"Oh, Mom, I'm sorry, let me take that," Rory said sympathetically as she pulled out the menu and put it aside.
Lorelai shook her head as she held out her hand. Rory gave Lorelai the menu and sat down next to her as Lorelai stared at the front cover.
"I remember the day I snagged this menu. You were at school, and I was on break from the Inn…"
The bells chimed as Lorelai waltzed into Luke's. She needed coffee, and she needed it badly. The coffeepot at the Inn was broken, and until it could be repaired, Lorelai would suffer endlessly. Unless she had some of Luke's coffee, of course.
"Oh, Luuuke!" Lorelai called from the door.
There was no answer.
"Luke! Coffee! Now!"
Luke emerged from the kitchen, wiping his hands on a dishtowel.
"Wow! I didn't even need to rub the lamp and talk to the genie for this! I guess 'Ask and you shall receive' really does work sometimes!" Lorelai said, laughing.
Luke rolled his eyes. "You'll have to wait until I can make a pot. It's the best I can do, because I'm not the genie you speak of so highly," he said.
"Ah, but you're good enough, I suppose. I just might have lunch here, too. Let's take a look at the menu and check out what's next on the list. Hey! You got rid of my check marks!" Lorelai whined.
"Lorelai, you can't whip out a Sharpie and write on someone's property just because you have a rotten memory and can't figure out where you left off. It's vandalism, Lorelai, and if I didn't hate Taylor so much, I would have had him come down here and lecture you about defacing town property," Luke insisted.
"Well, then, you should do what Rory and I suggested to you ages ago. Print up paper menus so people can take one home if they so choose. That way, I can write on it, because paper is okay to write on," Lorelai shot back.
Luke sighed. "How do people keep up with you? Is there some sort of manual, a guide, Cliffs Notes, to help me understand the crazy coffee addict that sits before me?" he asked as he wiped down the counter.
Lorelai shook her head. "No, my friend, you're up a creek without a paddle," she said as she put her chin in her hand. "And it's not exactly easy to understand Mr. Backwards Baseball Cap either."
"Actually, it's quite simple. I run this diner. I provide nourishment to tourists and the freakish townies of Stars Hollow. Not that difficult to comprehend."
"Okay, sure. Whatever you say. I personally am quite puzzled by the excessive use of flannel in your wardrobe, and the use of monosyllabic words in your vocabulary. Not so simple," Lorelai replied.
"What would you prefer I wear to work, a tuxedo?" Luke asked sarcastically.
"That would actually be really funny! You could wear the white gloves, too, and carry people's food out on a silver platter…"
"Ah, Jeez. Don't run with the idea, Lorelai, I was being sarcastic!" Luke said
"Whatever you say, but if you're gong to wear the tuxedo, your place will need a little makeover as well…" Lorelai giggled.
Luke turned around to pour Lorelai's coffee when Lorelai sat on the menu she had been looking at. She grabbed another menu and opened it, hoping Luke wouldn't notice one was missing. This way, she could bring it home and mark it up any way she wanted.
"You going to order food, too? Because if you are, you might want to do so before the lunch rush," Luke suggested.
"I'll just get a burger to go, seeing as how I am unsure what I last ordered, and I am thereby forced to start at the beginning," Lorelai said. She slid the menu inside her coat as Luke went back into the kitchen.
"And I took the burger and walked out, menu and all," Lorelai reminisced.
"Wow. Did he ever find out?" Rory asked.
Lorelai laughed. "Yeah. Turns out he obsessively cleans and counts the menus at closing," she said.
"You okay?" Rory asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Oh, hey! It's that picture of you when you went as Pippi Longstocking for Halloween!" Lorelai pulled the picture out of the box and handed it to Rory as she rummaged through the remaining contents of the box.
Rory knew her mom wasn't fine. Since the day her mom gave Luke the ultimatum, Rory noticed a change in her mom. Lorelai wasn't happy, and she wasn't herself. She noticed how quickly Lorelai changed the topic of discussion from the menu to the picture of Rory going Trick-or-Treating. Lorelai Gilmore hadn't been fine in a long time.
Rory knew that had to change.
"Wow, we've found some pretty awesome stuff in here," Rory said.
"We really have," Lorelai replied.
The two spent most of the morning digging through the old box and reminiscing. They found pictures, videos, and even a pair of socks Lorelai promptly put on her feet.
"I hate to end the fun, Mom, but I have to go now," Rory said. "I have stuff for the paper I can't miss."
Lorelai pouted. "Please, oh please? Won't you stay with your Mommy?"
Rory shook her head. "No, sorry. I have to get ready and go before it gets too late."
Rory gave her mom a hug and got ready to leave. Rory drove only a few minutes before she reached her destination: Luke's Diner.