Half Her Age
The idea of hosting a family dinner to celebrate their birthdays together came to Lorelai's mind last Christmas. April was spending the holidays with Luke and Lorelai. She had spent Thanksgiving with her mother, and staying with Lorelai and Luke in Stars Hollow made it possible for her to head back to MIT more easily than having to catch a plane. She would finish her master's degree the following spring of 2018 and therefore, she had to have her head on studying and finishing all of her classes properly.
At dinner, April was talking about her plans and deadlines for spring, which made Lorelai wrinkle her nose in disapproval. She would turn 50 in spring and she was already planning a big bash to celebrate half a century. And by the tight schedule April presented it seemed impossible for her to be available the weekend she was planning to have her party. On one hand, Lorelai didn't like the idea of her stepdaughter missing out on the fun, but on the other hand, April was not to eager on being at a big Stars Hollow extravaganza anyway. Even though April constantly insisted she had fun at the wedding, Lorelai was certain she was just being polite.
After April had finished off her first round of university talk, the conversation shifted to a topic Luke, Lorelai and April could engage without troubles, which was discussing their plans for the following days.
"We have to make this Christmas special," Lorelai reminded Luke, narrowing her eyes at him.
"When has Christmas not been special in this house?" Luke asked, sighing.
"Why does this Christmas have to be so special?" April interjected.
"Because it's my last Christmas," Lorelai explained matter-of-factly.
April did not listen to Luke's groan of "Not that again", but asked in irritation, a hint of worry in her voice, her eyes big, "Your last Christmas?"
Before Lorelai could answer her, Luke said louder, "Her last Christmas before her fiftieth birthday."
"Don't use that word around me!" Lorelai shrieked, covering her ear. She watched April turning her head in Luke's direction, an eyebrow raised, talking to him. As Lorelai put her hands down, she caught the end of what April said, it sounded like a question, "-overreaction?"
Luke shook his head. "Completely normal in Lorelai-land."
"Hey!" Lorelai tried to kick him in the shin, but all she could reach was one of the table's legs.
"50? Huh." April turned towards Lorelai again, she leaned her right elbow on the table, so she could rest her chin on her hand. "Does it bother you? Aging?"
"No. I'm absolutely fine with it." Lorelai crossed her arms in front of her chest, not wanting to give away her true feeling about this subject.
April, however, looked at her for a moment, studying her, tilting her head and then she turned back to Luke, saying, "It bothers her."
Luke grinned, meeting Lorelai's gaze. When April was capable of noticing that the birthday coming up upset her, it had to be plain obvious. Usually, April would not catch these small gestures, which gave away the people's true feelings. It appeared her analyzing skills she had accomplished at university finally overtook her day-to-day behavior too.
To make things even worse, April whispered to Luke, "Do you think she would mind if I told her I will be 25 in April?"
While Luke's grin widened even more, Lorelai opened her eyes further at a revelation, which came to her mind, "You're half my age."
"What?"
"In April, you'll be exactly half my age," Lorelai stated.
"Yes," April confirmed, her eyes drifting off to the ceiling for a second, obviously doing the math herself.
Before April could add any more to that, Lorelai was already babbling, "Let's take the opportunity and celebrate together. Our birthdays are only a couple of days apart and it will be such fun."
"I don't-" April interjected, but Lorelai just went on talking.
"Nothing big, I promise. Just family. It gives us an excuse to celebrate. You will miss my big party, but I want you there to celebrate this big moment in my life. And we can take the opportunity to celebrate our birthdays together. We never did that! Which in retrospect, was a silly idea. How can we not do it when they're so close together?"
"So, did I get this right? Making time for this family thing would buy me out of the big party?" April summed up.
"You just told us how busy you'll be in the few next months. And one of your super important deadlines is just two days after the date I planned to have my party. Do you really think I would force you to come? I know what it's like with these super smart, but slightly perfectionist girls. You will spend that weekend editing and obsessing over every single word of your paper. I don't expect you to come, education comes first," Lorelai assured her. "Besides, it might be nice to have an extra, quieter celebration with family only. Gives me the chance to talk to everyone properly and enjoy it more. And two parties are better than one."
April took her time to consider the proposal, a frown was across her face. It was gone when she agreed to Lorelai's idea, nodding as she spoke, "Alright. Let's do this."
"April 21 work for you? That's the weekend after your birthday. Or do you have plans?"
April checked the calendar on her phone. "That should work out."
"Great," Lorelai said as she wrote down the date into her calendar as well. She then handed her phone to Luke and nudged April off her seat. "Let's take a picture," she announced.
"Why?" April frowned again; it was her disposition as a prospective scientist to question everything about her surroundings.
In the meantime, Luke tried to figure out how to operate the camera on Lorelai's phone. He still had troubles using a smartphone after all this time.
"Why do we need a photo anyway?" April asked.
"For the invitation," Lorelai answered and rolled her eyes as she took the phone from Luke's hands to open the camera for him. She gave him another short round of instruction on how to use the touchscreen.
"Invitations? I thought this was supposed to be a small affair. A small family gathering. Close family," April added emphasis on the last words.
"It is," Lorelai assured her, getting the hint April made with her prior comment. She placed Luke's hands safely on the small frame of the phone, so he would not close the camera app by accident.
"Why would we need an invitation for that? Can't you just give everyone a call or send a text like everybody else does?" April questioned her.
"I'll send emails, no worries, sweetie. It thought a photo might be fun to add. Make it a little personal and make everyone smile as they read the email. Brighten up their day." Lorelai winked at her, making her way to stand next to her.
"OK," April said reluctantly, stiffening as soon as Lorelai brought her arm around her shoulders. April was not a big fan of taking pictures and Luke's clumsiness of acting as a photographer did not help her getting more comfortable in front of a camera. Her smile seemed forced, and by the face she made when they scrolled through the photos, Lorelai could tell she was not happy with the result, even though she said, "They're OK."
Lorelai put her phone aside, sighing and then suddenly she knew hot she could get her hands on a decent photo of her stepdaughter and her. "Why don't we take a selfie?" Your dad's not really a great photographer"
Gladly, Luke did not argue back, busy cleaning off their dirty dishes. It gave April enough time to consider Lorelai's suggestion. "A selfie?"
"We can even add these funny filters of one of your apps." Lorelai had troubles keeping track on April's current favorite social media app. Every time she saw her another one was keeping her distracted from family dinners.
"Wearing a flower crown?" April seemed wary.
"Worn one in real life."
"Crazy sunglasses?"
"Worn those too."
"Turning us into some kind of animal?"
"I always wanted to be a deer anyway." Lorelai shrugged, stepping closer to April, who was already scrolling through the mass of filters one of the apps on her phone. Lorelai noticed April grew a little tense again when her upper arm brushed against hers.
All Luke did, was shooting them a short look, leaving the two their own business. They had fun with taking the photos and they needed up having a big selection of photos.
On the same night, Lorelai wrote the invitation for the small family dinner they would be hosting on April 21, so everybody would be able to save the date and won't miss the Gilmore-Danes-Nardini fun. Lorelai smiled to herself as she added a photo of April and her surrounded by a mass of flowers, bees flying by. People, who were born in April needed some springy decor around them. To top it all off, they were wearing some crazy colorful sunglasses. You could hardly tell it were Lorelai and April on the photograph.
Lorelai sent the e-mail to Rory, her mother, Liza and TJ, and Jess. It was a small group of people, who would easily fit in the house. Lorelai was already planning the event, talking off Luke's ears as she thought about possible dishes and decorations. April could not come soon enough.
However, even though Lorelai had sent those invitations out so early Jess would not be able to make it. Lorelai figured if he had to choose between a big Stars Hollow party and a small family party, in which he could be interrogated more easily and would have to engage in social interactions. Jess would pick Stars Hollow's craziness because in a big gathering he could sneak off to a quieter place more easily to sit back, observe his surroundings and turn whatever he witnessed into his next short story or worse into a novel.
Liz, TJ and Doula would come sometime in the afternoon, Rory had come home the day before and April arrived in the morning. Lorelai greeted her at the door with the words, "Only the best people were born in April. Happy birthday!"
April said thanks, smiling at her before she took off her thin jacket, hanging it on clothing peg close to the front door. Lorelai led April into the living room, where Luke and Rory were rearranging the furniture to make room for a bigger table, which would fit eight people. Both of them greeted her with a hug, while Lorelai said, "Oh, I would give everything to be 25 again."
"You would want to have a nine-year-old running around the house? Caring for Rory all by yourself again?" April spun her head over her shoulder.
Lorelai was taken by surprise with that comeback, looking from April to Rory, who exchanged glances too. Lorelai gaze wandered to Luke, who grinned back at her, raising an eyebrow. She shook her head to make it clear to him that she did not want to relive those years again. Quite the contrary, she was happy with how things were at the moment. She decided to ignore April's comment.
However, she did not give April time to get comfortable and asked her to help her with hanging up the decorations. When all for them worked together the preparations could be done before lunchtime, giving them enough time to get themselves ready before the rest of the family arrived. Luke had to prepare dinner in the meantime, leaving the girls to their chatting about school, work, and ordinary birthday topics while drinking some coffee in the kitchen.
"How's the essay going you have to hand in by the week after tomorrow?" Lorelai asked, wanting to make sure April was doing OK with all the work before graduation. After all, college was the reason she would be missing the big fiftieth birthday party next weekend.
"Alright, I still have to write the conclusion and check some sources, and then the obligatory proofreading and editing. So far everything's going according to my schedule for this essay, but I'm also already working on the next one," April said, making it clear she would not have time to come next week for good. Lorelai thought she would be able to squeeze it in as a surprise for her.
"And then just a few more weeks and you have your master's degree! What's next?" Rory exclaimed, putting her cup coffee on the table again.
"Ph.D. probably?" April frowned, sounding unsure.
"Seriously?" Rory asked, but Lorelai was wondering as well. She had never heard about those plans before.
"I love college too much. I want to stay there forever. And I get some teaching classes too, so I will make money too."
"Teaching?" Luke interjected as he cut some vegetables.
"Yes, when you're a professor someday, you do research and science, but you also teach. While doing your Ph.D. you get to gain experience in that field. It's just some 101 classes, freshmen students." April shrugged.
"And you're OK with that?" Luke asked, clearly startled by the outlook of his daughter teaching other people. April was known not to be the most social and understanding person, and the idea of her teaching and guiding some young kids was not something that has crossed Lorelai's mind before.
"Why wouldn't I be?"
April was not stressed or feared by that, it was the most natural thing for her, and that's when Lorelai figured she was comfortable with the idea. She would be talking science in front of a crowd of people, who were all equally interested in what she had to say. She was with people of the same mind and doing what she loved. In the end, April would be OK. Lorelai smiled, "That's a great plan, sweetie."
There was not much time to relax, they still had to set the table, helping Luke out and then Emily and Liz, TJ and Doula arrived within half an hour. They were exchanging hellos and hugs, and soon the house was filled with chitchatting and laughter. They enjoyed their time together because they would not be able to have a big family gathering like this too often. Someone was always busy or away on a trip.
After a round of toasts, dinner was ready to be served and Lorelai asked everyone to sit down. She was standing at the head of the table, looking towards the kitchen, from which Luke brought a sauce boat to the table, taking his seat on the other end of the table.
Liz claimed the seat next to Luke, Doula followed her lead, claiming the seat on Luke's other side. She admired her uncle just as much as Liz loved her big brother. TJ wanted to take the seat next to his daughter, but Doula exclaimed, "No, April sits there."
Even though she was the only kid around, she did not behave like a typical 11-year-old, she was still very loud and dramatic. April did as her little cousin requested, probably remembering what big drama it caused the last time the family had not acted as Doula saw fit.
TJ took the seat next to that, sitting close to Lorelai's end, who smiled politely but searched Luke's eyes across the table, who just shrugged back at her. She was not entirely pleased to sit next to Luke's brother-in-law, but the presence of a real lady like Emily Gilmore, sitting across from him, brought the best out of TJ, minding both his manners and his choice of words.
With other people than her close family present, even Emily cut back her judgmental comments. It was like the perfect match, their crazy family was less crazy when they were brought together. It seemed like the deal they had struck all those years ago was a crazy idea after all, and things with their families worked out fine.
Rory took the only empty seat, between Liz and Emily, shooting a smile at April, who sat across from her, engaging her in a conversation, so TJ's insanity could not draw her in because once TJ had engaged you in a discussion about whatever craziness he was believing and living by.
At the moment, Liz and TJ took the vegan lifestyle by heart, which was taught to them by the vegetable cult they had been part one and a half years ago. None wanted to break TJ's illusions though that wearing leather boots did not match a vegan lifestyle. However, TJ insisted that they would make an exception today. Luke's cooking was too good to give it a pass on.
Luke had prepared a classic roast beef to impress his mother-in-law with his cooking skills and to meet Lorelai's craving for red meat. There were loads of vegetables involved too, sitting in big bowls on the table, which pleased April, who was not a big fan of meat. She didn't call herself a vegetarian, but she was a flexitarian. She would never turn down an opportunity of one of her dad's burgers.
"Have you tried chia seeds?" April asked TJ, engaging into the vegan talk happening over roast beef.
"Poppy seeds?" TJ cut a big piece off his meat, shoving the fork in it. "All the time. They get you all pumped up too if you know what I mean." He jerked his head in Lorelai's direction, but stopped his behavior once he met Emily's disapproving gaze and the inappropriate gesture towards her daughter, right in front of all the family.
"You are aware of the number of poppy seeds you would have to eat before you feel the effect? It's little more than you'd think," Rory interjected.
"Some of us don't need as much to get all worked up." He then leaned forward, looking to his right, making it clear that he meant Doula, who was in a deep conversation with Luke and Liz about school. The shirt he had decided to wear was almost dipping into the sauce, which covered the meat on his plate.
"I asked about chia seeds, not poppy seeds."
April laid emphasis on the words, making now clear what she meant, but her words were not meant to be understood because Liz jerked her head towards the other end of the table, saying, "Chai?" Liz asked them, petting Rory's arm. "There is nothing better than some chai tea, especially as a chai latte. You tried one of those?"
"Only the dirty one," Lorelai answered, amused over the fact that Liz and TJ only understood what they wanted to.
"Lorelai, please, is that necessary?" Emily dropped her fork and knife aside, looking at TJ, whose eyes had grown bigger.
"Relax, Mom. That's how they call a chai latte with a shot of espresso. It's coffee lingo." Lorelai narrowed her eyes to her mother, waving her comment of in a bit.
"I see." Emily turned her to Rory, checking if what Lorelai said was true.
Rory nodded, while Liz said, "It's the best. We once went to this coffee place in-" Liz paused and darting her gaze to TJ, looking for help from him, "What was that little village called where the cult traveled to? You know the one where we ate that pumpkin tart or was it a soup? I can't remember, but we made a pit stop in this town, getting drinks and food, and I get very sick when traveling on a bus. You do that too, right?" Liz looked at Rory.
"Sometimes, not anymore," Rory answered, going through her hair.
"Yeah, well me too, so I can't eat anything, but the journey was long, so keep myself hydrated, but these soft drinks are just not my thing."
"The sugar?" April threw in.
"No, I wish it was the sugar, but I can't take the fizzy-ness of drinks anymore. Gives me hiccups all the time. I think that's something I picked up from Doula, she doesn't like sparkling drinks either, I mean, she still loves sparkles on her clothes." Liz laughed, looking at Doula, who wore a shirt with a lot of sequence on it. "But, so we ended up in this town, and I got a chai latte, the best in the world. I still dream about it."
"And it helped you settle your stomach for the bus ride?" Lorelai hoped the story would have a happy ending.
"Oh, no, unfortunately not, I had to- you know. But we shouldn't talk about these kinds of things while eating," Liz said.
Rory seemed to agree with that suggestion, she said, "What April was asking about earlier were chia seeds. It's very hip to put into your breakfast. And very healthy as well."
"Chia? What's that supposed to be?" Emily looked at Rory again, she was her one true source of information, she relied on her for everything, listening to her with great attention, nodding at the right times.
"They are small, black and have a gelatinous substance around them?" Emily asked after Rory had finished off with a little help from April her description of the seeds.
"Yes, a lot of people make a pudding out of it. It tastes actually quite nice," Rory answered.
"Pudding?" Lorelai was suddenly very interested. "Would I like it?"
"Not sure." Rory shook her head for a second.
"You know that's actually what Berta serves me for breakfast sometimes. Finally, I can name some of the things she prepares for me," Emily told them.
"Still no luck with teaching her some English?" Lorelai asked.
"Not yet, but it's getting better." Emily changed topics, pointing at Lorelai with a knowing grin. "I will make her serve you the chia pudding when you're over in the summer."
"Looking forward to it," Lorelai said, smiling back at her mother, but by the wary looks April and Rory exchanged, she knew she would probably regret her answer.
After a short break of eating, a round of coffee with desert was served, the good mood never left the room, and the conversations were easy to be kept alive. Later, they moved to sit on the couch, which was pushed aside, dragging the big chair from one corner of the room, and setting some of the chairs from the table in a circle. However, before everyone could sit down, and digest the delicious food in peace, Lorelai insisted upon taking a few photos. The usual suspects would moan and groan, while others like Lorelai were enthusiastic about it. They did all kinds of combinations.
Lorelai had let every one of the hook, Emily and Rory taking their seats on the couch, while Luke taking the comfy chair, leaving Liz and TJ the chairs. April came up to her side, leaning over her shoulder to get a peek at the photos. "Lorelai, can we take birthday girl selfie too?"
Lorelai put the camera away, flashing her a big smile, "Duh. I should have thought about that myself."
Again they were taking selfie after selfie, wearing flower crowns or funny sunglasses. April being exactly half Lorelai's age had to be documented in style, and they looked so good as deer, who smiled into the camera.
April was pleased with the photos, as was Lorelai, who watched April sitting next to Rory on the couch, while Lorelai decided to sit on the armrest of the big comfy chair Luke had settled in to enjoy the family time together.
Emily had to leave as the first one because she had the longest way home. Rory insisted on accompanying her for part of the way, which gave them the chance to catch up a little more, without TJ in the hearing distance. To everybody's surprise Emily drew April into a brief, yet distant hug. It was her way of showing that she had accepted April in her family.
That and the fact she gave April one of her heirlooms, a less flashy pair of earrings. April's eyes grew big when she opened the tiny package, and Lorelai was just as much surprised to think how expensive the gift had to be. Emily, immediately, started telling a story about Richard buying those earrings for her in Italy. Lorelai kept smiling to herself how easily Emily was able to speak about him. At that way, her father could be present for this special birthday.
"Where's my gift, Mom?" Lorelai asked after Emily had finished off her story.
Emily's eyes darted from Rory and April, sitting next to each other, gushing over the earrings, to Lorelai. She clicked her tongue, and said, "You'll have to wait another week, Lorelai. I believe your birthday is not until a few days?"
"Still, but this is my birthday party. Mine and April's. I'm supposed to be treated as a birthday girl as well. And that includes presents." Lorelai pouted, but Emily would only roll her eyes at her impatience. Knowing her mother, Lorelai was pretty sure she would get some jewelry and a precious Richard story too. She hoped she would because she liked the idea of it.
Lorelai turned her head to Luke, looking at him to help her make sense out of her mother. He places his hand in the small of her back, rubbing over the blouse for a moment, whispering, "You'll be the center of attention in a week."
"But-"
"Keep your pants on," Luke hissed and shot her a side-glare, but then watched April again as she opened another present. She did as he told her, kept quiet, and leaned into his side, placing a leg over his lap and Luke instantly reaching out to rub her knee. Next week she would not have the time to linger in the moment, having some peace and quiet with her family.
After Emily and Rory had left for good, Lorelai pulled April aside while Luke entertained the remaining guests Liz, TJ, and Doula by offering them some more refreshments.
"I know the earrings are not your style, but I hope you know what meaning they have," Lorelai said, as she reached out to grab April's arm.
April nodded. "I won't wear them every day, but I think they will go fine with my outfit for graduation."
"That's a good idea," Lorelai said, letting go of her arm, exhaling in relief, watching as April made her way back to the living room, where Doula greeted her with a loud "April!"
The evening was a delight, the time passed by quickly as Liz and TJ talked eagerly about their newest passion of alternative living, being vegans even though TJ would skip a day or two a week with the prospect of a steak or a burger.
The evening dragged out longer and Doula had fallen asleep in Luke's lap, which she had claimed for herself. By the small smile playing on his lips, Lorelai knew he enjoyed having his niece close, but he announced eventually he had to use the bathroom, which meant waking Doula. Liz and TJ decided this would be the right time to leave.
But Doula, still dozy, did not want to leave just yet. She clutched tightly to her favorite uncle and was also holding on to April's hand. "I want to stay, I'm not tired at all!"
She ended up yawning, giving herself and her true feelings away, but she insisted upon staying here. It took a lot of convincing on Liz's part to make her let go of Luke and April and putting on her jacket, but the prospect of having a sleepover at Lorelai and Luke's soon made her go home.
They all exchanged goodbyes with hugs and kisses all around, leaving Luke, Lorelai and April alone. They cleaned up the glasses and dishes, bringing them to the kitchen. The proper cleanup would be done the next day, now all they craved was to a comfortable bed and some sleep. Luke made his way to bed before, leaving only April and Lorelai behind, who gathered their presents. April brought hers to Rory's room, where she would spend the night instead of the tiny room on the first floor.
Lorelai knocked on the door to the room, saying, "I will go to bed too. You're OK?"
April turned to her, nodding. "More than OK," she said, making her way up to her, and before Lorelai knew it, April had her arms wrapped around her, giving her a tight hug. Lorelai gave into the embrace, smiling into April's stubby hair. Her smile grew even bigger, when April added in a whisper, "Thanks for this family party. I really enjoyed it."
"Anytime, sweetie. You only turn half my age once." Lorelai pushed away slightly to meet April's gaze, bringing her hands to frame her face and pull the hair out of her face. She pulled her in for another hug and was relieved how comfortable and natural a hug like this felt like. April was not tense or stiff.
Having a tighter bond with her stepdaughter was more than Lorelai could ask for birthday, better than any jewelry her mother would give her next weekend. It was the perfect gift and when April finally slipped out of her touch, Lorelai had to fight hard to keep herself composed because she felt the tears collecting in her eyes. She quickly excused herself and made her way upstairs.
Luke, already settled in bed, shot his eyes open again as Lorelai entered the bedroom, standing by the closed the door, catching her breath, then burying her face in her hands.
"What's wrong?" Luke asked.
Lorelai exhaled deeply, letting her hands drop down, flashing Luke a smile, also feeling a tear running down her cheek. She shrugged her shoulders, "It was just some really good party."
Turning fifty did not seem so scary anymore. She was content with her life, and celebrating her birthday with her stepdaughter would surely happen again in the future. It was not a bad idea at all and they should have done this years ago.
THE END
Thanks for reading everyone, I hope you enjoyed this. As you may or may not have noticed, this is part of the Happy Birthday, Baby! Ficathon by Meags09. So, go check out the other entries as well, you won't regret it. (: