A Sign of What's to Come
Rory, 10 months
Lorelai walked up to Rory's crib and stood for a minute, watching her. She reached down and put a little stuffed gray kitten in next to Rory.
"Chris won this tonight at the carnival," Lorelai whispered. "I thought you should have it. But don't tell Mom, okay? She says I shouldn't put toys in the crib." She looked at Rory and smiled. "My perfect little girl."
When Lorelai checked on Rory the next morning, she was holding the kitten tightly.
----
Rory, 2 years
"Look, honey. Look what Mom gave you," Lorelai told Rory, waving a stuffed lion in front of her face.
"You really shouldn't say that. You should call me Gramma. If you don't, she'll get confused, what with you being 'Mommy' and me being 'Mom'," Emily said from her seat at her desk. Rory was playing on the floor and Lorelai was watching from the couch.
"Thanks, Gramma, but I think I've got this under control." Lorelai used the lion's nose to tap Rory's nose. "Look, baby."
Rory followed the lion with her eyes as Lorelai waved it around. "Gimme, Mommy."
----
"Senorita said yes," Marie told Lorelai. They were in the laundry room. Rory had come running to Lorelai this morning after Marie, the maid, had come to get her kitten to wash. Lorelai was holding Rory, who was clutching both her kitten and her lion.
"Okay, look at her." Lorelai gestured towards Rory. "She's not giving the kitty up."
"What am I to do?"
"You can tell Mom you washed it. I won't say anything different. Rory won't."
"I should not," Marie said, unsure.
"Marie, come on." Lorelai smiled. "Look at her. Does she look like she wants to give her kitty away?"
Rory hugged her kitten and lion closer. Marie reached out for the kitten, but Rory pulled back. "Kitty mine!"
"Fine. No tell Senorita." Marie went back to the wash.
"Thank you."
"Thanky, Marie," Rory called as they left.
----
"Mommy!" Rory yelled. "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy!"
Lorelai looked down at Rory, who was holding her hand. They were in the parking lot of the grocery store. "What?"
"My lion! Lion!"
"Where is he?"
"I don't know!" Rory glanced around the parking lot, panicking.
"Well, is he in the store?"
"I don't know!"
"Okay, let's go look," Lorelai said, heading back into the store.
They searched up and down every aisle of the store, looking for the lion. Rory spoke quickly as they walked and Lorelai could barely understand her. "Lion. Lion, my lion. I want my lion. Lion? Lion? Where are you? Where's my lion? Lion? I need my lion. I don't want to lose him, where'd he go? Hello, Lion? Lion? Where are you, lion?"
Finally, they found the lion on a pile of bread in the bakery section. Rory ran towards it, dropping her kitten on the floor. "Lion! Mommy!"
"I see it, baby," Lorelai smiled, relieved.
"Found him! Lion back!"
"I know, I see him."
Rory hugged the lion. "Lion back," she whispered, forgetting her kitten.
----
Emily, Richard, Lorelai and Rory all stood outside, next to their car. They were dressed nicely, and on their way to an interview for a spot at Green Hills Preschool.
"Rory, what did I just say? I said one toy," Emily said firmly, holding her hand out.
"Mine."
"I know they're yours, but you can only bring one."
"Emily, please. Is this really necessary? Let her bring both." Richard looked at his watch and sighed.
"Yeah, Mom, come on. She drags 'em everywhere."
"She cannot bring two toys into the interview. You're lucky I'm even letting her bring one," Emily said to Lorelai. "The need to carry around toys shows an unhealthy dependency that I would rather not display to the staff of Green Hills. Further, the very fact that she can't choose makes me think that she might have a problem with indecisiveness. She shouldn't have both anyway. One's enough."
"You're telling a two-year-old that she can only have one toy?" Lorelai asked in disbelief.
"She should only love one toy. That's what I'm saying."
"You know she likes the kitty better. She's had it longer."
"Is that true, Rory?" Emily asked. "You love the kitty more than the lion?"
"Yes. Kitty."
"Okay, give me the lion, then," Emily said, reaching for it.
"No!"
"No? So you love the lion more?" Emily moved her hand to the kitten.
"Stop saying she loves things, Mom."
"No! Kitty mine!"
"Which one's yours, Rory? Which one do you want more?" Richard asked, hoping to settle this.
Rory looked at both. She held them out, one in each hand, hands around each's neck, faces turned towards her. If they had been living creatures, the way she was holding them would have killed them. She turned to Richard. "Both mine," she said, calmly.
"But aren't you tired of the kitty? You've had him for so long. Isn't he boring?" Richard asked.
"Both mine. Don't care."
"Okay, then why don't you leave the lion? He's all dirty and needs to be washed," Richard tried.
"No!"
"And his fur is all rough. He hurts you if you hug him too close," continued Richard.
"I'm okay. No hurt." She hugged both to her again. "Both mine."
"Oh, just let her bring them," Lorelai said. "What's the difference? It's not like this is going to affect the rest of her life."
"Fine," said Emily.
"Fine," Richard echoed.
Rory smiled.
A/N: If you didn't get that the lion and kitty represent things...they do.
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