Fellow Mothers
By Ellie
Disclaimer: Don't own the Kims or the Gilmores. Please don't sue me. I'm just writing this for my own amusement.
A/N: This is for Undisclosed who wanted a Mrs. Kim chapter for Like Wildfire. That didn't work out, but I hope you enjoy her in this.
Mrs. Kim bustled around the kitchen, trying to finish dinner before her guests arrived that evening. She was finally going to meet Rory Gilmore's parents. Lane had been in school for two weeks now and Rory was the first non-Korean friend that Lane had ever had.
Ideally, she would have liked to have home schooled Lane, but her husband's illness made that impossible. Mr. Kim had been diagnosed with a debilitating disease about a year after Lane had been born, and now he was basically bedridden. She took care of him, like any good wife was supposed to, but between taking care of her husband and the family business she didn't have time to teach Lane. So she had reluctantly enrolled Lane into Stars Hollow Elementary school.
Lane's first few days at school had been miserable. She had cried whenever Mrs. Kim had dropped her off. The teacher said that it was normal for children to suffer from separation anxiety during the first week of school, but Lane kept on saying that she hated school and that no one would play with her.
Then one day all of that changed. She had gone to pick up Lane and found her laughing and smiling. Lane had found a friend: Rory Gilmore. Lane had talked about her non-stop for days. After a week, Mrs. Kim had sent a letter with Lane to school for Rory's parents inviting them over for dinner. Lane had returned the next day with a note from Rory's mother accepting the invitation.
It was surprising that she hadn't already met them, but Rory was already at school by the time Mrs. Kim arrived with Lane, and she rode the bus home in the afternoon. If she really wanted to, she supposed she could ask some of the other mothers about the Gilmores, but she was not one to participate in gossip. The Lord frowned upon it. So she curbed her curiosity until she could meet Rory's family on her own.
Rory seemed to be a polite child, but Mrs. Kim wanted to make sure she came from a family that would bring her up to be a proper friend to Lane.
Mrs. Kim heard a knock at the door and went over to answer it. An incredibly young woman who was wearing too much makeup was standing with Rory at the door.
"Mrs. Kim?" the young woman asked.
"Uh … yes," she answered, momentarily at a loss for words. A rarity for her.
"Hi, I'm Lorelai Gilmore. It's so nice to meet you. Rory has talked about nothing but Lane for the past week."
"Yes, well come in," she looked around and did not see a man anywhere.
"Was Mr. Gilmore unable to come?"
"Oh, there is no Mr. Gilmore. I mean, unless you count my dad. He lives in Hartford. With my mother. They are probably at some benefit to raise money for the Society to Preserve All Things Snooty," she joked. Mrs. Kim did not laugh and Lorelai looked down in embarrassment.
"You're not married?" Mrs. Kim asked, clearly shocked.
"Um, no," Lorelai responded uncomfortably. The awkward silence was broken by Lane rushing into the foyer.
"Rory!" she yelled. "Come on I want to show you my room before dinner is ready." Rory looked to her mother to see if this was all right.
"Go ahead sweetie," Lorelai said as she ran a hand through Rory's hair.
"Dinner is ready now, so show her the room quickly and then wash your hands," Mrs. Kim yelled at the retreating forms.
"Yes Mama."
The two mothers stared at each other for a few seconds when Mrs. Kim remembered her manners.
"Please, let me take your coat," she said.
"Thank you," Lorelai said as she handed Mrs. Kim the coat, "and thank you, again, for inviting us to supper."
"I wanted to get to know the family of Lane's new best friend," Mrs. Kim said, a little stiffly.
They were saved from further conversation as the girls came running down the stairs and together they all entered the dining room.
"Is Mr. Kim not joining us this evening?" Lorelai asked.
"No. Unfortunately he is very ill and rarely leaves the bed."
"Oh, I'm sorry."
"That is quite all right. You did not know." Mrs. Kim went into the kitchen to bring out the serving platters. Lorelai stared at the food with a strange expression on her face.
"My, this looks … interesting." Lorelai said.
"It is Baked Tofu with Ratatouille Vegetables. Very healthy." Mrs. Kim picked up a tofu slice and put it on Lorelai's plate and then covered the tofu with vegetables.
Lorelai stared at it for a moment and then looked up at Mrs. Kim and with as much sincerity as she could muster said, "Well it looks delicious."
Mrs. Kim served some tofu to both of the girls and then herself. She sat down and Lorelai picked up her fork.
"Grace," Mrs. Kim said sharply.
"Ah, yes. Grace," Lorelai said and put down her fork and folded her hands. She looked over at Rory and signaled for her to do the same. Mrs. Kim folded her own hands and bowed her head in prayer.
"Heavenly Father, we thank You for the food You have placed before us. We ask that it nourish our bodies so that we may do Your will. We ask this through Jesus' name. Amen."
"Amen," the three others echoed. Each of them picked up their fork and began to eat.
"I couldn't help but notice that your store is filled with some really great pieces," Lorelai said, after the silence had gone on for a while.
"Thank you."
"I think a lot of them would look great at the Inn."
"The Inn?"
"Yes, I work at the Independence Inn just outside of town. Actually, Rory and I live there too."
"You live at an Inn?" Mrs. Kim asked.
"Yes, we've been there since Rory was really little. Mia, the owner, has been really great. She says that she's going to promote me soon to be her assistant manager."
There was another patch of silence.
"I don't really get to town very often, but it seems like a very nice place," Lorelai said when the silence became too much again.
"It is."
"How long have you lived here?" Lorelai asked as she took a tiny bite of the tofu.
"Since just before I got married."
They passed the rest of the meal this way: making polite chit chat in between long stretches of silence. Afterwards, Mrs. Kim allowed the girls to take one wheat and gluten free gingerbread cookie upstairs so that they could play.
"Here let me help you," Lorelai said as she stood up and started picking up the plates.
"That's not necessary,"
"It's the least I can do after you went through all of the trouble to cook for us." They walked to the kitchen together in silence as they each carried a pile of dirty dishes.
"You said that your parents live in Hartford?" Mrs. Kim asked breaking the silence as she was drying the dishes.
"Yes,"
"Do you get to see them very often?" she asked.
Lorelai looked down at the pan she was scrubbing for a moment before answering. "As often as I want to," she said evenly.
Mrs. Kim's stomach flopped at that comment. She knew what that meant: Lorelai Gilmore never saw her parents and she liked it that way. This was the mother of her daughter's best friend. A woman who had gotten pregnant as a teenager. A woman who had a bad relationship with her own parents. Did she want her to be an influence on her daughter?
They soon finished cleaning the dishes and Lorelai got Rory so that they could head home.
"Good-bye Mrs. Kim," Rory said politely. "Good-bye Lane, I'll see you tomorrow at school."
"Thank you, again, for inviting us." Lorelai told her.
"Yes well, it was certainly an interesting evening."
After the two had left the building, Lane went to her mother. "It was so great having Rory here. She is so nice. She said that she's never had tofu before. I told her that we have it everyday and she was surprised. Rory said that usually she doesn't like vegetables, but that yours were all right."
"She is a very polite child." Mrs. Kim paused a bit before she addressed Lane again. "Lane, I am your mother, and I only want what's best for you."
"I know that Mama."
"I don't want you playing with Rory Gilmore anymore."
Lane's eyes immediately turned red and tears began falling. "But Mama, she's my best friend. Why?"
"I am your Mother and I know what's best for you. That should be enough."
Lane stared at her mother as she tried desperately to understand what was going on. Her mother seemed to be waiting for some sort of response and Lane gave the one that she had always given.
"Yes Mama." But this was the first time that she did not mean it.
The next day, Mrs. Kim made sure to talk with Lane's teacher as soon as she brought her to school.
"Mrs. Walker, may I speak with you for a moment?" Mrs. Kim asked and pulled the teacher into a quiet corner.
"Mrs. Kim, what can I do for you?" Mrs. Walker asked, while trying to hide her nervousness from the formidable woman.
"I do not wish for Lane to play with Rory Gilmore anymore,"
Mrs. Walker did not even try to hide her shock. "May I ask why?" she asked after a moment.
"I am her mother, and I do not think that she would be a good influence on Lane."
"Mrs. Kim," the teacher said, choosing her words carefully, "you are Lane's mother, and ultimately it is your decision, but I have to tell you that I think you're making a mistake."
"Excuse me?" Mrs. Kim asked. She was unused to having people question her decisions.
"Lane has been a different child since she's become friends with Rory. She's happy, and her socialization skills have improved dramatically. I don't see how Rory could be considered a bad influence. She's polite and honest. She is nice to everyone in the class – even the kids the other students tend to make fun of. She and Lane love working on their assignments together, and they help each other with everything." She paused for a moment to see if her words were having any affect on Mrs. Kim, but could not read her face. "Rory and Lane are teaching each other how to be good friends. Whatever your problems with her are, I'm asking for you to reconsider your decision."
Mrs. Kim pondered the teacher's words. "You have given me something to think about. I will give you my final answer tomorrow. For today, I would ask for you to put them in separate groups. I've already told Lane that she is not to play with Rory, and I do not wish to confuse her."
Mrs. Kim spent the day trying to decide what was best for Lane. She had asked her husband for his opinion, but he had been tired and only said that he trusted her to do what was best. That really didn't help her much. When she went to pick Lane up from school, she had been red-eyed. Lane had merely shrugged and turned away when Mrs. Kim had asked about her day. She decided to drop Lane off at her sister's so that she could play with her cousin. She needed more time to think about the situation.
Mrs. Kim was dusting the inventory in the store as she thought when she heard the front door open violently. She turned around to confront an angry Lorelai Gilmore.
"Miss Gilmore …" she began.
"No. I talk first," she said angrily. "My daughter, who loves school, got off of the bus today in tears saying that she never wanted to go back because Lane said that you wouldn't let them be friends anymore. My daughter is in our home, hysterical, trying to figure out what she did to make you hate her." Lorelai stopped as the angry tears ran down her eyes. "I know it's not her that you don't like. It's me," she choked out.
Mrs. Kim was unable to meet Lorelai's angry glare. "I do not think that you will be a good role model for my Lane."
"Look, I got pregnant at sixteen. I ran away from home a year later. I know that I've made a lot of mistakes, but that has nothing to do with Rory. Rory is a great kid and she deserves to be judged on her own merits," Lorelai said in a low voice.
"Mr. Kim and I wish for Lane to be raised a certain way, and I'm afraid that you would undermine our authority over her."
Lorelai's anger appeared to lessen a little and she looked thoughtful. "I understand that. I do," she finally replied. "That's the whole reason I left my parents' house."
"What do you mean?"
Lorelai sighed and looked away for a moment. "My parents wouldn't let me be the kind of mother that I needed to be for Rory. So I left." She looked back at Mrs. Kim. "I'm trying to do right by Rory, just like you are with Lane. I'm begging you to reconsider. Lane and Rory are both great kids. I was so happy when they became friends. I was worried about Rory going to school. Not about the learning and stuff because she is incredibly smart, but I was worried about her making friends. We've been living at the Inn for so long, and she really doesn't get the chance to hang out with other kids there. When Rory met Lane, I stopped worrying so much."
Mrs. Kim looked at Lorelai and for the first time she didn't see a single mom who got pregnant at a very young age, and she didn't see a young woman who didn't respect her parents. She saw a fellow mother trying to raise her child in less than ideal circumstances.
"I believe my decision may have been a bit hasty," Mrs. Kim finally stated. "I'm sorry for upsetting Rory. Please accept my apology."
Lorelai looked at Mrs. Kim carefully as she tried to gauge her sincerity. "I do accept your apology," she finally said. "Believe me. I understand the impulse to want to protect your child from the big bad world."
"I will go to the teacher tomorrow, Miss Gilmore,and tell her that I've changed my mind."
"Thank you, and please call me Lorelai. 'Miss Gilmore brings back bad memories of being in the headmaster's office in high school."
"All right Lorelai," Mrs. Kim said. Lorelai looked a little expectant and Mrs. Kim continued, "Only my husband and my sister call me by my first name. Even my nieces and nephews call me Mrs. Kim."
"Oh, okay then. What's good enough for a niece and nephew is good enough for me. Thank you, Mrs. Kim."
Mrs. Kim looked at the young woman and decided that perhaps she and Lane could be a positive influence in the Gilmore's lives.
"Well, I'm glad that we were able to work this out," Lorelai said. "I'll just run home and tell Rory that everything is okay." Mrs. Kim was struck with a sudden idea.
"Lorelai," she called out and Lorelai turned around. "We are having a family wedding here next weekend. Lane helps set things up. Nothing too big, just some decorations and such. Do you think Rory would like to come and help her?"
Lorelai smiled brightly, "I'm positive Rory would love to help."
"Good. It's next Saturday morning at ten here at the store. She should wear a dress."
"It's a date," Lorelai said as she walked out of the store.
Mrs. Kim looked at the clock and realized that it was time to pick up Lane. She couldn't wait to see the look in her eyes when she told her the good news.
A/N2 I thought about giving Mrs. Kim a first name, but ultimately decided that part of Mrs. Kim's scariness is that she doesn't have one. I also apologize if this is inconsistant with anything that's been on the show, but I decided if they don't pay attention to continuity, then why should I. Please read and review.