At the Old Friends Bar.
I chatted with Rachel and the gang about Emma for a bit. 😊
Then the conversation shifted to buying houses.
"Adam, we're planning to buy a place in the suburbs," Monica said, rubbing her belly with a smile.
"Sounds awesome!" I grinned back. "Need any help?"
"Nah," Chandler chimed in. "We've still got months before the baby arrives. Plenty of time to find a house we love."
"You gonna save a loft for Joey?" I teased.
"Yep!" Chandler nodded with a laugh.
"Joey?" I turned to him, noticing how touched he looked. "How've you been lately? Found anyone special yet? If you don't hurry up, you'll end up as the weird, lonely uncle in Emma's eyes!"
"Come on!" Joey protested loudly. "I'm Joey Tribbiani—Emma's godfather, TV star, and easily the coolest uncle ever. No way I'm some creepy loner!"
"Coolest, huh?" Monica raised an eyebrow. "You sure about that?"
I caught Joey's glance and gave him a smug little smile—yep, totally saying, "That's right, it's me!" He couldn't even argue back. 😂
"Rachel, what about you and Ross?" I asked, turning to her. "Why not buy near Monica and Chandler? That way, your kids can play together outside—front yard, backyard, the whole happy life vibe."
"Totally!" Monica jumped in eagerly. "Rachel, doesn't that sound great?"
"I don't know…" Rachel hesitated. "I kinda like the city life—tall buildings, convenience. Commuting from the suburbs every day sounds exhausting."
"But the city's no place for kids," Monica countered. "Cars everywhere, strangers all over—would you really feel safe letting them run around?"
"I think the suburbs are nice," Ross added. "We grew up there, didn't we?"
"Let's see," Rachel said, brushing it off.
Her job pretty much tied her to the cutting edge of fashion, and the big city was non-negotiable. If she could, she'd probably move straight to Paris!
"Here's my take," I said with a grin. "Everyone should buy in the same suburb neighborhood. Phoebe, Joey—you could join in too! I'd even grab a house there myself and pop by when I've got time. It'd be so lively! Otherwise, if we all drift apart with our own busy lives, we'll barely see each other. That'd be such a shame."
"Nah, I'm good," Joey said, throwing an arm around Chandler. "Chandler's saving me a loft to crash in forever, so I don't need to buy anything."
"Huh?" I blinked at him, surprised. "What's on your mind?"
With Joey's cash, snagging a suburban house would be a breeze. And his job didn't chain him to the city. If he wasn't planning to buy, it probably meant he wouldn't live there even if he did—why let it sit empty and rack up property taxes?
Everyone else gave him a curious look too.
"Just had a random thought," Joey said, clapping his hands and licking his lips. "Rachel and Ross got married and had a kid. Chandler and Monica are married with a baby on the way. Phoebe's all lovey-dovey with Mike. And here I am… kinda on my own."
"Joey…" Rachel, Monica, and Phoebe said softly, their voices full of sympathy.
"I've been thinking lately," Joey continued with a small smile. "Doesn't seem like I'll find my other half anytime soon—not like you guys, building your happy little families. So what happens when you all move on? What do I do then? Felt a bit lost, you know? But I've figured it out now. Chandler and Monica have that loft for me—it's my safety net. So why not use this moment to chase my dreams?"
"Your dreams?" Chandler asked, wide-eyed. "You mean…"
"Yep!" Joey grinned. "You all know I'm an actor. Dropped out of high school to start acting, and all this time, I've wanted to be like Al Pacino…"
"You're not doing too bad," I teased. "That goal? You could've half-nailed it years ago!"
Everyone burst out laughing. 😂
"What?" Mike, the Ant-Man guy, looked confused.
Phoebe quickly filled him in—how Joey almost became Al Pacino's butt double back in the day. Mike cracked up too.
"Stop laughing!" Joey chuckled along but waved us off. "I mean real Al Pacino—not his stand-in rear! I've been grinding for years, but I'm just spinning my wheels in New York's TV scene. Forget being a top movie star like Pacino—I'm barely a blip among TV actors. Without Days of Our Lives, I'd go from lead to nobody overnight. I've tried switching things up, but this isn't Hollywood. Opportunities here are slim, and they don't come my way."
New York and LA—America's East and West cultural hubs. New York's got Broadway, LA's got Hollywood. Broadway might sound fancier, but Hollywood's the one taking over the world. The resources and chances they offer? Night and day.
"Back then, I had you guys," Joey said, looking at us sincerely. "Couldn't bear to leave. Plus, I didn't have the guts to ditch everything and start over in Hollywood. But now… I want to give it a shot."
"Joey…" Rachel and the girls sounded reluctant.
"You sure about this?" I warned. "Sticking to TV's not a bad gig—decent fame, less cutthroat drama. Land a hit show, ride it out, save up, and boom, financial freedom. After that, you could quit acting and do whatever! As for a partner, take your time. Maybe tomorrow you'll meet someone, fall hard, and buy a house across from Chandler's. 'Best friends across the street, love of your life by your side'—dream life, right? You've built up your network here in New York's scene. Ditching it all for Hollywood on a whim? Two outcomes: either you blow up, skyrocket to fame, but get too busy to stay close to Chandler and the gang… or you crash and burn, can't hack it in LA, come back to nothing, and end up middle-aged and alone in that loft. Two paths, three possibilities. Think it over."
"…" Joey froze.
Dreams are grand.
Reality bites.
The fire he'd just lit for chasing his acting dreams? My words doused it cold.
"I'll think about it… yeah, I'll think some more…" he mumbled.
belamy20