"Sookie, where's the coffee?" Lorelai belted as she shoved her way into the kitchen.
"Oh I'm sorry honey; I just served the last of it." Sookie apologized as she cut up some carrots.
"What? You've got to be kidding me. We don't have anymore?" Lorelai begged, leaning against the counter.
"The order got backed up. I sent Jackson on a run to get some more but he has a few more deliveries before he can come back."
"Ugh!" Lorelai growled in frustration, hanging her head.
A few days had passed since Lorelai had gotten over her food poisoning. After pretty much living on her bathroom floor for almost twenty-four hours, she had returned to her somewhat usual self. She looked at Sookie as she grabbed a carrot and started munching on it.
"What are you doing?" Sookie asked.
"I'm snacking. What's the problem?" Lorelai asked her friend as she took another bite.
"You're eating a carrot. You know that's a carrot, right?" Sookie asked, waving her knife at Lorelai who instinctively took a few steps backwards.
"Whoa, careful where you wave that thing, Sook. I know it's a carrot. I'm hungry and it's the first thing I saw. What's the big deal?"
"Nothing, you're just not much of a vegetable person, that's all. You're grumpy. Have you not had any coffee at all today?" Sookie asked as she resumed cutting up her vegetables.
"No. I woke up late and then when I went to take a shower the water was freezing cold because the water heater went out so I called Kirk to come fix it, because he's the new handyman around town, and by the time he had finished yapping about how he always had to take cold showers growing up because he had so many brothers and sisters it was too late to make a coffee run." Lorelai ranted.
"Yikes. It sounds like you're having a bad day." Sookie said, giving Lorelai a look of sympathy.
"Try a bad week. No, I take that back, a bad month. I seem to be on a roll these days. There couldn't possibly be anything more the world could hurtle my way." Lorelai huffed.
As if on cue, Michel suddenly entered the kitchen. "Lorelai, we have a guest complaining that our sheets are too itchy and that he has developed a rash from them."
Lorelai growled as her eyes shot daggers at Michel, who simply looked amused and walked away.
…
It had been a rough day for Lorelai. Without any caffeine in her system she didn't have the strength or the patience for the chaos that had been going on all day. What with the water heater going out, being late to work, the Inn being out of coffee, guests complaining, and now the air conditioning suddenly not working, the days' drama and sweltering July heat were giving her a rather nasty headache.
It had taken two hours for a repairman to show up to fix the air conditioning, which had cost a bit of money, which meant Lorelai would have to redo this months budget. It was just another little joy to add onto her list of things to do. Jackson had finally returned with some coffee by early afternoon and Lorelai was now locked up in her office, sipping the steaming cup graciously as she enjoyed a few moments of peace before she had to get back to work.
The day had continued to drag on. She spent a whole frustrating hour and a half adjusting the budget, and then the next two hours preparing the Inn for a brunch that was set the next day for a group of women who belonged to a charity organization that was trying to raise money for the education system for underprivileged children in Haiti. The group had booked the entire dining area and Lorelai wanted to make sure everything was in order before they arrived the next morning.
She was just leaving the Inn when her cell phone started ringing. She fumbled through her bag before she found her phone and answered it.
"Hey Babette, what's up?" She asked as she got into her jeep and shut the door.
"Oh hi suga! I was just callin' because Paul Anka was doing this weird howlin' thing so I went to check on him and I think he mighta gotten into something he shouldn't have. There was garbage all over the floor. He's been yowlin' somethin' fierce. I think you should take the poor thing to the vet." Babette urged.
"Oh no! Can you keep an eye on him for me until I get there? I'm just now leaving." Lorelai said and hung up before Babette could respond.
She honestly could not understand how this already horrible day had somehow become more horrible. Now panicking at the thought of there being something wrong with her dog, Lorelai hastily started the car and peeled out of the Inn's parking lot.
...
Once home, Lorelai rushed inside and found Babette kneeled next to Paul Anka, scratching his ears and cooing at him. Paul Anka looked sadly up towards Lorelai and whined.
"Hey doll, I called Dr. Greenstein for ya. Told him you'd be in soon so he is already expecting ya. Would you like me to go with ya?" Babette asked as she got up from the floor. "Poor guy, he's been miserable. Yowlin' and mopin'. It breaks my heart."
"Thank you, Babette, but I've got it from here. I really appreciate you taking care of him for me until I could get here." Lorelai said as she picked up Paul Anka, who wouldn't budge, and carried him out to the car.
"Well let me know when he's ok! If ya need anything baby doll, just ask." The older woman yelled as she headed back towards her house.
…
Three hours and two-hundred dollars later, Lorelai returned home with a much disheveled Paul Anka, whom had been rather traumatized from his vet visit. It turns out he had eaten some raw cookie dough out of the trash and the vet had to empty his stomach out before any damage could be done.
Lorelai had sat in the vet's office trying to think of why Paul Anka would get into the garbage. He rarely ever acted out, so there must be a reason behind it. That's when it hit her; she had forgotten to feed him that morning. Once she realized it, she felt guiltier than ever. She knew she had been in a hurry this morning but never had a hectic day prevented her from taking care of Paul Anka before. She felt like she was losing her mind. Everything about the day seemed very off.
"Come on, boy." Lorelai called, tugging lightly on Paul Anka's leash. Once inside the house, she kicked off her shoes and walked into the living room to sit on the couch. She patted the spot beside her and Paul Anka hopped up and laid his head in her lap. "It's been a rough day for the both of us, huh?"
Lorelai scratched Paul Anka behind his ears as he continued to look at her with the same sad eyes he had given her while they were at the vet. She had been told he wouldn't be feeling completely better until the next day and to make sure he was as comfortable as possible given the fact that he had been very stressed out by being at the veterinarians' office.
It had indeed been a long day and as Lorelai flicked through the TV channels, she felt very relieved that it was over.
