Chapter 7

Rory's cell phone rang. "Sorry Patty," she said to the woman she was talking to when she heard it ring. "I have to get this. It's probably my daughter." She dug in her purse for her phone. She pressed a button and held it up to her ear. "Hello?"

"Hi Mom, it's me."

"Hi Emma. You done?"

"Yep, I'm done. You can come pick me up whenever."

"Okay, give me five minutes." Rory noticed Luke glaring at her from across the diner. "Oops, I gotta go. I forgot we're not supposed to have cell phones in here. I'll be there in a sec."

Rory hung up before Emma got to say "bye."

"Okay," Emma said aloud.

"What?" Lorelai asked.

"Nothing, that was just weird. She hung up really fast. She just said she's not supposed to be talking on her cell phone wherever she is. Where would that be?"

"Oh, she's still at Luke's. Luke hates cell phones."

"Ah. That would explain that. She said she'd be here in five minutes."

"Okay. Want a piece of pie for the road?"

"Sure, why not. I'm not completely sure how to turn down pie."

"I don't know. I've never done it before," Lorelai said as she placed a piece of pie on a napkin. "I have, however, mastered the art of taking an entire piece of pie out of the whole pie without it breaking into pieces and getting all messy," she said, with the air of being very impressed with herself.

"Wow, impressive," Emma said with a small laugh. "You'll have to teach me that some time, I haven't figured that out yet.

"Sure, the master is always willing to share her skills with the less fortunate. Maybe next time."

"Sounds good." Emma heard a car horn. "Oh, that's probably Mom. I'll see you Saturday then, I guess? I'll call."

"Okay. Talk to you then."

Emma walked out the door and climbed into her mom's silver BMW. She noticed Lorelai watching her out the window. Looking back at her grandmother's face, she couldn't help but feel bad. Right before the car turned around, Emma could have sworn she saw a tear on Lorelai's cheek.

Rory pulled once again into a very familiar driveway. As familiar as it was, it felt weird. She beeped the horn before the car was totally stopped, hoping to minimize her time in this driveway as much as possible. Within a couple of minutes, her daughter appeared in the doorway. She was smiling, and she looked happy. Rory was relieved. It looked as if the dinner had gone well.

Rory watched Emma walk halfway to the car, then turn around to look at the house. In the instant that she was turned away, something happened. When Emma turned back around, her face was different. She was no longer smiling, her expression looked almost sad. Rory had never seen this expression on Emma before, it was a little strange. She got into the car, and Rory started to back up. She wasn't sure what to say, but she was sure Emma would handle it.

Rory glanced back over at Emma as the car was turning around, and she noticed her face had changed again. She went from the strange sad face that wasn't Emma to an even sadder, even less Emma face. Fortunately this face only lasted a fraction of a second. Her face suddenly became set, firm. Rory was reminded more of Paris then of Emma, but she had seen this expression on Emma before. This was not a welcome face to Rory at this particular moment. She didn't like when Emma got stern, it tended to get ugly. Rory purposely didn't say anything now, she didn't want to provoke her daughter right away. Unfortunately it wouldn't have mattered.

Emma wasted no time. She didn't bother to stop to think about what she was going to say, that wouldn't have been Emma. She said exactly what was on her mind. "What is wrong with you?" was the first thing that came out.

"What?" Rory asked, confused, annoyed, and a little hurt all at the same time.

"Oh, just make up with her already! You both want to, and you're the only one that has anything to apologize for. Just do it! Today! The two of you have waited long enough!"

Rory wasn't sure what to say. Her mind was racing, and so was her heart. She hadn't seen this coming. She didn't know why she hadn't seen this coming, but she definitely hadn't. Emma was staring at her, and she knew she had to say something. The thing was, she didn't have an argument. Emma was right, and Rory knew it. She couldn't tell Emma that though, she needed to think of something. Rory used to be good at coming up with things to say quickly, but her ability had faded from lack of practice. What came out was not what she would have chosen given time to think about it. "I can't, Emma."

Emma's reply was the exact reason Rory would have chosen a different response. "Why the hell can't you? Of course you can, just call her! We're not that far, want to do it in person? Turn the car around! Do it now! Just do it, get it done!"

"Okay, Emma," Rory began.

"Okay Emma? Really? Wow, that was easy. Cool, let's go."

"No, not that kind of 'okay Emma,' I wasn't done."

"Oh," Emma looked disappointed.

"Okay, just think of it this way. Imagine you are in a fight with someone. One of your friends, or me, or, I don't care, just pick someone. Now imagine it's about ten times worse than any fight you have ever been in before. Imagine that it's almost twenty years later, and you still haven't spoken to that person. Imagine trying to make up with the person you were fighting with. Emma, you have always been able to see things from different points of view, try to see this from mine."

"Okay, it won't be easy, I get that. You have to do it, though. You're not happy, I can tell you're not happy. Lorelai is really not happy. You hurt her, you know that, right? Not apologizing or even trying to make contact with her is only hurting her more. You're stubborn, but I know you aren't that mean."

"I know I hurt her, but she hurt me too."

"What did she do? It doesn't sound like she did anything."

"She got engaged."

"Well, she's allowed, isn't she?"

"No, she got engaged and she didn't tell me."

"Oh. You weren't talking though, were you?"

"Well, not really, but she could have told me. I found out from Luke."

"Well, didn't you used to be close to Luke? That's not a bad way to find out."

"I would rather have found out from her. She is my mother, and she was my best friend."

"I could see that. Haven't they been married for years though? That would have had to have been a long time ago."

"Almost twenty years ago."

"Wow. You said Lorelai could hold a grudge."

"I guess I inherited that from her, too."

"Yea, sounds like it."

"Well, she's still holding a grudge, why shouldn't I be?"

"Hmm let's see… Maybe because neither of you are six? Get over it! Sorry to be your reality check, but someone has to. Someone has to break it. I know you better, and you're here, and you were mostly at fault, so I think it should be you."

"It's not that easy."

"It could be that easy."

"Emma…"

"Don't 'Emma,' me. Just don't. I'm right, I know I am"

Once again, Rory knew it too. She had had enough, so she changed the subject. "So, how did it go anyway? Good?"

"Pretty good."

"I guess she wanted you to call her Lorelai?"

"Yea. I really like her, mom."

"I can tell. If you had hated her, you wouldn't want us to start talking again so badly."

"I'm going to see her again."

"Oh. Okay, I sort of figured you would."

"We exchanged cell phone numbers. We're going to call, but it looks like next Saturday. Would you take me over there again?"

"Oh. Yea, sure. No problem."

"Cool. That's good. Lorelai said she could pick me up if you're busy, but I'd rather you take me."

"No, that's fine. I can find the time to drive you over."

"Good."