Nervously they walked up the ancient front steps. Every step creaked under her high heeled shoes. Her hand was entwined in his. To Michael, this would be the first time he would meet his grandparents . Judy had requested this first meeting be just Ross and his fiancé and her son. Gina had tried to dress a little bit more conservatively, her collar wasn't too low cut. Her hair was piled on top of her head and her make up was just a little less obvious. Still it was obvious that she was not in her element. Gina Tribbiani was Queens and pool halls and these were the conservative Jews from Long Island and their educated son.
"It's going to be alright. They are going to love you as much as I do." Ross leaned over and kissed Gina on the cheek. She tried not to be nervous. She looked over at her young son and he tried to reassure her as well. The front door opened and a rather stylish lady smiled. "Hello darling." She said as she hugged her son. "Hi Mom, this is everyone. " Ross smiled. "This is Gina." Gina put her hand out and forced out the words "I am pleased to meet you Mrs. Geller." Judy eyed over this woman and noticed her clothing and her still rather obvious makeup. "Please call me Judy." She smiled. Ross put his arm around Michael. "And Mom , this is my son, Michael." He proudly said.
Judy had a tear in her eye. "Jack are you coming or not?" she yelled back into the house. Suddenly appearing from the door, was Jack Geller, "So this is Gina. I hear you are the latest woman to be engaged to my son." He leaned down and kissed her on the hand. "I hope you know he doesn't have a good track record when it comes to weddings. " Judy gave him a look and then cried. "Jack!" "What I'm just saying that if I have to pay for another one of his weddings, I am going to have a stroke. The first one liked girls , the second one had a selfish father and we didn't get to the third one." Jack said.
"Dad. This is my last one. Gina and I going to make a home for our son Michael." Ross said looking into Gina's eyes.
"Hello sir, I am Michael. " Michael smiled nervously. Jack hugged him. "So you have finally given me a grandson." He happily exclaimed. "Dad , did you forget Ben again?" Ross said exasperated.
After all the formalities, Judy opened the door and said. "I have made a lovely dinner.Please come and enjoy." Everyone came off the front porch and entered the Geller living room.
Gina started to look around. It almost seemed like there were a million pictures of her fiancé. It almost looked like he was their only child. She had to wonder if Monica was really their child, because their walls only carried pictures of their son.
"So Michael, I hear you are very good in school." Said Judy as she began to have a conversation with her grandson.
"Yes I am into advanced post graduate calculus, hoping to get into Cal Tech so I can prepare for my application to NASA. I eventually want to work in space one day." He said very methodically.
"Very nice." Judy was overwhelmed by the ambition of this young man. Wanting to move the evening along. "I think it is supper time." She sang as she herded everyone into the ancient living room.
"I made a special dinner in honor of Gina and Michael. Spaghetti." Judy said as she served the food. Ross held Gina's chair as she sat down and Michael did the same for Judy. "Allow me Mrs. Geller." He said politely. "Please call me Grandma." She cooed. Jack rubbed his hands together. "I do love Italian food." Jack began to spoon out the food and then eat.
"Aren't we gonna say grace? " said Gina. All of the Gellers stopped and then Gina said. "Bless us oh lord and these thy gifts which we are about to receive from thy bounty through Christ our lord Amen." Gina and Michael methodically crossed themselves. Ross watched as they did and then mimicked them.
"You got your first lesson in being Catholic." Gina laughed. "That was the sign of the cross and you do it when you pray and when you enter the church. But you will learn all that in classes."
"Mom I forgot to tell you, Gina is Catholic and her parents want her to marry in a traditional ceremony. So I am going to take classes so we can be married in her church."
This was a hard pill for Jack and Judy to swallow. They had instructed their son in his own faith. He had a bar mitzvah when he was thirteen and looked forward to Ben having one in a few years. Now they had given this little shock of a grandson who was old enough to drive The other one was that Ross was going to be married again.
Following dinner, Ross took Gina upstairs to show her his old room. The walls were covered with plaques and the shelves with trophies. Down the hall was a room that was painted pink and now converted into a gym. After that, Ross knew it was a long drive back to Queens and then Michael was going to spend the night with him. It was his idea that he spend as much time with his son as possible.
Standing on the front porch, Gina threw her arms around Ross and kiss him passionately. "Honey please, save it for the wedding night." He said worried that Michael would see from the rental car.
She purred. "Wait until then Dr. Geller." He waved as he got into the car. "I'll call you." Michael sat in the car uneasily , he was seated in the front next to his father.
"So what did you think of your grandparents?" Ross asked eager to know his son's opinion .
"They seem cool. It is kind of obvious that you are the favored son." Michael said matter of factly.
"Well my parents were told they couldn't have kids and then out of the clear blue sky, my mom was pregnant with me. They call me their medical marvel.' Ross said proudly.
"It was just weird that most of the pictures in the living room were of you and not your sister. At Grandma and Grandpa's , they have pictures of all their kids. Mom, Aunt Mary Theresa, Aunt Deena, Uncle Joey, and …"
"I know , that's just the way my parents always have been." Eager to change the subject, "Maybe soon , you can meet your stepbrother , Ben." Ross said. "I must admit for having so much happen so soon., you are handling it very well."
"Just able to adjust I guess. There was one picture that I saw in the living room. It almost looked like the girl that Uncle Joey is engaged to." Michael said curiously.
"Rachel? We've been friends for years. She is my sister's best friend and she used to come over a lot and spend the holidays with us." Ross said innocently.
"But you had your arm around her." Michael questioned suspiciously.
"Well, I used to have a crush on her and a few years we did date." He guiltily admitted. "Just friends now." Ross couldn't believe how bad he was lying to his son. "Just a friend who is pregnant with my child." He said to himself in his thoughts.
Michael carried his bag upstairs. Ross opened the door and then led him to Ben's room where he slept when he spent the weekend. Ross let him have some privacy as he unpacked. Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Ross walked over and opened it. A smile came to his face.
"I needed to see you. The most incredible thing just happened. The baby kicked." Rachel said. "Here feel it." She grabbed his hand and put it on her stomach. A kick crossed his hand. "Hey I felt it." He exclaimed.
"The minute that I felt it. I ran over here so you could share it." She looked into his brown eyes and saw that a tear was beginning to form. He looked into her blue aqua eyes. He began to see things very clear. It was all he could do to try and fight it. He moved closer to her face and then his five o clock shadow brushed her soft skin. His lips tapped hers and then he opened his mouth and she began to kiss him like she used to kiss him all the time.
She pulled away. "We shouldn't be doing this. We are both engaged to other people." Rachel said breathlessly. Ross couldn't resist her anymore. "Then how come this feels so right." He put his hand on her cheek and then guided her back to his lips. She was tired of the pretext of her and Joey. She gave in to her own passion. Her tongue touched his as they wrestled on the couch. They thought they were alone.
Until Michael, peeked out of his room and saw them . Now he knew who that girl was.