Rory Gilmore stood on her balcony, her eyes fixated on the many colors that the sun casted along the beach. The different shades of purple, orange, and pink brought out the rosiness of her cheeks and the reddish streaks in her hair. Her years of basking in the California sunlight gave her skin a sunkissed appearance. She looked as if she just walked out of a sunless tanning commercial.
Rory let out a sigh as she watched the last ray of light disappear beneath the ocean. She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, turned, and walked back into her room, leaving the screen open to catch the ocean summer breeze.
"I love living by the ocean," Rory voiced out loud as she flopped onto her bed. Her mother, Lorelai, had decided to move out here with her father, Christopher, when she was seven years old. Her father had started a computer company shortly before they arrived, and made millions over the years from the business.
Rory turned over onto her stomach and let her gaze fall upon the picture frames lined up on her desk. There was one her standing with her mother and father at Disneyland; each person had a hat with some Disney character on the front perched on their heads. The next one was of them standing at their other home in Hartford during Christmas years ago, snow was covering every inch of the ground. The last frame held a picture of all of them a fair that took place a few weeks ago on the pier.
A knock on the door brought Rory back to reality. "It's open," Rory casually said as she looked away from the pictures and stood to greet the person.
"Rory, honey, it's time for dinner," Lorelai said as she popped her head into the room.
"Please don't tell me you tried to cook once again since dad left for his business trip."
Lorelai let out a mischievous smile at Rory's comment before she turned and headed for the kitchen.
A groan escaped Rory's lips as she followed her mom out of the door. "It's not your pancake surprise this time, is it? Because if it is, I'm going to be forced to call the police."
"My pancake surprise is a universal dish. You can eat it anywhere, anytime," Lorelai stated matter-of-factly while pulling various dishes out of their respective positions in the cupboards.
"Mom, do you want me to remind you of what happened last time you made me that?" Rory questioned as she helped Lorelai set the table.
"How dare you say that about my cooking!" Lorelai replied sarcastically as she put her hand across Rory's forehead. "I think that the sun is affecting your thought process."
Rory gave her mother a look before she went back to the task of setting the table.
*
"Hey dad!" Rory exclaimed excitedly the next morning as she bounded down the stairs. Christopher stood at the kitchen entryway, a small smile playing at his lips when he saw Rory's happy demeanor.
"I thought your plane wasn't due until seven tonight?" Rory said as she engulfed her father in a hug.
Christopher smiled and untangled himself out of his daughters grasp. "So, did your mom poison you with her cooking while I was gone?"
Rory laughed and opened her mouth to answer when Lorelai's voice came floating down the stairs. "Hey, I heard that!"
Rory rolled her eyes when Lorelai appeared at the bottom of the stairs. She walked up to Christopher and jabbed her finger into his chest. "When you come home unexpected, it's not nice to make fun of your wife's cooking."
"What, no hug?" Christopher asked innocently as he held out his hands for Lorelai.
Lorelai shook her head and crossed her arms defiantly over her chest. "No hug."
Rory smiled at her parents before grabbing them both by the arms and pulling them into the kitchen. "C'mon you guys, I'm starving. And, seeing how dad is the only one who has mastered the art form of cooking, I suggest you start working on that stove."
*
"So, why are you home early?" Lorelai asked while sprinkling some salt onto her eggs.
Christopher set his fork down onto his plate before, dabbed the corner of his mouth with a napkin before looking Lorelai in the eye. "It turns out that if I want to close the deal, it is going to take a lot longer then we thought."
"Which means..."
"Which means that we are going to have to relocate for the summer."
"Wait, relocate? Where?" Rory asked, her hand still hovering in the air after taking a bite of her breakfast.
"Ok, before you both protest, hear me out. We would be moving to a place we are all familiar with. We even have a second home there."
"Hartford?" Lorelai asked softly as she thought about her parents. "We haven't been back there for six years Christopher."
Christopher sighed and leaned against the back of his chair. Running a hand through his hair, he looked from his wife to his daughter and back. "I know that we haven't been there for a few years, but this would be a great business move, and Rory would be able to spend time with her grandparents outside of a holiday."
No one spoke after that statement. Lorelai looked at her food, running her fork through the eggs every now and then. Christopher sat with his elbows on the table, his eyes focusing on every item in the room except for his wife and daughter. Rory just sat, trying to remember what Hartford looked like when it wasn't Christmas time.
"Well, I guess it would be nice to see Grandma and Grandpa when they're not bundled up to their necks in coats," Rory said, breaking the uncomfortable silence that was about to engulf them all.
Lorelai smiled at Rory's comment before looking at Christopher. "I guess I can survive a few months in Hartford. But, there better be a Starbucks located in close vicinity to our home."
Rory let out a sigh as she watched the last ray of light disappear beneath the ocean. She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, turned, and walked back into her room, leaving the screen open to catch the ocean summer breeze.
"I love living by the ocean," Rory voiced out loud as she flopped onto her bed. Her mother, Lorelai, had decided to move out here with her father, Christopher, when she was seven years old. Her father had started a computer company shortly before they arrived, and made millions over the years from the business.
Rory turned over onto her stomach and let her gaze fall upon the picture frames lined up on her desk. There was one her standing with her mother and father at Disneyland; each person had a hat with some Disney character on the front perched on their heads. The next one was of them standing at their other home in Hartford during Christmas years ago, snow was covering every inch of the ground. The last frame held a picture of all of them a fair that took place a few weeks ago on the pier.
A knock on the door brought Rory back to reality. "It's open," Rory casually said as she looked away from the pictures and stood to greet the person.
"Rory, honey, it's time for dinner," Lorelai said as she popped her head into the room.
"Please don't tell me you tried to cook once again since dad left for his business trip."
Lorelai let out a mischievous smile at Rory's comment before she turned and headed for the kitchen.
A groan escaped Rory's lips as she followed her mom out of the door. "It's not your pancake surprise this time, is it? Because if it is, I'm going to be forced to call the police."
"My pancake surprise is a universal dish. You can eat it anywhere, anytime," Lorelai stated matter-of-factly while pulling various dishes out of their respective positions in the cupboards.
"Mom, do you want me to remind you of what happened last time you made me that?" Rory questioned as she helped Lorelai set the table.
"How dare you say that about my cooking!" Lorelai replied sarcastically as she put her hand across Rory's forehead. "I think that the sun is affecting your thought process."
Rory gave her mother a look before she went back to the task of setting the table.
*
"Hey dad!" Rory exclaimed excitedly the next morning as she bounded down the stairs. Christopher stood at the kitchen entryway, a small smile playing at his lips when he saw Rory's happy demeanor.
"I thought your plane wasn't due until seven tonight?" Rory said as she engulfed her father in a hug.
Christopher smiled and untangled himself out of his daughters grasp. "So, did your mom poison you with her cooking while I was gone?"
Rory laughed and opened her mouth to answer when Lorelai's voice came floating down the stairs. "Hey, I heard that!"
Rory rolled her eyes when Lorelai appeared at the bottom of the stairs. She walked up to Christopher and jabbed her finger into his chest. "When you come home unexpected, it's not nice to make fun of your wife's cooking."
"What, no hug?" Christopher asked innocently as he held out his hands for Lorelai.
Lorelai shook her head and crossed her arms defiantly over her chest. "No hug."
Rory smiled at her parents before grabbing them both by the arms and pulling them into the kitchen. "C'mon you guys, I'm starving. And, seeing how dad is the only one who has mastered the art form of cooking, I suggest you start working on that stove."
*
"So, why are you home early?" Lorelai asked while sprinkling some salt onto her eggs.
Christopher set his fork down onto his plate before, dabbed the corner of his mouth with a napkin before looking Lorelai in the eye. "It turns out that if I want to close the deal, it is going to take a lot longer then we thought."
"Which means..."
"Which means that we are going to have to relocate for the summer."
"Wait, relocate? Where?" Rory asked, her hand still hovering in the air after taking a bite of her breakfast.
"Ok, before you both protest, hear me out. We would be moving to a place we are all familiar with. We even have a second home there."
"Hartford?" Lorelai asked softly as she thought about her parents. "We haven't been back there for six years Christopher."
Christopher sighed and leaned against the back of his chair. Running a hand through his hair, he looked from his wife to his daughter and back. "I know that we haven't been there for a few years, but this would be a great business move, and Rory would be able to spend time with her grandparents outside of a holiday."
No one spoke after that statement. Lorelai looked at her food, running her fork through the eggs every now and then. Christopher sat with his elbows on the table, his eyes focusing on every item in the room except for his wife and daughter. Rory just sat, trying to remember what Hartford looked like when it wasn't Christmas time.
"Well, I guess it would be nice to see Grandma and Grandpa when they're not bundled up to their necks in coats," Rory said, breaking the uncomfortable silence that was about to engulf them all.
Lorelai smiled at Rory's comment before looking at Christopher. "I guess I can survive a few months in Hartford. But, there better be a Starbucks located in close vicinity to our home."