Chapter 5: The 'Fun' in Funeral
It was on a Friday morning when Delilah made pumpkin muffins for her friends, which she had in the oven, and started making banana bread for her friends for later, when Rory came into the kitchen.
"I know they're your friends, but why do you make them food?" asked Rory.
"They're my friends and I love making them food," Delilah said. "I love taking care of them. I love them."
"Lila, just answer me this. You don't have to right away, but…do you love them or are you in love with them?" asked Rory. Delilah wasn't sure anymore. Rory patted her on the shoulder, "Just think about it, okay?"
She nodded. It was just…she didn't even know anymore.
Rory and Lorelai left to go to Chilton.
Delilah fiddled with her thumbs.
She loved her friends…she loved how they smiled at her like she did something right, she loved how they took care of each other, she loved how they propped each other up when one was feeling down, she loved them…
But was she in love with them?
Sure she had those strange feelings that she tried to stomp down, but she had to look at her feelings for them later, because right now, she had to focus on something else.
Delilah stayed behind to hang out with her friends to make up for the whole skipping school to take Rory's test for her.
So, they joined Delilah at her home. Samantha had brought wine with her and Matthew brought Beetlejuice, the Heathers, and Edward Scissorhands.
"What's up with the Winona Ryder movies?" asked Samantha.
"I think he has a celebrity crush on her," Delilah joked.
"Who can blame him?" replied Samantha. "She is hot."
Delilah had to admit that. "Kind of like Britney Spears."
"Britney Spears is really hot, but kind of gross," Matt said.
"True," Delilah admitted.
"I can't stand her," Samantha said. "She's annoying, but yeah, attractive but kind of gross."
After dinner of spaghetti and meatballs, they had dessert of banana bread that Delilah had made earlier in the day.
However, Samantha was picking at her bread.
"What's up?" Matt asked her.
"Just something that my parents told me," replied Samantha. "It's just weird."
"Weird how?" asked Delilah.
"They told me that Kathleen really isn't their friend," said Samantha. "She's their girlfriend."
Delilah was really thrown at that.
"Wait. What?" asked Matt bewildered.
"She's been their girlfriend for about five months now," said Samantha.
"Damn," said Delilah. "Five months?"
"I know," replied Samantha. "They wanted to make sure that it was serious before telling me. It kind of explains a lot, why she was always around and why she tried to act like a parent."
"How can one person love two people at the same time?" Delilah asked.
"Sometimes that's just how you are," Samantha said, looking between Delilah and Matt.
Matt nodded, also looking between the two girls.
Delilah looked at her friends. "So…how about we watch these movies?"
Delilah was finishing up making up thirteen cherry tarts, and putting them in a sample and display tray case, when Rory walked in, closing the door, dulling the loud music.
"Hey, I have an idea for a new reality show. How about everyone just looks out their freakin' kitchen window for a change?" asked Lorelai.
"Ooh, she's cranky this morning," Rory said, getting an apple.
"Let's just say the world has formidable opponent," replied Lorelai.
Rory set the apple aside as she looked at the tarts. "Are these lemon tarts?"
"Yes," Delilah said. "But those are for—" Rory snagged one, "the bake sale…" Delilah finished slowly.
"Too late now," Rory said taking a huge bite. She looked at Lorelai, "How about you?"
"She threatened to stab me in the hand with a fork when I tried to take one," Lorelai said. "Besides, I got my portion covered."
"They expect things to be homemade," replied Rory.
"She knows," Delilah said. "She's getting Sookie to cover it." She covered the chilled cherry tarts with a lid on a sample and display tray.
Rory took another lemon tart from a different tray.
"Take another one and I will stab you in the neck with a fork," Delilah warned.
"I know, I was just making it even," replied Rory innocently. She passed the tart to Lorelai.
Delilah set two cherry tarts aside, to give to her friends to make it more even, so each tarts would have twenty-four each.
"Get your stuff and hit the stereo – we're late," Lorelai said.
Rory went to her room, opened the door, and Delilah looked in to see Lane dancing.
"Where does your mother think you are?" Lorelai asked Lane.
Lane turned the music off and said, "Oh, on a park bench contemplating the reunification of the two Koreas."
"Not here, skanking to Rancid?" asked Lorelai.
"Wouldn't be included," replied Lane.
"School!" yelled Lorelai.
"Here, let me get the tarts," replied Rory, taking one of the trays.
Delilah took the other one and they got outside where Lane started running off, waving, "Bye."
"Bye, have fun contemplating the reunification of the Koreas!" Delilah called to Lane.
Babette and Morey walked by, with Morey pulling a wagon that had a covering on it that housed their cat, Cinnamon.
"Wow, Cinnamon, riding in style," said Rory.
Babette said, "Yeah, Morey made it. Cinnamon's not walking good these days, but she still likes her passeggiatas. That's Italian for 'a nice walk'."
"Passeggiata," said Morey using an Italian accent.
"Oh God, he makes it sound so sexy," Babette gushed.
"Come on," replied Morey bashfully.
Lorelai pointed to the covered area on the wagon, "What's that?"
"Oh, it's Cinnamon's private area. Sometimes she likes to be alone. She's just like Morey in that sense," explained Babette. "Hey, say passeggiata again."
Morey seemed to blush, "I can't do it on command, Babette."
"Oh, he's blushin'," Babette gushed, "God, I love a man that blushes!"
The couple walked away, pulling their cat child's wagon with them, and Delilah hoped that one day, she'll find herself a partner that she'll still be in love with, decades later.
"Okay, our town is just weird," replied Rory.
"Who wants to live in a normal, boring town anyway?" Delilah asked.
"Bye," Lorelai called.
"I'll see you both later at school," Rory called.
"For what?" Lorelai joked.
"Mom! The bake sale," replied Rory.
"Ha! I got the vein in the forehead," replied Lorelai. "Whoo!"
"Sadist," called Rory.
Delilah felt like she just missed something.
"So, how are things going with Kathleen?" Delilah asked Samantha when she met up with her friends.
"Fine, I guess," replied Samantha. "She and my parents are a lot more affectionate in front of me. It's strange."
"Come on," replied Matt. "You'll get used to it."
I know that," replied Samantha. "I can't wrap my head around the idea that there is a third person in there, after they've been the only two in a relationship."
"As far you know," replied Delilah. She grimaced when she realized how bitchy that sounded, "Sorry. I didn't mean to be a bitch."
"No, you have a point," replied Samantha. "They could've cruised for a third and didn't tell me."
Delilah winced, "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you question everything about your parents."
Samantha gave an exasperated sigh, "Don't be sorry. I just need to get my mind wrapped around the idea."
"And questioning everything isn't going to work," replied Matt.
"I mean, my parents lied to me about this, just like how they lied to me about Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny," replied Samantha.
"My mom told me that they weren't real," said Matt.
"It's okay," replied Delilah. "Rory ruined it for me when we were six. She pointed out how impossible it was for reindeer to fly and for Santa getting down the chimney would be impossible, and that magic didn't exist. Plus, she saw our mother putting presents under the tree. We pretended that Santa existed 'til we were ten when our mother decided to tell us the truth that Santa didn't exist."
"My parents told me that Santa didn't exist 'til I was nine. I told them that I knew he didn't exist when I was eight, because other children ruined it for me," replied Samantha.~
"Well, I have the apple tarts that Lucien Mills liked so much," Delilah said, looking at her set up, which was a tray of tarts. "And the cherry tarts that I made." She felt out of place with Rory in her Chilton uniform.
"And we have the French fantasies, American treats, and out Italian sensations," Sookie said, pointing to the food.
"It's awesome," Delilah said.
"Amazing," added Rory.
"Incredible," finished Lorelai.
"It's good, isn't it?" said Sookie. "Well, final touch," she took out a cooking blow torch.
"Oh, can I do that?" asked Rory.
"Whoa, honey, this is a more delicate procedure than you might think, okay?" replied Sookie, turning the cooking blow torch on. "It takes an expert hand." She walked around the table, accidentally lighting the table-cloth on fire.
Delilah called, "Um, Sookie?"
Lorelai put the fire out with lemonade from a nearby table.
Rory took off and Max came up to the table.
"Ah, good to see you again, Lila," replied Max. He joked, "Or are you Rory?"
"I'm Lila," replied Delilah. "I mean, Delilah. But you can call me Lila."
Max smiled at her, "What kind of tarts are you those?"
"These are cherry and these are lemon. Lucien Mills had said that the lemons tarts are going to be a specialty," Delilah said. "I work part-time at Weston's Bakery in Stars Hollow."
"How much are they?" asked Max.
"Two dollars," replied Delilah.
"Here, I'll take one of each," Max said. He passed four dollars over to Delilah, who put one of each tart on a paper plate, passing it to Max.
"Thank you," Max said.
"You're welcome," replied Delilah.
"Anyway, it's good to see you, Lorelai," Max said to Lorelai.
"Good to see you, Mr. Medina," replied Lorelai.
"Max," replied the teacher.
"Mr. Medina," countered Lorelai.
"Max," replied the teacher.
"Mr. Medina," replied Lorelai, "Meet Sookie, the chef at the inn. Sookie, Mr. Medina."
"What's your name again?" asked Sookie.
"Mr. Medina," replied Lorelai.
"I know, you've said it like a zillion times," Sookie said. To the teacher, she said, "Hello."
"Hello," Max said. "Lorelai, could I borrow you for a second?"
"Oh, yeah, sure," replied Lorelai. To Sookie and Delilah, she told them, "Hey, I'll be right back."
Delilah nodded. When the two left, Delilah said to Sookie, "He wants to date her."
"I can tell," replied Sookie.
Delilah chuckled and almost groaned when Tristan came up to her. "Hey, Margaret, where's Mary?"
Sookie looked confused at who Tristan was asking for. "Who's Margaret and Mary?"
"I'm not entirely sure," Delilah said.
Tristan seemed to roll his eyes, "Where's Rory?"
"Hiding from you," replied Delilah. To be fair, Rory probably went to go read under a tree or went to a classroom to do homework or study. Maybe she was hiding from Tristan. Rory didn't even say.
Tristan looked at the tarts, "What flavor are those?"
"These are cherry and these are lemon," replied Delilah, "Two dollars each."
"I'll take the cherry," Tristan said. He passed her two dollars as Delilah got him a cherry tart.
"She made them herself," Sookie said brightly.
"You're aggressive and you can cook," replied Tristan thoughtfully. He took on a flirty tone, "What else can you do?"
"Gouge out someone's eyes," Delilah replied with a serene smile as she mimed shoving her thumbs in someone's eyes.
Tristan walked away.
She didn't think the tarts were going to be that popular. She had see four people go back for seconds. She had even seen one person go for a third. It made her feel better knowing that people enjoyed it.
Lorelai had even told her that Max or "Mr. Medina" as Lorelai insisted on, had enjoyed the tarts, preferring the lemon tart.
So, she was basking in the money she had made, which was ninety dollars, but still, it was something, and she treated Samantha and Matt to some food, while they walked around town.
"So, I think I'm beginning to get used to the whole triad thing my parents have going on with Kathleen," Samantha said.
"That's good," replied Delilah as she reached in the brown bag for some fries.
"Yeah," replied Matt. "It's just easier to accept things. And at least Kathleen's trying to be a parent to you." He took a fry out of the bag.
"I know, but…it's still just weird," Samantha said.
They came across Rory and Lane, who were walking too. Rory was still wearing her Chilton uniform.
"Lie still baby-doll, we're almost home," Babette said to Cinnamon.
"Hey, Babette," Rory said to the woman.
"Hey kids," Babette greeted.
Cinnamon let out a pain filled meow that made Samantha wince.
"Wow," Rory said, "that sounds bad."
"Cinnamon's dyspeptic," Babette said. "So is Morey." She clarified, "Too many clams."
"Bad clams," replied Morey.
They continued walking. Babette said, "This doesn't reflect well on Al's establishment."
"You had clams at Al's?" asked Lane shocked.
"Al's Pancake World?" asked Rory.
"Even my mom told me to stay away from their seafood," Matt said.
"Yeah, but we had a coupon," Babette called.
Rory hummed and looked at the bag Matt was holding. "What's in there?"
"Fries," Samantha said.
"Can I…?" started Rory. Matt opened the bag and Rory reached in taking a few.
Matt offered the bag to Lane, who also took some fries.
Lane and Rory went separate ways from Delilah, Samantha, and Matt.
Cinnamon died, according to the vet.
Rory had seen the veterinarian van in Babette's driveway and made Delilah go over to see what was going on.
After finding out what happened, Rory went to go get Lorelai at Luke's.
Delilah stood by Morey by the couch, and put a hand on his shoulder when the vet finished putting a sheet over Cinnamon. The door opened and Lorelai and Rory came in.
"Babette? Honey?" called Lorelai.
"Oh, Lorelai, come in, come in," said Babette. "She's gone. Cinnamon's gone."
"I'm so sorry," said Lorelai.
Rory went over to Morey and sat on the couch, next to him.
"Is there anything I can do for you, Morey?" asked Rory.
"This is life, Rory and Lila," Morey said. "It breaks your heart."
"What happened?" asked Delilah.
"She looked like she was sleeping. I thought she was asleep, so I nudged her and she didn't wake. I gave her a push and she rolled off the couch, and since I waxed the floor, she went shootin' across the room and then she knocked over the lamp and she still didn't move. I knew it was over," Babette explained, "Oh, god, my baby."
Morey started, "Tell me it wasn't the—"
"Oh, Morey, don't do this to yourself," said Babette. To the vet, she said, "He thinks it was the clams."
Morey said, "She saw me eating them and she gave me that 'hey, man, what's up?' look and—"
"It wasn't the clams," the vet said. "Morey, in human years, this cat was two-hundred-sixty-years-old."
Lorelai smiled brightly, "That's a good, long life."
Rory shook Morey's arm and nodded at him.
"Listen, why don't you let me take her out to the van and then I'll get out of your way?" asked the vet.
"Oh, no, stay," said Babette. "All of you please stay. Cinnamon would want you here."
"We'll stay as long as you want," replied Rory.
Delilah nodded in agreement.
"I'll never eat clams again," said Morey.
"Me either," replied Rory.
Delilah nodded, even though she never ate clams before.
Delilah stayed by the Dells' side as people started arriving for the funeral. She explained the story of how Babette discovered Cinnamon died to Samantha and Matt, who both looked horrified when she told them Cinnamon rolled into a lamp.
"That's horrifying," Samantha said. "Did you laugh?"
Delilah shook her head, "No. That poor cat rolled into a lamp."
"I hope she was dead when she fell off the couch," Matt said.
Delilah and Samantha nodded.
"A little help over here, please," called Delilah's co-worker, Marjorie Rogers. She was married and had three children, according to her. She had a tray with a sample and display tray. Delilah ran over to get the tray, taking it from her. "Thank you, Lila."
"You're welcome, Marjorie," Delilah said.
"Fran made those for Cinnamon," replied Marjorie.
"I'll let Babette know," Delilah said, taking the tray into Babette's house. It had cupcakes on it and if Delilah's sense of smell wasn't turning on her, she can smell a hint of cinnamon in them.
"Fran made cupcakes," Delilah told Rory and Lorelai, as she set the tray on a table that was in the middle of the room.
The wake service was going by pretty nicely. It was a little weird seeing all these people in a house was pretty suffocating.
Now that she thought about it, was it necessary to hold a funeral for a cat?
She found her mother and told her that she was going to home to get something and headed home. She found Max standing at the door, about ready to knock. She was confused, "Max?"
Max turned around in surprise, "Lila, hi."
"Hi," replied Delilah. "What's going on? Is Rory in trouble?"
"No, no," replied Max, "I came to pick up your mother."
"My mom?" asked Delilah confused, "For—" realization dawned on her, "Oh. You're taking her out on a date."
"She told you both, huh?" Max asked.
"No," replied Delilah. Max looked like he was going to say something, "But that's how she is. She doesn't want me and Rory to get to attached to someone, only for it not to end well."
Max nodded, "She wants to protect you two, huh?"
"Yeah," replied Delilah.
"Where is she anyway?" asked Max.
"We're at the neighbors," replied Delilah.
"So, is she canceling?" asked Max.
"No, we're just having a wake for Cinnamon," Delilah said.
Max seemed a little concerned, "Who's Cinnamon?"
"The neighbor's cat," Delilah replied. "She died today."
"You're holding a wake for a cat?" asked Max, now confused.
"She was very beloved," replied Delilah. "Everyone is at the house, if you want to see for yourself."
"No, I believe you," replied Max.
Lorelai came across the yard and Delilah headed back to Babette's house.
"That was quick," Samantha noted. "Did you get what you're looking for?"
"No," replied Delilah. "I didn't want to see my mom flirt with someone."
Samantha looked over, "I can barely him. He's cute."
"He's my teacher," Rory said, coming up to them.
"That's awkward," replied Matt.
"A little," replied Rory. "I just can't believe she didn't tell us that she's going on a date with him."
"I know, but that's how she is," replied Delilah.
"What if they break up?" asked Rory. "How would I look him in the eye in class?"
"Look at least a little to the right so you're not looking him in the eye?" offered Matt.
"And when was she going to tell us?" asked Rory, "At their wedding?"
Delilah shrugged.
"No," said Lorelai, "by the rehearsal dinner at least."
Samantha and Matt took off.
"He's my teacher," replied Rory.
"I know," replied Lorelai.
"He teaches me things every day in a very small classroom with a lot of other kids who probably won't be high-fiveing me when they find this out," replied Rory.
"Paris would think that you're an even worse loser," replied Delilah.
"Not helping," Rory told her.
"I know, sweetie, and I told him this was one of things I was concerned about," replied Lorelai.
"I'm going to head home, because this seems like a conversation I have no part in," Delilah said and went home.
She left her room when she heard her mother scream in frustration.
"She's working for a sedative manufacturer, keeping that demand sky-high," Lorelai said.
"You should've have told her," Rory said from the kitchen.
"Well, I don't know what to tell and what to hide," replied Lorelai.
"Yeah," replied Rory.
Lorelai said, "So, we never did quite settle the whole dating-your-teacher issue. I won't go out with him if you don't want me to."
"You can go out with whoever you want," Rory said.
"It's whoever we want," replied Lorelai.
"Well, I'm certainly not going to go out with him 'cause that would be really weird," replied Rory. "I'm not Lila."
"Excuse you?" replied Delilah.
"Hi, Lila," replied Rory with false cheerfulness. "You never got back to me on that question."
"I haven't even thought about it," replied Delilah.
"I'm not sure what you two were discussing and I'm not sure if I want to know, but can we get back to the Max issue at hand?" replied Lorelai.
"I'm fine with you dating Max," replied Delilah.
"Yeah, but you know if there's anything that make you feel uncomfortable, big or small, then he's out of there," Lorelai told them.
"Good to know," replied Rory.
"You know, it's not like I'm desperate," replied Lorelai. "I mean, there are plenty of other guys out there."
"Sure are," replied Rory.
"And it's not like I have to ask your permission. I mean, this is a courtesy," replied Lorelai.
"All right," replied Delilah.
"Okay," added Rory.
Rory went into her room, closing the door on them.
"O-okay," replied Lorelai. "So I'm going to be up for a while, if you want to get back to me on this."
"I know where you are," Rory called through the door.
"She's enjoying dragging this out," Delilah told Lorelai.
"I know," Lorelai said. They both started to leave, but Rory opened the door.
"Hey, do you think you could keep him out really late on Thursday night, because I have this oral exam on Friday that I'd really love him to sleep through."
Delilah couldn't help the smile that formed when she saw Lorelai smile.
"I'll do my best," Lorelai said.