The One With Alison

The One with the Thumb: Part 1

I was humming along to the radio making breakfast as Grandfather sat at the kitchen table reading his news paper and drinking his coffee. It had been a few days since Rachels almost wedding and I had checked in on her yesterday to see how she was doing. She had told me she cut up her credit cards and got a job at Central Perk. "Hey Pops." 

"Yes Sunflower?" 

"How would..... How would..." I struggled as I put the plates down on the table. "How would I what Sunflower?" Grandfather had folded and set the newspaper down on the table. I took a deep breath. "How would you feel if I moved out for a little bit? Get some other experiences while I'm still getting to know the company?" I couldn't read his face for a moment as he looked over mine before he chuckled and said "Just like your father." It brought a smile to my face. "Very well, we can try and find you a place near Rachel and her friend, you said her name was Monica right?" I nodded my head. "We can talk more about it after breakfast, we don't want this wonderful food you made to get cold now do we?" I let out a laugh as my grandfather dug into his omelet. 

This was our routine, I'd make us breakfast on Sunday's and we would go on a walk around Central Park, long as the weather was nice enough, if it wasn't, we'd be playing board games and watching movies. We started doing this when I was fifteen and his doctor told my grandfather that he needed to slow down. It was one of the few time Henry Xavier listened to his doctor, though that was after I had begged and pleaded with the man to listen to the person who had a PHD in health care. So we had made Sunday our day, and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. "Alright, I wash, you dry. Then we can go for our walk in the park." 

"So tell me about moving out." Grandfather said as we walked arm in arm down one of the paths in Central Park. "Well..." 

"Well?" Grandfather squeezed my arm in encouragement. "Well, I would like to see how I do on my own for a bit. I would stay at the company, I think Carol would loose her mind if I left in the middle of this big project we got going on." Grandfather chuckled, "I think your right, this is the project with Vouge you're talking about." 

"Mhmm, we're getting close to our first deadline, anyways I just want to see what it's like. Life outside all the glamor and money. I mean, look at Rachel. I love the woman to death, but she's been so reliant on her fathers money." 

"Sunflower, you have never ever been like that in your twenty- four years of life." We had stopped walking at this point so my grandfather could look at me while we talked. "You have never been like those girls in our social group and I couldn't be more proud of that. You have been building yourself and your reputation at work with your own two hands. Now let's go get you that apartment and you can show them what it means to be an independent woman." My grandfather gave me his classic crooked smile, the same smile that had always lifted me up. "What would I do without you Pops?" 

"More like what would I do without you Sunflower. I do have one requirement, I want you home on Sundays." I nodded "Of course Pops, Sunday is our day."

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"Wait, wait, wait. Repeat that for me one more time Rach." I was completely dumb founded as the light brunette got me caught up and what had happened while I was moving into my new apartment. Turns out there was an open unit just below the group. "Well Ross found out that his ex is pregnant and I found out that Barry had been cheating on me with Mindy." Rachel had poured me another cup of coffee. "Gods Rach, I am so sorry." I gently patted Rachels hand as she gave me sad smile. "You'll find the one, you just gotta give it time." Slowly over the course of the next hour the rest of the people Rachel and I had met had made their way into Central Perk. I had switched from coffee to tea at this point as I sat on the orange couch with Monica, getting to know the dark haired beauty.