got back up

"Have a goodnight Ross, once again it was nice to meet you" as she walked the other direction snow falling down across her face.

Ross picked up the piece of paper and smiled when he read what was on the paper, it was Rachel's address and phone number. At least he didn't have to go through the yellow pages trying to find her number. He remembered that he had to go see Ben tonight as Carol and Susan were going on a date.

It caused a sadness to wash over him as he had still not gotten over what Carol the lesbian had done to him just a few short months ago. But he was supportive of her and Susan and wanted all the best for them. Besides Chandler was coming over tonight and him. Ben and Chandler could watch the Rangers game tonight.

As Rachel got home from the diner she turned the apartment lock and was shocked at what she saw when she walked in. The time read 5:40pm Her two younger sisters Amy and Jill were screaming at each other with her mom no where to be found.

"Girls what's the matter?" she asked with her heart rate elevated and signals of alarm going off in her head

"Mom didn't come home, and Amy is not making dinner saying she is too good to do it and I am hungry!" Jill sobbed running over to Rachel in tears.

Amy stood in silence and stared into the ceiling looking like she wanted to scream at Rachel eventually the dam burst, and her feelings came pouring out.

"Where were you Rachel? We have been waiting for you all evening and you disappeared probably running off with another man again! Mom is probably at the bar drinking her sorrows away! It's like we were invisible to you! I want dinner" she ended up whining and revealing her true reason for being angry at Rachel she was just as hungry as Jill.

The weight of it all caused Rachel to become distant and detached from the scene, she was emotionally and physically drained but put on a brave smile for her younger sisters. "Girls I am so sorry I was caught up at the diner again. I'll make you some diner what would you like?" Rachel said hiding the fact that making diner and cleaning up dishes was the last thing, all Rachel wanted was some downtime/alone time.

As she put the Kraft dinner pasta onto her sisters plates it brought some joy as they squealed with delight after bickering the whole time Rachel was making it, she almost ended up throwing the pan at the wall in frustration but ended up holding it together.

As she was just about to sit down and eat her stomach rumbling there was knocking at the door. She begrudgelly got up and opened the door, to her surprise the landlord was there.

"Hi Rachel, is your mom Sandra here? I need to talk to her" he said with a twitch of anger in his voice

"Sorry Stan she's out for the evening but I can take a message, lets take this out to the hall" she said sordidly closing the apartment door as she knew what this was going to be about.

"Look Rachel unless the monthly rent of $900 on this apartment is paid in full in cash by tonight at 9pm I have no choice but to evict you." He said with a hint of glee coming into his voice clearly relishing the fact that he would finally be able to get rid of this ungrateful family who was always behind on rent.

"Look Stan just give me a moment to call my mom" she said frazzled as it was just another stressful thing happening in what had turned out to be a horrible day

She re-entered the apartment and quickly dialed up the bar her mom had frequented when they picked up she hurriedly said, "Hi it's Rachel Green is my mom Sandra there?" the member of staff got Sandra on the line for her

"Hi Rachel, what's up sweetie is everything alright?" Sandra said slurring her words a little as she had been drinking a little too much. It had been her comfort since her husband had passed away.

"Sort of, the girls are fed thanks to me but Stan the landlord is here and is saying that surprise the rent has not been paid! He wants the $1000 tonight or he is going to evict us" Rachel said trying to keep her voice down as to not let her sisters overhear and scare them.

"Look Rachel I don't have the money right now, I have $5 in the bank" she said which due to her drunken state caused her to laugh "Look can I get you to pay this month?" she asked

It had been a similar story the past few months with her mom getting less and less hours at her work each month and having to rely on her daughter. Rachel started to well up due to the amount of stress that today had caused her.

"Look Mom once we get back on our feet I want you to go to rehab for alcohol, I love you mom and I don't want anything to happen to you. I'll cover rent this month. Get home safely, goodnight mom"

"Goodnight Rachel love you too" was what Rachel heard as she put the phone down her hands were shaking as she called the bank to inquire about her balance.

"Mrs. Green you have $850 in your account and your credit card is maxed out at $1000" at the mention of that she went into the washroom that was so small you would think it was a closet and quickly started heavy breathing to calm her down. She called the diner

"Hi Hugh, it's Rachel Green, is there anymore shifts available tonight and if it's possible to get paid in cash right away?"

"Rachel there is surprisingly is some shifts, I can give you 4 hours tonight and can pay in cash right away" Hugh may not have been the greatest boss but he sure was understanding

"Thanks, I really appreciate it you don't know how much this means to me." She said quickly doing the math in her head $7 x 4 was around $30 and with $20 in her wallet plus the $850 she would be able to survive another month.

As she walked out the door she let Stand know that she would drop off the money putting emphasis that it would be cash which seemed to appease he.

After another exhausting shift at the diner while getting yelled at by unhappy customers who had to wait to long and the chef who yelled at her for taking too long and dropping off the money at Stan's townhouse. After that she made sure that her sisters were asleep before brushing her teeth. She winced at the note that was left on the front door from Phoebe telling her to call back. She felt guilty about ditching game and TV night but rent unfortunately came before friends.

She finally got the down time she needed. At 11pm on a Friday night she plopped herself down on her bed in her PJ's. She started trembling and broke down in tears as she saw her bank account statement. $0 was all that was left with a $1000 credit card balance. As the exhaustion of the day finally broke her and she went to sleep. 10 minutes later the phone started ringing, she quickly got up and ran over to get it so not to wake up her sisters

"Hi Rachel, it's Ross from the diner this afternoon. Me, my son Ben and my friend Chandler were going to go to the movies tonight and were wondering if you wanted to join us?" he asked in a charming voice. Maybe it sounded like that since it was polite after dealing with all the upset customers that night it certainly sounded charming.

"Look Ross I would love to, but I am just feeling tired, how did you even get my number?" all traits of emotion had drained from her voice and she sounded gruffy and lifeless. She was at least telling half the story preferring not to tell him that she was broke

"Yeah, no problem maybe another time, is everything okay you don't sound too good?" dread and concern seeped out of his voice. He tried to turn the tables choosing to avoid the topic of how he got her number.

"Everything's fine Ross just feeling a little down and drained. Have a goodnight" she said not caring or at least to tired to care how he got her number. She felt a tinge of joy though as it had been the first time she had been on the phone with a man in months.

"Goodnight Rachel" Ross said with a hint of disappointment. He knew that there was going to be another time for sure but was guessing that tonight would not be the night.

A couple of months later

Winter had turned to spring and like most things in life it had gone by fast. Rachel had ended up working a small office job during the week and worked at the diner at nights which had helped her pay off the credit card and build up some savings again. Sure, it was only $500 but it was something. The reason for the newfound flexibility at the diner was there was a new manager named Gunther who worked there, and Rachel swore he had a crush on her. She had become the sole rent payer as her mom had gone to therapy/rehab offered for free at the local church and it was working although she would have relapses here and then. She finally felt in some control of her life again.

Her and Ross had started dating and she was getting to know his family well. They had been on a number of dates, but it was hard to fit them all in to their busy schedules. Tonight, was date night and she was looking forward to it.

She smiled at herself in the mirror as it was a source of pride wearing her grandmothers blue dress. It always brought back the happy memories that she had. She was also wearing a dove brooch that her dad gave her for her high school graduation. They were going to an Italian restaurant for dinner.

Ross came to the door and knocked. As Rachel answered he was stunned gripping his son Ben's hand a little harder causing him to tease

"Dad are you nervous?"

"Rachel you look stunning" he said as his face betrayed him looking like it was still caught in the headlights. He snapped out of it "I brought Ben with us tonight because Susan and Carol went on some last-minute vacation to Mexico and everyone was busy to watch him"

"That's okay Ross, it's nice to see you again Ben how are things going at school?"

Ben was a little smitten by Rachel as well so when she bent down to talk to him he blushed a little "There're going good I am really liking history class"

"That's good, hey I am starving let's go get some dinner" she said as she grabbed their hands and lead them down to the waiting taxi. When she was with Ross it would be the happiest times of the month and this would be no exception.

As they got to the Italian restaurant they enjoyed some garden salad and bread before their food came which was big plates of Spaghetti and Meatballs. Chandler's friend/roommate Joey had recommended this establishment.

"So, Ross how have things been?" she asked staring into his eyes genuinely anticipating the answer as she twirled her food around.

"Things have been going good, Classes are almost done for the year which means lots of marking about prehistoric animals, exciting stuff! I got a surprise for you! Me, you and Ben are going to the ranger's game tonight! Plus I am paying for this meal, who has two thumbs and has a plan? This guy!"

Rachel's face lit up in excitement. She had never been to a ranger's hockey game, but she heard exciting things about them. They finished the rest of their meal and headed off to the game.

As they sat down in their seats the game had started and Rachel was in awe at how quickly the players would move up and down the ice. She was a little unsure about the rules though.

"Why did they stop play there?" she said confused

"That's called an offside it means that the offensive player goes over the blue line before the puck does" Ben interjected before Ross

"Ben your so smart, must be the genes from your father" she said causing Ross to laugh and Rachel to blush. His laugh was so infectious and made her happy.

"Oh there fighting now! FIGHT! FIGHT! Ross and Ben started yelling as they stood up hollering popcorn was spilling everywhere. Rachel decided to get in on the fun and got up and was yelling along with all the other 18,000 fans.

As the night worn on Rachel had been the happiest she had been in months. Ross was so kind and understanding. He had the soul of an angel. He would show compassion and understanding when talking about things she did not know unlike prior boyfriend Bruce who would talk down to her. She knew that Ross was the one…

Authors Note: End of Chapter 1, hope you enjoyed it and rate and review to provide feed back as it is always welcomed!