Mom had somehow convinced Luke to paint it was one of her superpowers, we were walking down the street me, Mom and Rory. We were getting Chinese for dinner, but first we had to get some fruit because it was so obvious I had Scurvy.

"You do not have scurvy." Rory said.

"I think I might have it too." Mom said.

"Not you too."

"That or a cold, point is I need some fruit." We made it to the market when a motorcycle came by Taylor wanted to get rid of it, Mom was excited until it turned out to be Dad, then Rory was excited and rode off with him I fell back into her. And she wrapped her arms around me, and hugged me tightly.

"Baby girl…."

"Mom he talks to Rory at least every couple of weeks, he never talks to me and yeah the birthday cards he sends to Rory are usually days or weeks late, but at least she gets a card I get a happy birthday stuck on the bottom of the Christmas card to the rest of the family if he remembers at all. I still love him and I don't hate him or anything it's just I stopped expecting anything."

I hid in my room until the Chinese came. I always got Chicken with Broccoli and A shrimp roll. I was sketching. There was a knock at my door.

"Come in….." Dad entered my room, my room was pretty eclectic.

"You're listening to the Rat Pack?"

"I'm much more eclectic in my tastes then Mom or Rory. I also prefer vinyl to CDs." I pointed to my turn table.

"I see…So, what are you drawing?" he pointed at the sketch book.

"It's for several large murals, I'm having trouble deciding."

"What are they for?"

"Well one if for a nursery school, I was thinking nursery rhymes…I have it all planned out. its already been approved…."

"You get paid?"

"Of course because I'm an artist there's wiggle room its not like it's child labor or anything, it's more like intellectual property."

"I see." He picks up Mimi. "I see you still have the kitty I got you when you were born."

"Her name is Mimi. I couldn't say Meow when I was really little. Daddy do you love Rory more than me?"

"What no, of course not?"

"Just checking."

"Why would you ask that?"

"Well, you're not close to either one of us, but you do call her every week, or every couple of weeks and you do send her a birthday card even if it is usually late."

"I love you both very much I'm just…."

"A flake?"

"Well, I was but I'm getting better."

"That's good. Rory's really hoping for you to be a presence in your life."

"You're not."

"It'd be nice, but I don't expect it." I could see I hurt but I wasn't going to lie. We had Chinese, after which Rory went to do homework. And I went to do mine. The next day I went to Dean's game with Rory and Dad, then we went on a tour of the town Rory was really excited I could tell. We went to the bookstore, Rory wanted some fancy dictionary I didn't pick something out. hid credit card was declined. Rory took well but I could tell she was disappointed. The Town Crazy's got to us, it was amusing to watch.

Then Grandma called, All four of us, and the grandparents and dad's parents are all gathering for Friday Night dinner like that doesn't have disaster written all over it. When we got there on Friday

Rory joked the "Ladies and Gentleman the Drama King and Queen of Connecticut."

Mom was going to use her key but I rang the doorbell. A maid answered the door, and showed us to the well I guess it's the parlor.

"Hello, Rory, Bay, Christopher, Lorelai." Grandma said we made pleasant talk I learned Grandpa liked chuck berry, which was good, I had a knack for finding albums and me only 11 until the doorbell rang and the other grandparents showed up. This was going to be interesting. I already had a tape recorder in my pocket recording.

"Hello, Mother. Pop." Dad said.

"Christopher." The bearded man said.

"Christopher, Hello." A dark haired woman said.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Hayden." I said. "It's nice to meet you, I'm Bailey Gilmore, You've already met my mother Lorelai this is my sister Rory."

"Hello, Bailey, Lorelai you're looking well."

"Thank you."

"Last time we saw Rory she was just starting to speak in complete sentences. And we've never met Bailey before…."

"Straub Francine, How about a Martini?" Grandpa asked.

"Please." Bearded guy said. He's a jerk I can tell. I was glad I told Rory I'd do the talking if she felt she needed me too. I wasn't scared by these people. I didn't care what they thought of me.

"So Straub how's retirement treating you…." They talked about boring things for a few minutes. Until Rory answered Bearded Jerk's question of her age, with 16 and he prove my theory by saying.

"Dangerous age for girls."

"How is it dangerous?" I asked as Innocent as I could. Then I went cold. "Look, let's cut to the chase. It's obvious you think my mother derailed my father's life, when she became pregnant with my older sister. But you know what the fact that my mother has never demanded anything of my father, never asked a single thing of him, means he could have gone to Princeton and done exactly what you wanted him to do, she derailed nothing. He's done nothing to help her raise us. Nothing, and maybe you missed that day in health class but I didn't, you actually need two people to make a baby. So he was never, ever going to do what you wanted him to do. So face up to that. He was never going to be the shining example of the Princeton graduate and Hayden Heir you wanted him to be. And you insult my sister again I'm putting Antabuse in your water supply. Excuse me…."

I hid in the kitchen, Rory joined me a minute later. Then I heard I heard yelling and door slamming. Then My grandma came in, and she talked us and made us feel better.

On the drive home. Mom looked at me. "Where would you get Antabuse?"

"You can get anything on the internet." I said. "of course you might not be getting what you're ordering….."

"Of course."

I Said good bye to my dad and gave him a hug, he hugged me back maybe he wasn't so bad. at least he was trying.