September 3, 2004
"Mrs. Geller, could you please come into my office for a moment?" Mr. Zelner asked from his intercom. Rachel sighed and for a moment, almost regretted going back to her job at Ralph Lauren.
She stood up and walked out of her office. She walked down the hallway with anticipation in her gate. She knew she had a secure job. She was never going to get fired, because she was absolutely the best at what she did. She wondered exactly what Mr. Zelner could want. She was hoping he was going to give her a bit of a raise.
Mr. Zelner heard Rachel knock at his door, and he called for her to come in. Rachel opened the door and stepped inside, closing the door behind her.
"Mr. Zelner, you wanted to see me?"
"Yes. Please sit down."
"Alright." Rachel took a seat. She tried to cross her legs, but with the growing bump of her stomach bulging out a bit, it was a lot more difficult to get comfortable. She settled back in the chair and rested a hand on her stomach.
"Comfy?"
"Quite."
"Okay," Mr. Zelner began, "I have some news."
"What kind of news? Good news?"
"Well, I'm not sure how you'll take it."
"Oh God," Rachel began. "What is it?"
"Well, my boss told me to talk to you about another job."
"You're firing me?!" Rachel asked, taken aback.
"No no no," Mr. Zelner replied quickly. "I'm not firing you. See, you've been working here for a few years now, and you're doing the same thing every day. Well, what if you could be a designer."
"What?!" Rachel asked. "Me? I could be a designer with my own line?"
"Yes," Mr. Zelner replied. "You'd be dressing people for the Oscars and making clothes for the movies."
"Oh my God!" Rachel exclaimed aloud. "You mean . . . I could even meet Brad Pitt?!"
"It's possible, yes," Mr. Zelner replied. The look of awe drained from Rachel's face.
"Okay. What's the catch?"
"Well," Mr. Zelner mumbled.
"Oh no. It's a bad catch, isn't it?"
"Well, it depends on how you look at it," Mr. Zelner replied. "You would have to move to Los Angeles."
"What?!"
"If you're going to be dressing the stars personally, you're going to have to go to them."
"Oh my God," Rachel said, shaking her head. "But my husband's job is here. Our friends and family are here. I can't just uproot my family and my husband from his job."
"It's your decision. Your pay would be triple what you make here in a year."
"Oh wow," Rachel whispered. "Do I have time to think about this?"
"Yes. I need to know by next week, alright?" Mr. Zelner asked.
"Alright," Rachel replied with a nod. She stood up and left her boss' office. She looked at the clock. It was time to go home. She grabbed her purse and her keys, heading down the hall to the elevators. When she arrived downstairs, she found Ross waiting at the car with a bouquet of flowers in his hands. Rachel's eyes lit up as she walked over to him.
"Hi sweetie!"
"Hey baby," he answered. He kissed her and rubbed her belly a little. "How are my three girls?"
"We're all fine. Where's Emma?"
"Emma's over at Phoebe and Mike's."
"Okay." Rachel looked at the flowers in Ross' hands.
"Oh, these are for you," Ross said with a charming smile. He kissed Rachel on the cheek and handed her the flowers.
"Thank you," Rachel whispered. "They're beautiful." She got into the passenger's seat. Ross walked around and got into the driver's seat. As he drove off, he looked at Rachel.
"You okay, honey?"
"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"
"You look a little distant. What are you thinking about?"
"Well, there's a lot going on in my mind right now."
"Rach, are you hiding something from me?"
"Yeah," she admitted. "I'm sorry. Look, I have some news."
"Okay . . ."
"I don't want to tell you until we get home, alright?"
"Oh God," he muttered. "Are you and the babies alright? Is it Emma?"
"No. Ross, don't worry about that. We're fine. I told you that already. Emma's fine too."
"Then what's going on?"
"Just have a little patience, honey. I'll tell you when we get home."
"Rach, if something is wrong, I want to know now!"
"Fine. Pull into the parking lot." Ross found a McDonald's parking lot and he pulled into it. When he stopped the car, he turned in his seat to look at Rachel. She looked absolutely petrified of telling him what she had to tell him.
"Rach, whatever it is . . ."
"I just got an incredible job offer," Rachel started. "I know what' you're thinking. It's like when I wanted to go to Paris. But it's so much more than that."
"Rach . . ."
"No. Let me finish. This is my dream. Mr. Zelner offered me a job in Los Angeles. I'll be a designer, Ross! I'll be designing the clothes that celebrities wear to the Oscars and the Emmys. I'll be paid triple what I'm being paid now."
"Los Angeles?" Ross asked. "That's on the other side of the country!" Ross exclaimed.
"I know that, Ross. I know. But at least we're still in the same country. Ross, this means more to me than going to Paris ever did. I really want to do this. This has been my dream since I could walk."
"Wow," Ross said, rubbing his eyes with his knuckles. "This is a lot to take in."
"I know it is, honey, but this is something that would mean so much to me."
"Rachel, I have a job and a son here in New York. My family is here. Our friends are here."
"I know that," Rachel replied. She sighed and felt the tears coming to her eyes. "If you really don't want me to go, I won't go. I don't want to rip you out of your life here."
"But you're a part of my life, Rachel. I want to see you happy. I know that you won't be happy if you don't go."
"But I don't want to leave you."
"And I don't want you to leave me either. We should be living together. We have a family." Ross sighed heavily and blinked his eyes for a few moments, just trying to comprehend the situation.
"I know what this means for you. I'd be uprooting you from your job and your family. So if it's too hard to do for you . . . I won't go. I'll stay here and work at Ralph Lauren."
"Rachel, I don't want you doing something you don't want to do. I don't want to be the stupid guy I was when I let you go years ago. I want to make you happy. I . . . I've had offers to work in a museum in California. I mean, I'm sure they'd still accept me. They even want me to teach on campus over there. I could do it, Rachel. The only problem is that I won't see Ben very often. We won't be there with the rest of our friends.
"We can always fly Ben out. We'll be making enough money, you know? We could do it?" Ross leaned his head against his window. He looked at Rach and saw the hope and the longing in her eyes.
"You would do this for me if I was the one with the job offer. I know you would, Rach."
"In a heartbeat, Ross. I would . . . but I don't want to be like Emily and force you to move away from your son. It's up to you. We're in this together. I won't leave if you don't. But either way, I have to give Mr. Zelner an answer by next week."
"Okay," Ross said with a sigh.
"Okay what?"
"Okay, we'll go to California if it means that much to me."
"It does, Ross! It really does!"
"I'll talk to Carol and Susan about Ben, and I'll talk to my boss at work. We'll work it out, Rach. I want you to have this job because it's going to make you happy."
"Oh thank you so much!" Rachel exclaimed happily. She threw her arms around Ross' neck and covered his face with kisses. "I love you so much, Ross. I love you so much."
"Likewise," Ross replied with a laugh. "I love you too. I meant it when you came back to me from the airport. I'm never letting you go again."
"Good. Because I'm never letting you go either."
"Mrs. Geller, could you please come into my office for a moment?" Mr. Zelner asked from his intercom. Rachel sighed and for a moment, almost regretted going back to her job at Ralph Lauren.
She stood up and walked out of her office. She walked down the hallway with anticipation in her gate. She knew she had a secure job. She was never going to get fired, because she was absolutely the best at what she did. She wondered exactly what Mr. Zelner could want. She was hoping he was going to give her a bit of a raise.
Mr. Zelner heard Rachel knock at his door, and he called for her to come in. Rachel opened the door and stepped inside, closing the door behind her.
"Mr. Zelner, you wanted to see me?"
"Yes. Please sit down."
"Alright." Rachel took a seat. She tried to cross her legs, but with the growing bump of her stomach bulging out a bit, it was a lot more difficult to get comfortable. She settled back in the chair and rested a hand on her stomach.
"Comfy?"
"Quite."
"Okay," Mr. Zelner began, "I have some news."
"What kind of news? Good news?"
"Well, I'm not sure how you'll take it."
"Oh God," Rachel began. "What is it?"
"Well, my boss told me to talk to you about another job."
"You're firing me?!" Rachel asked, taken aback.
"No no no," Mr. Zelner replied quickly. "I'm not firing you. See, you've been working here for a few years now, and you're doing the same thing every day. Well, what if you could be a designer."
"What?!" Rachel asked. "Me? I could be a designer with my own line?"
"Yes," Mr. Zelner replied. "You'd be dressing people for the Oscars and making clothes for the movies."
"Oh my God!" Rachel exclaimed aloud. "You mean . . . I could even meet Brad Pitt?!"
"It's possible, yes," Mr. Zelner replied. The look of awe drained from Rachel's face.
"Okay. What's the catch?"
"Well," Mr. Zelner mumbled.
"Oh no. It's a bad catch, isn't it?"
"Well, it depends on how you look at it," Mr. Zelner replied. "You would have to move to Los Angeles."
"What?!"
"If you're going to be dressing the stars personally, you're going to have to go to them."
"Oh my God," Rachel said, shaking her head. "But my husband's job is here. Our friends and family are here. I can't just uproot my family and my husband from his job."
"It's your decision. Your pay would be triple what you make here in a year."
"Oh wow," Rachel whispered. "Do I have time to think about this?"
"Yes. I need to know by next week, alright?" Mr. Zelner asked.
"Alright," Rachel replied with a nod. She stood up and left her boss' office. She looked at the clock. It was time to go home. She grabbed her purse and her keys, heading down the hall to the elevators. When she arrived downstairs, she found Ross waiting at the car with a bouquet of flowers in his hands. Rachel's eyes lit up as she walked over to him.
"Hi sweetie!"
"Hey baby," he answered. He kissed her and rubbed her belly a little. "How are my three girls?"
"We're all fine. Where's Emma?"
"Emma's over at Phoebe and Mike's."
"Okay." Rachel looked at the flowers in Ross' hands.
"Oh, these are for you," Ross said with a charming smile. He kissed Rachel on the cheek and handed her the flowers.
"Thank you," Rachel whispered. "They're beautiful." She got into the passenger's seat. Ross walked around and got into the driver's seat. As he drove off, he looked at Rachel.
"You okay, honey?"
"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"
"You look a little distant. What are you thinking about?"
"Well, there's a lot going on in my mind right now."
"Rach, are you hiding something from me?"
"Yeah," she admitted. "I'm sorry. Look, I have some news."
"Okay . . ."
"I don't want to tell you until we get home, alright?"
"Oh God," he muttered. "Are you and the babies alright? Is it Emma?"
"No. Ross, don't worry about that. We're fine. I told you that already. Emma's fine too."
"Then what's going on?"
"Just have a little patience, honey. I'll tell you when we get home."
"Rach, if something is wrong, I want to know now!"
"Fine. Pull into the parking lot." Ross found a McDonald's parking lot and he pulled into it. When he stopped the car, he turned in his seat to look at Rachel. She looked absolutely petrified of telling him what she had to tell him.
"Rach, whatever it is . . ."
"I just got an incredible job offer," Rachel started. "I know what' you're thinking. It's like when I wanted to go to Paris. But it's so much more than that."
"Rach . . ."
"No. Let me finish. This is my dream. Mr. Zelner offered me a job in Los Angeles. I'll be a designer, Ross! I'll be designing the clothes that celebrities wear to the Oscars and the Emmys. I'll be paid triple what I'm being paid now."
"Los Angeles?" Ross asked. "That's on the other side of the country!" Ross exclaimed.
"I know that, Ross. I know. But at least we're still in the same country. Ross, this means more to me than going to Paris ever did. I really want to do this. This has been my dream since I could walk."
"Wow," Ross said, rubbing his eyes with his knuckles. "This is a lot to take in."
"I know it is, honey, but this is something that would mean so much to me."
"Rachel, I have a job and a son here in New York. My family is here. Our friends are here."
"I know that," Rachel replied. She sighed and felt the tears coming to her eyes. "If you really don't want me to go, I won't go. I don't want to rip you out of your life here."
"But you're a part of my life, Rachel. I want to see you happy. I know that you won't be happy if you don't go."
"But I don't want to leave you."
"And I don't want you to leave me either. We should be living together. We have a family." Ross sighed heavily and blinked his eyes for a few moments, just trying to comprehend the situation.
"I know what this means for you. I'd be uprooting you from your job and your family. So if it's too hard to do for you . . . I won't go. I'll stay here and work at Ralph Lauren."
"Rachel, I don't want you doing something you don't want to do. I don't want to be the stupid guy I was when I let you go years ago. I want to make you happy. I . . . I've had offers to work in a museum in California. I mean, I'm sure they'd still accept me. They even want me to teach on campus over there. I could do it, Rachel. The only problem is that I won't see Ben very often. We won't be there with the rest of our friends.
"We can always fly Ben out. We'll be making enough money, you know? We could do it?" Ross leaned his head against his window. He looked at Rach and saw the hope and the longing in her eyes.
"You would do this for me if I was the one with the job offer. I know you would, Rach."
"In a heartbeat, Ross. I would . . . but I don't want to be like Emily and force you to move away from your son. It's up to you. We're in this together. I won't leave if you don't. But either way, I have to give Mr. Zelner an answer by next week."
"Okay," Ross said with a sigh.
"Okay what?"
"Okay, we'll go to California if it means that much to me."
"It does, Ross! It really does!"
"I'll talk to Carol and Susan about Ben, and I'll talk to my boss at work. We'll work it out, Rach. I want you to have this job because it's going to make you happy."
"Oh thank you so much!" Rachel exclaimed happily. She threw her arms around Ross' neck and covered his face with kisses. "I love you so much, Ross. I love you so much."
"Likewise," Ross replied with a laugh. "I love you too. I meant it when you came back to me from the airport. I'm never letting you go again."
"Good. Because I'm never letting you go either."