June 30, 2004
Rachel turned the corner of Grove Street and she headed toward the old apartment building. She and Ross were looking for a new place to live. Their family was expanding, and they couldn't live in the apartment after the baby arrived. They needed more bedrooms and more space.
She looked up at Monica and Chandler's old apartment building. It seemed so different now that the Bings didn't live there anymore.
She felt arms wrap protectively around her waist and she leaned into the strong chest behind her.
"You ready?" Ross asked as he kissed the top of her head.
"Yeah. We have to move on. We have to get a bigger place."
"I hear there's a big house on Pine Street for sale. You wanna go take a look?"
"Yeah," Rachel replied. "That's close to Phoebe and Mike's isn't it?"
"Yeah. Their apartment is ten minutes away."
"That's good. That way we'll be close to some of our friends."
"Hey, Joey's getting ready to leave for California. Do you want to say goodbye?"
"I already said goodbye this morning. I don't wanna do it again," Rachel replied. "Everybody's leaving, Ross."
"I know," he answered. "But everything is changing for the better, you know?" Rachel nodded a little. Ross took her hand and led her back to the car that was three feet away. Emma smiled as her parents re-entered the car. She watched them kiss each other as they drove away.
Rachel looked out the window and watched all of the people on the streets pass by like time. She knew she'd never see any of them again. Everything seemed so strange. Life was on its second course for her. She was married with a child a baby on the way. She was going to buy a house with her husband. They were going to raise their family together and be happy. She hadn't been this happy in a long time.
"Ross?"
"Yeah?"
"You think Emma will be happy in a new house?"
"Of course, sweetie. She'll have a big fenced in back yard and a swing set. We'll build her a sandbox and she'll have a lot of room to grow up."
"Good." Rachel sighed with a content smile on her face. "We can build a baby swing in a tree and put the new baby in it when he gets here."
"He?"
"I think it's a boy."
"Why do you think it's a boy?"
"I don't know. I just think Emma should have a little brother and a big brother. She's already got Ben. But we've got to give her a little sister some day."
"Whoa, one baby at a time, Rach." Ross laughed a little and Rachel squeezed his hand.
"I can't wait to start the rest of my life with you."
"We've started it, Rach."
"I know, but this is just one chapter of our book. We've got more children to come and we have grandchildren. You'll have to fight Emma's dates off with a baseball bat and I'll have to teach her how to be fashionable." Ross grinned at Rachel and shook his head.
"You're such a great mom, Rachel. Our kids are lucky to have you."
"Thank you. I couldn't have done it without you though. I mean, it's so much easier with you there every day. You're so great with Emma. I'm so glad you're the father of our little girl. If it wasn't for you, Emma wouldn't be here. Thank you . . ."
"Don't mention it," Ross replied with a chuckle. They drove in silence except for the occasional babble from Emma's lips. Their two-year-old was starting to put words together into sentences, and they loved to sit back and listen to her teach herself.
A few minutes later, the car pulled up at a pretty house on Pine Street. It was brick and it had three stories from what Rachel could see. Ross got Emma out of the back seat of the car and he carried her up to the house. Rachel held Ross' hand as they walked, and they met a lady at the front porch.
"Come on in. My name is Linda, and this is my home."
"Hi Linda," Ross and Rachel replied quietly. The woman led them into her home. They entered a hallway that led to a stair case. The home was very large on the inside, and Rachel smiled when she pictured her children playing in the den.
"This house has four bedrooms. There is a den and another family room. The kitchen and dining room are in the back. There are two bathrooms, in case you were wondering."
"This place is gorgeous," Rachel whispered.
"Feel free to look around."
"Thanks." Ross looked at Rachel and then at Emma. "What do you think, Emma?" Emma grinned happily.
"Like!"
"Oh, we also have a basement for safety purposes," Linda remembered.
"I could put my fossil collection down there!" Ross exclaimed happily.
"Yes. That's a good place for them to go," Rachel muttered under her breath.
"Hey."
"Come on, Emma. Let's go look upstairs." Rachel took Emma into her arms and walked upstairs. Ross followed slowly and Linda waited downstairs for her guests to make a decision.
"Look at this place. It's amazing. Rachel, you could fit all of your clothes in this closet!"
"I know! No closet has ever been able to hold all of my clothes before!" They continued to look for awhile before Emma got fussy. Rachel told Ross what she thought of the house before she took Emma out to the car. Ross went downstairs to talk to Linda.
As Rachel sat in the car with a sleepy Emma on her lap, she stared out at the children playing in their yards. The street was very calm and quiet. A car rarely passed through, and when it did, it was usually somebody from a house on the street.
Rachel grew happier as she watched the children play. She looked at the big brick house she and Ross had been looking at. It had a big fenced in front and back yard. It had a low white picket fence. It was perfect. She didn't know if they could afford it, but she hoped they could. She wanted to give her children a lot of things, but she didn't want to spoil them like she had been. She knew that many parents wanted to spoil their children with wonderful things, but she had been a spoiled child. She knew it wasn't as wonderful as people thought. Spoiled kids didn't know how to do anything for themselves, and she wanted her kids to grow up with a feeling of self-worth and independence.
Ross exited the house and closed the door. He walked down the concrete steps of the porch and down the long, flower-sided side walk. Rachel watched Ross open a white gate at the end and leave the vicinity of the yard. It brought tears to her eyes to imagine him coming home and walking through that gate every day.
He got into the car and put on his seat belt. He looked at Rachel and smiled at her.
"You want that house?" Rachel's eyes went wide.
"Yeah!"
"Well, Linda is willing to give us a very nice offer. We can be moved in within two weeks," Ross explained.
"Oh my God! Can we afford it?"
"Yeah. Yeah. We can afford it."
"Oh this is so awesome! Emma! Look . . . that's our new home!" She turned to Ross and kissed him.
"Thank you for this . . ."
"You're welcome." He put his arms around Rachel to hug her for a moment. Rachel then put Emma back in her car seat and Ross started the engine. The Geller family drove off together, excited about starting a new life in a new home.
Rachel turned the corner of Grove Street and she headed toward the old apartment building. She and Ross were looking for a new place to live. Their family was expanding, and they couldn't live in the apartment after the baby arrived. They needed more bedrooms and more space.
She looked up at Monica and Chandler's old apartment building. It seemed so different now that the Bings didn't live there anymore.
She felt arms wrap protectively around her waist and she leaned into the strong chest behind her.
"You ready?" Ross asked as he kissed the top of her head.
"Yeah. We have to move on. We have to get a bigger place."
"I hear there's a big house on Pine Street for sale. You wanna go take a look?"
"Yeah," Rachel replied. "That's close to Phoebe and Mike's isn't it?"
"Yeah. Their apartment is ten minutes away."
"That's good. That way we'll be close to some of our friends."
"Hey, Joey's getting ready to leave for California. Do you want to say goodbye?"
"I already said goodbye this morning. I don't wanna do it again," Rachel replied. "Everybody's leaving, Ross."
"I know," he answered. "But everything is changing for the better, you know?" Rachel nodded a little. Ross took her hand and led her back to the car that was three feet away. Emma smiled as her parents re-entered the car. She watched them kiss each other as they drove away.
Rachel looked out the window and watched all of the people on the streets pass by like time. She knew she'd never see any of them again. Everything seemed so strange. Life was on its second course for her. She was married with a child a baby on the way. She was going to buy a house with her husband. They were going to raise their family together and be happy. She hadn't been this happy in a long time.
"Ross?"
"Yeah?"
"You think Emma will be happy in a new house?"
"Of course, sweetie. She'll have a big fenced in back yard and a swing set. We'll build her a sandbox and she'll have a lot of room to grow up."
"Good." Rachel sighed with a content smile on her face. "We can build a baby swing in a tree and put the new baby in it when he gets here."
"He?"
"I think it's a boy."
"Why do you think it's a boy?"
"I don't know. I just think Emma should have a little brother and a big brother. She's already got Ben. But we've got to give her a little sister some day."
"Whoa, one baby at a time, Rach." Ross laughed a little and Rachel squeezed his hand.
"I can't wait to start the rest of my life with you."
"We've started it, Rach."
"I know, but this is just one chapter of our book. We've got more children to come and we have grandchildren. You'll have to fight Emma's dates off with a baseball bat and I'll have to teach her how to be fashionable." Ross grinned at Rachel and shook his head.
"You're such a great mom, Rachel. Our kids are lucky to have you."
"Thank you. I couldn't have done it without you though. I mean, it's so much easier with you there every day. You're so great with Emma. I'm so glad you're the father of our little girl. If it wasn't for you, Emma wouldn't be here. Thank you . . ."
"Don't mention it," Ross replied with a chuckle. They drove in silence except for the occasional babble from Emma's lips. Their two-year-old was starting to put words together into sentences, and they loved to sit back and listen to her teach herself.
A few minutes later, the car pulled up at a pretty house on Pine Street. It was brick and it had three stories from what Rachel could see. Ross got Emma out of the back seat of the car and he carried her up to the house. Rachel held Ross' hand as they walked, and they met a lady at the front porch.
"Come on in. My name is Linda, and this is my home."
"Hi Linda," Ross and Rachel replied quietly. The woman led them into her home. They entered a hallway that led to a stair case. The home was very large on the inside, and Rachel smiled when she pictured her children playing in the den.
"This house has four bedrooms. There is a den and another family room. The kitchen and dining room are in the back. There are two bathrooms, in case you were wondering."
"This place is gorgeous," Rachel whispered.
"Feel free to look around."
"Thanks." Ross looked at Rachel and then at Emma. "What do you think, Emma?" Emma grinned happily.
"Like!"
"Oh, we also have a basement for safety purposes," Linda remembered.
"I could put my fossil collection down there!" Ross exclaimed happily.
"Yes. That's a good place for them to go," Rachel muttered under her breath.
"Hey."
"Come on, Emma. Let's go look upstairs." Rachel took Emma into her arms and walked upstairs. Ross followed slowly and Linda waited downstairs for her guests to make a decision.
"Look at this place. It's amazing. Rachel, you could fit all of your clothes in this closet!"
"I know! No closet has ever been able to hold all of my clothes before!" They continued to look for awhile before Emma got fussy. Rachel told Ross what she thought of the house before she took Emma out to the car. Ross went downstairs to talk to Linda.
As Rachel sat in the car with a sleepy Emma on her lap, she stared out at the children playing in their yards. The street was very calm and quiet. A car rarely passed through, and when it did, it was usually somebody from a house on the street.
Rachel grew happier as she watched the children play. She looked at the big brick house she and Ross had been looking at. It had a big fenced in front and back yard. It had a low white picket fence. It was perfect. She didn't know if they could afford it, but she hoped they could. She wanted to give her children a lot of things, but she didn't want to spoil them like she had been. She knew that many parents wanted to spoil their children with wonderful things, but she had been a spoiled child. She knew it wasn't as wonderful as people thought. Spoiled kids didn't know how to do anything for themselves, and she wanted her kids to grow up with a feeling of self-worth and independence.
Ross exited the house and closed the door. He walked down the concrete steps of the porch and down the long, flower-sided side walk. Rachel watched Ross open a white gate at the end and leave the vicinity of the yard. It brought tears to her eyes to imagine him coming home and walking through that gate every day.
He got into the car and put on his seat belt. He looked at Rachel and smiled at her.
"You want that house?" Rachel's eyes went wide.
"Yeah!"
"Well, Linda is willing to give us a very nice offer. We can be moved in within two weeks," Ross explained.
"Oh my God! Can we afford it?"
"Yeah. Yeah. We can afford it."
"Oh this is so awesome! Emma! Look . . . that's our new home!" She turned to Ross and kissed him.
"Thank you for this . . ."
"You're welcome." He put his arms around Rachel to hug her for a moment. Rachel then put Emma back in her car seat and Ross started the engine. The Geller family drove off together, excited about starting a new life in a new home.