Julie, Gypsy. Gypsy, Julie:
A little birthday ditty for Jewels!
~*~*~
A/N Jewels 12 is a special person who has helped me immensely by Beta reading my stories and by being a friend. She has been so generous with her time, and her enthusiasm, that I felt compelled to write this story honoring her. Thanks so much, Jewels! You really do rock!
I'd also like to thanks Mags68 for being my Beta on this one. You know how I admire your talent, I'm honored.
And, my spy, BigBagofWeird (Boom!) who gathered information on Jewels for me, you were the first person to reach out in friendship to me, I'm so glad I met you. Thank you so much.
Jewels, I asked them and they said 'yes' to me. But I know, they also said 'yes' because they adore you! Happy Birthday!
~*~*~
"Just as I suspected!" the voice attached to the protruding jumpsuit-covered legs called. She slid her creeper out from under the car and the quirky lady with the raven pigtails and coal black eyes stared up at Julie.
"So, you can fix it?" Julie asked, anxious to get back on the road.
"It's gonna cost you, but I can fix it." She stood up, brushing the seat of her pants with both hands alternately.
"Okay." Julie looked nervous. She was still searching for a full time job, and hadn't factored a major mechanical breakdown into her budget.
"Don't look so terrified. It's just the radiator hose. Let me look it up and I'll write you an estimate."
Julie nodded, feeling better. At least she had heard of a radiator hose before. It didn't sound too expensive.
"Do you have an ID? It's easier if I copy your info down from there, faster, too."
Julie dug through her purse, flipped open her wallet, and handed over the license. The mechanic took it and said, "Canada, eh?"
"Yeah, Ontario."
"Well, you still owe us one for that whole Celine Dion debacle," she said, walking though the door behind the counter. "Don't touch anything, Canada, I'll be right back," she warned.
Julie looked around nervously, wondering if she meant it literally, or if it was okay to touch the magazines and get a cup of the coffee that was set on the counter, presumably for paying customers such as herself. She decided that the snarky lady was probably harmless; after all she had already given her a nickname. Julie had a long drive ahead of her and a hot cup of coffee couldn't hurt. After pouring the dark brew into a Styrofoam cup, she settled on an old wobbly chair. While waiting for her estimate, she wrapped her hands around the cup, warming them.
The mechanic's pigtails swung from side to side as she looked up the part on her computer and wrote down the item numbers. While transferring her customer's name and address into the computer, she noticed the birth date and thought, January 31st, poor kid, it's her birthday and she's stuck here all alone. She glanced at the picture of the smiling young lady with curly dark hair. The girl's energy jumped out of the photo and immediately endeared her to the mechanic. Julie? Nice kid. Good vibes, she thought.
When the mechanic re-entered the waiting area she said, "Hey, Canada, I have some good news and some bad news. Which do you want first?"
Ever the optimist, Julie answered, "Um, the good news."
"Ok, good news is, we can get the part today, and it's not very expensive. Bad news is, I can't get the part for this particular Ford until after 4:00."
She couldn't help noticing the disappointment that flashed over Julie's face. Only allowing the news to dampen her spirit for a fleeting moment, Julie replied, "Well, it could be a lot worse, right?"
"It could be as bad as that coffee," the lady wrencher piped in. "I thought I told you not to touch anything."
"Oh, sorry, I thought it would be okay."
"It's never okay; that's the worst coffee in Stars Hollow. You like coffee, we need to go to Luke's," she said, unzipping her jumpsuit and stepping out of it to reveal a blue-collared mechanics shirt with a patch that read, 'Gypsy'.
"You're right, it is awful," Julie said as she made a face. "Actually, this just confirmed how much I hate coffee. I'm Julie, by the way. And you're…Gypsy?"
"Yep, they gotta call me something, right?" she said, extending her strong calloused hand to shake. "Come on, Canada," she said, grabbing her coat. "Let's go to Luke's. Luke has great food and an even better ass. I think you're old enough to appreciate that. Am I right?"
Julie laughed. "A great ass? Yeah, I can appreciate that."
~*~*~
Once they made it to Luke's Diner, they sat down at the counter. A ruggedly handsome man with a towel draped over his shoulder, and a backwards blue baseball cap, approached them.
"Hey, Gypsy," he said with a nod.
"Hey Luke, this is my new friend, Julie, but I call her Canada."
Luke extended his hand. Julie smiled and shook it firmly while looking into his blue eyes. "Nice to meet you, Julie," he said sincerely.
"Thank you," she said. "Cool place you have here."
"Yeah, well, it's a living." He shrugged. "What can I get you?"
"Hey, Luke," Gypsy butted in, "Can you get us some of that Darjeeling tea? Way up there?" She shot a conspiratorial look to Julie.
"Up there? Okay," he said, turning around and reaching to a shelf that was just within his tiptoed reach. As he did, his flannel lifted up, revealing a denim-clad derriere. Julie and Gypsy got an eyeful and then shot another glance at each other. They tried to stifle their smiles, but they both failed miserably. Luke got the tea, turned around, and placed it on the counter. "Oh, jeez," he said, after taking one look at their faces. He grumbled something about importing loonies from Canada and walked back to the kitchen.
"Hey Luke, what about our tea?" Gypsy shouted.
He came back grumping, "You get coffee."
"It's Canada's birthday, so can we get her some pie?" Gypsy asked.
"How'd you know that? Oh, you peeked!" Julie giggled, touched that Gypsy noticed.
"Birthday, huh? Okay, what kind of pie would you like? We have boysenberry and apple," he offered.
Just then, a beautiful brunette with the smile as wide as an albatross' wingspan, breezed in calling, "Boysenberry! Take the boysenberry, they're from Chile where it's summer now!"
Luke turned, his face softening and his lips curling slightly as he focused every ounce of his attention on the woman. Julie knew immediately that the handsome pair were in love. Looking like the couple that you'd find in a newly purchased picture frame, the world around them seemed to disappear when they stared at each other .She touched his arm lightly in greeting. His eyes rested on her face and he nodded to her, then turned back to Julie.
"So? Boysenberry?" he asked.
"Yeah, who am I to argue with the lady?" Julie smiled at her.
"And, you can have tea if you want it," he said.
"Um, can I have milk?" she asked. Luke nodded and scribbled on his order pad.
A quirky man sitting at the end of the counter looked up from his waffles and said, "Gooseberries. That's what you should give her."
Ignoring the man, Luke said, "Oh, this is my wife, Lorelai. Lorelai, this is Julie, she's Gypsy's new friend." He took out two coffee cups and poured one for Gypsy and one for Lorelai.
"Hi, Julie. Welcome to Stars Hollow," Lorelai said warmly. "I didn't know Gypsy had any friends."
Gypsy rolled her eyes.
"Do you know that Canadian geese eggs have a gestation period of 25 to 30 days?" the strange scrawny man blurted.
"Can it, Kirk," Luke growled at him, then turned all his attention back to the ladies. "Birthday pie, how many?" he counted three hands. "Three pieces of pie and a glass of milk, coming right up," he said as he knocked his knuckles on the counter in front of Julie before turning to get the order. Lorelai and Gypsy both tilted their heads in appreciation of his departure. Julie followed their gazes, but was much less obvious about staring at another woman's husband.
There was a slight commotion at the door, with the sound of bells clanging then a hearty cackle drowned them out. In walked two ample women: one short, round, and blonde; the other taller, rounder, and darker. "Hey, Lorelai, Doll. Heya, Gypsy!" the blonde greeted them.
"Hi Babette, Patty," Lorelai said as Gypsy nodded a greeting.
In a voice as smooth and sensuous as the blonde's was harsh and irritating, the larger woman purred at Julie, "My, my, what do we have here? Aren't you the cat's pajamas?"
Julie smiled through the introductions, blushing slightly at Miss Patty's remarks.
"Look at that slender, athletic build. Honey, are you a dancer?" Patty asked.
"Well, I've been known to dance. But, no I'm not really a dancer. I'm more of a sports fanatic. I like soccer and volleyball and, well, anything physical," Julie answered.
"Me too, dear," Patty said as she raised her eyebrows in admiration. "Who are you?"
"Oh, I'm Julie." She smiled.
"She's Gypsy's friend from Canada," Kirk chimed in.
"I didn't know Gypsy had any friends," Patty said plainly.
"Quit saying that!" Gypsy snapped.
"You're adorable!" Babette piped in. "She's as cute as Rory!" The crowd nodded in agreement.
"She'll migrate, just like the geese. Don't get too attached," Kirk said to no one in particular.
Luke returned with the order, placed the pie and milk in front of their rightful owners.
Lorelai said, "Since we're all here, and it's Julie's birthday, why don't we celebrate with pie?"
"Yeah, she's stuck here with nobody," Gypsy said.
"Somehow I don't feel alone," Julie commented.
"Ooh, I love birthdays, as long as they're someone else's." Miss Patty took the lead. Standing before the group with her hands in front of her like a symphony conductor. She held her left hand up and traced the beats in the air with her right hand. "One, and, two, and, three, and …" she began as she lead the group in a loud, but decent falsetto.
"Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday
Dear Julie (Canada)
Happy Birthday to you"
"And many more…"
Looking around at the assorted faces in the crowd she almost forgot that she was missing part of the celebration that her friends had planned for her in New Haven. But she was grateful that if her car had to overheat in January, it chose this quirky little town to do it in.
"Thank you all so much, I really appreciate how hospitable you've all been. This is really great. I just need to excuse myself to let my parents know where I am and that I'm all right. My grandma was worried that no one would sing Happy Birthday to me." She pulled out her cell phone and moved away from the crowd, but remained in the diner. Everyone looked at Luke, to see if he would enforce his 'no cell phones' rule.
"She can stay. She isn't hurting anyone. And it's cold outside," Luke said. They could tell that he had taken a shine to her as the rest of them had.
"She's sweet," Lorelai said.
"She sure is a live wire! Look at how her face shines while she talks to her folks!" Babette said.
The other townies nodded in agreement as they observed the welcome stranger gesticulating and laughing as she spoke. Stars Hollow didn't get many visitors this time of year, so they were quite interested in the young lady with the infectious smile. When she returned from her phone call, she grinned when she noticed them turn away quickly, feigning disinterest.
They ate their pie and chatted noisily. Patty, in her best bedroom voice asked, "Luke, darling, can you be a dear and get the Earl Grey tea from way up there?"
The other women stifled their giggles as Lorelai added, "Yeah Luke, its way up there!"
Not falling for it again, Luke groused, "Don't you have the Oprah Show to watch or something?"
Four women, eight eyes, all turned to slap him with a correction, "Ellen!"
"Whatever," he grumbled and escaped behind the curtain. Lorelai followed him.
"You're an Ellen fan?" Julie's eyes lit up.
"Never miss it!" Gypsy said, "Let's finish this pie. And if you want, you can come to my place and we'll watch Monday's show; it was Ellen's birthday. I have it on my DVR. Amy Poehler was on."
Realizing that this unlucky day was turning out to be great, she said, "I'd love to! That episode was great, she had James Morrison as a guest."
While Julie spoke to Gypsy about the episode, her eyes wandered behind the curtain and fell on Luke and Lorelai. Lorelai was standing in front of him, chatting animatedly, while Luke watched her with a patient smile. Their fingers were interlocked lightly and she giggled. Luke whispered something to her and she smiled even brighter. He affectionately moved a lock of hair out of her eyes then touched his forehead to hers.
Gypsy noticed Julie watching them and said, "Luke and Lorelai are our town's biggest love story. They're soul mates. Their souls knew it the first day they met, but their brains took a decade. Go figure," she said with a dramatic eye roll.
Julie nodded, her eyes still on the newlyweds, hoping that someday she'd know a love like theirs.
After they thanked everyone and made their way out the door, Julie could be heard saying, "I actually danced with Ellen once."
"Get the hell outta town," Gypsy gasped.
"Yeah, I have proof on YouTube!" Julie laughed.
Gypsy said, "Julie, I think this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship."
~*~*~
Upon arrival at Gypsy's place, they were greeted by two cats. A white one with black markings and green eyes rubbed back and forth against Julie's legs, almost tripping her. A calico with blue eyes chose not to leave the arm of the couch, where she lay like a doily, limbs dangling loosely over the curve as she mewed loudly from where she was.
Julie reached down and picked up the purring ball of fur at her ankles. "Aww, who's this?" she asked, hugging it to her chest and scratching it lightly under the chin. The cat closed her eyes and lifted her head in appreciation.
"Oh, that's Portia, she's a pain. And the big mouth," Gypsy said, pointing to the feline on the couch, "that's Celestia."
Julie laughed, getting the connection right away. "Portia and Celestia!"
"Yeah, well she's out of this world." Gypsy shrugged, then kissed the cat on the couch on the top of her head. She was impressed that Julie made the connection. The only other person who got it was Lorelai, and she was the local pop culture queen. She walked over to the fridge, and yelled over her shoulder. "I have Diet Dr. Pepper, or water."
"Oh, water sounds good."
She handed Julie a glass of ice water and said, "I need to go change. Take a load off."
Not one who liked to wait around, Julie spied a bowl of oranges on top of the kitchen table and grabbed two. She threw them up and caught them, juggling both first clockwise, then counterclockwise. She juggled high, and juggled low, in complete control of the fruit at all times. She glanced to the door where Gypsy disappeared, and not seeing her, took another orange.
Feeling a little more at ease, she juggled the trio faster and faster. Then, she slowed down, throwing each piece higher to see how high she could get to the ceiling without hitting it. Starting to lose herself in the rhythm of the tosses, she forgot where she was, and picked up another orange.
She could juggle three oranges in her sleep, but four was a heck of a lot more challenging, so she backed away from the table and counted in her head. One, two, three, toss. Fully concentrating on keeping the oranges in the air, she was startled when Gypsy's voice rang out from behind her, "Hey, that's pretty good!"
Suddenly, the oranges rained down, one by one, each hitting the linoleum with a soft thud.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Julie said, embarrassed, scooping them into her arms and holding one under her chin.
"Eh, no problem. How many did you have going? It looked like a dozen."
"Four. I can do five, though it's a lot harder."
"No kidding? Let's see!"
Taking the opportunity to show off for her new friend, she said, "Ok, but I just learned, so don't expect much other than the fact that I will drop them. Is that okay?"
Gypsy shrugged. "So, I'll make juice."
A little self-consciously at first, she tried to juggle five a few times, dropping them on the floor. On the fourth try, she found her rhythm and successfully kept all five in the air for longer than she ever had before. She even managed to control the altitude and speed before purposely eliminating one, then another, until she only had three. Then, with a flourish, she made the circles small and large again before she caught them in her hands and took a bow.
Gypsy clapped enthusiastically and Julie's delighted smile flashed deep dimples, one on each cheek, as she caught her breath.
"Brava! Brava! Man, we've gotta get you on Ellen!" Gypsy said. "That was way better than the guy who balanced the five gallon water bottle on his head."
Julie laughed, since being on The Ellen Show was on her list of ultimate dreams. But currently, she was content to watch the show with her new buddy.
"How did you learn to do that?"
"I actually saw one of my co-workers from the resort that I worked at a few years back juggling one day, and he tried to show me how. I went back to my place that night and practiced for two hours, and then I had it. The next year I taught myself how to juggle four, and now I'm on five. Can you juggle?"
"I can do two. But three? No way!" Gypsy said, as she juggled two oranges awkwardly.
"Come on, all you have to do is toss and catch," Julie said. "I'll show you." She took three oranges and in an exaggerated fashion, and showed her the pattern of how the oranges crossed in the center.
Gypsy tried a few times and actually caught some of the tosses, but mostly, she just prepared the oranges to be turned into juice.
"That's good, when you get a little more comfortable, tossing and catching, try to keep your arms still, and just flip your wrists. Nobody ever learned to do this on the first try, so keep practicing and you'll have it down in no time."
"I don't know if this is for me, but I will try it again later."
"Fair enough!" Julie said. "So how about that Ellen?"
"Oh, yeah," Gypsy said as she snatched up the remote and pushed the buttons.
"Here she is!" they squealed. They laughed through the entire monologue, although they had both seen it earlier that week.
"Some times you've gotta dance!" Ellen said. Instantly, Julie and Gypsy jumped up and danced with Ellen. They laughed and shook their groove things, following Ellen's lead, and making up some moves of their own. Gypsy even walked over to the coffee table and straddled it as she danced over its entire length. At the end of the dance, Julie put her hands on the armrests of the recliner, put her legs straight out in front of her and yelled, "Kaaaahh!" before allowing her bottom to plop down on the chair.
"Perfect!" Gypsy said, nodding her head in admiration.
After the show, Gypsy called the shop to confirm that the part had come in and her assistant had installed it. "Well, it's in," she said. "I guess we should go."
"That was fun. Thanks so much for letting me hang out," Julie said.
"Yeah, it was fun," Gypsy said. "Hey, Canada, can we take a picture together? I'll send it to you on Facebook, then you can send me the link of you dancing with Ellen."
"I have a camera," Julie said, springing into action and rifling through her purse. She set the automatic timer on and adjusted it on the table. "Stay there!" she said, then stood next to Gypsy. Arms around each other's shoulders, they smiled broadly while the flash went off.
"Cool, now be sure and send it to me," Gypsy said.
"Oh, I will," Julie replied, "One more, but with the cats." They each grabbed a cat and displayed it for the camera.
"Um, they were right, I don't have very many friends. At least not female friends," Gypsy admitted, looking over at Julie. "So, if you're up for a road trip to see Ellen, you know who to call."
"That would be really cool, and if something happens to the car, at least I know you'll have it covered." Julie said teasingly.
As they headed out the door, Julie said, "Goodbye, Portia and Celestia! I'll see you when we go to visit Ellen!"
~*~*~
Happy Birthday, Jewels!