Title: Life As I Know It
Chapter 15: Meeting Luke Again
~~~~~~
Twenty-two-year-old Lorelai and six-year-old Rory walked down the street away from their new house. Lorelai and Rory were elated that they were moving closer to town. To celebrate, they walked down Main Street and stopped in every single one of the stores. They never really came into town; every once in a while they'd stop at Doose's Market for groceries, and Rory walked through on her way to school, but that was pretty much it. The girls stopped in front of an antique store and debated whether or not they wanted to go in. They decided they might as well, and entered Kim's Antiques.
The bell over the door rang, and out of nowhere a Korean woman popped up.
"Hello! Welcome to Kim's Antiques. What do you want?"
"Oh, we're just looking around."
"You're not going to buy something?"
"Uh, maybe."
"Okay. Just remember, you break, you buy." And with that the woman disappeared back into the sea of wood.
Lorelai looked at Rory and raised her eyebrows. Rory giggled. They wandered aimlessly around the store, being very careful not to break anything. They were making fun of a rather large and un-useful looking...thing, when a Korean girl around Rory's age popped up.
"Hi."
"Hi." Rory looked at Lorelai. "Mommy, this is Lane. I know her from school."
"Really? Hi, Lane. I'm Lorelai."
"Hi, Lorelai."
"Mommy, can she come walk around with us?"
"Well, Rory, I don't know. She'll have to ask her mom, first."
Lane disappeared at that. She reappeared a few seconds later with a sorrowful look on her face.
"My mommy says it's time for me to read the Bible." Lane stared at the floor.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Maybe you can visit our house sometime."
"Okay!" Lane brightened at Lorelai's comment.
"Lane!" Mrs. Kim called from somewhere in the mess.
"Coming, Momma! Bye, Rory."
"Bye, Lane, see you at school."
"Okay. Bye Lorelai."
"Bye." Lorelai smiled at Lane as she scampered off through the house. Rory was jumping up and down, she was so happy.
"Mommy, it's so cool! We have a new house, and I can invite my friends over! I'm so happy!"
"That's great, sweetie." Rory's jumping caused a vase to fall and break. "That's not so great."
~~~~~~
Lorelai and Rory left the store ten minutes later considerably poorer, but they were still pretty happy. They continued down the street and stopped in front of a diner. They looked at each other.
"Coffee!" they shouted at the same time. They hurriedly opened the door and entered the diner. They raced up to the counter. Lorelai lifted Rory and plopped her on a stool. She then hoisted herself onto the stool next to Rory. There was a man with his back to them behind the counter. They silently counted to three and then yelled "Coffee!"
"Geez! You scared me!" The man behind the counter turned around.
"You!"
"And you." the man said as he placed a cup in front of Lorelai and poured coffee into it. He paused before putting a cup in front of the first-grader. "Uh, do you want her to have coffee?"
"Oh, I don't know Ror, do you want some coffee?" Lorelai turned to Rory.
"Hmm." Rory pretended to think it over. "I guess so."
"Pour it, mister!" Lorelai banged the counter with her hand. "Oh, and can we get two cheesburgers and an order of chili fries?"
"That stuff'll kill you, you know."
"Yeah. Dying sure is fun!"
"Fine." The man sighed.
"By the way, I'm Lorelai, and this is Rory."
"I'm Luke."
"Okay, Duke! Now, hurry man! Bring those delicious foods dripping in even more delicious fat!"
Luke sighed and headed off. Lorelai high-fived Rory and they both sipped their coffee.
~~~~~
"Where do you want it?" A large man at one end of Lorelai's bed asked impatiently.
"Uh, up the stairs. The first room to the right." The man nodded and and started climbing the stairs. Lorelai watched the man at the other end of her bed go by and then crossed into the living room. All the furniture was there and covered by large cardboard boxes. She sighed and opened the first box to unpack it. The first thing she pulled out was a picture of Rory on her first day of kindergarten. Lorelai smiled and placed it on the mantle.
"She's the cutest thing there is."
Lorelai spun around.
"Oh, I'm sorry, honey, did I startle you?" Mia passed by Lorelai on her way to the mantle and squeezed her arm. "She really is absolutely adorable."
"Yeah, she really is. I'm really lucky to have her."
"Speaking of Rory, where is she?"
"Oh, she's over at Babette's, playing with Cinnamon."
"That cat is so spoiled."
"Yeah."
"Lorelai, I need to tell you something."
"What is it, Mia?"
"Well, I really think that you're one of the best things to happen to the Inn."
"Well, thank you."
"Yes, and I have so much faith in you that I'm leaving."
"What?"
"Well, you'll basically be the boss. You'll run the whole Inn, I'll just own it. From far away."
"Where are you going?"
"California."
"Oh." Lorelai got a pang in her chest. He was in California. She forced a smile. "I can do it."
"Really? That's so great! This is just something I have to do, and I've waited forever, but now I think the Inn's in capable hands."
"Wow. That's quite a compliment."
"It's true." Mia squeezed Lorelai's arm one more time. "Now, I'm heading off to look at houses for a week, but I'm not moving yet. Here's the number of the place I'll be staying if you need me." She handed Lorelai a business card. "I'm going to say good-bye to Rory."
"Okay." Mia smiled and left the house. Lorelai, shocked, sank down onto the couch. She was going to be all alone in the Inn. She was going to have control over basically everything. It was a lot of responsibility. She hoped she could handle it.
Rory came in five minutes later, crying her poor little eyes out. Lorelai pulled her daughter onto her lap and cried with her. They were going to miss Mia. She'd given them a home and Lorelai a job. She'd gotten them to where they were, in a beautiful two-story house with a room for each of them. They were going to miss her.
Chapter 15: Meeting Luke Again
~~~~~~
Twenty-two-year-old Lorelai and six-year-old Rory walked down the street away from their new house. Lorelai and Rory were elated that they were moving closer to town. To celebrate, they walked down Main Street and stopped in every single one of the stores. They never really came into town; every once in a while they'd stop at Doose's Market for groceries, and Rory walked through on her way to school, but that was pretty much it. The girls stopped in front of an antique store and debated whether or not they wanted to go in. They decided they might as well, and entered Kim's Antiques.
The bell over the door rang, and out of nowhere a Korean woman popped up.
"Hello! Welcome to Kim's Antiques. What do you want?"
"Oh, we're just looking around."
"You're not going to buy something?"
"Uh, maybe."
"Okay. Just remember, you break, you buy." And with that the woman disappeared back into the sea of wood.
Lorelai looked at Rory and raised her eyebrows. Rory giggled. They wandered aimlessly around the store, being very careful not to break anything. They were making fun of a rather large and un-useful looking...thing, when a Korean girl around Rory's age popped up.
"Hi."
"Hi." Rory looked at Lorelai. "Mommy, this is Lane. I know her from school."
"Really? Hi, Lane. I'm Lorelai."
"Hi, Lorelai."
"Mommy, can she come walk around with us?"
"Well, Rory, I don't know. She'll have to ask her mom, first."
Lane disappeared at that. She reappeared a few seconds later with a sorrowful look on her face.
"My mommy says it's time for me to read the Bible." Lane stared at the floor.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Maybe you can visit our house sometime."
"Okay!" Lane brightened at Lorelai's comment.
"Lane!" Mrs. Kim called from somewhere in the mess.
"Coming, Momma! Bye, Rory."
"Bye, Lane, see you at school."
"Okay. Bye Lorelai."
"Bye." Lorelai smiled at Lane as she scampered off through the house. Rory was jumping up and down, she was so happy.
"Mommy, it's so cool! We have a new house, and I can invite my friends over! I'm so happy!"
"That's great, sweetie." Rory's jumping caused a vase to fall and break. "That's not so great."
~~~~~~
Lorelai and Rory left the store ten minutes later considerably poorer, but they were still pretty happy. They continued down the street and stopped in front of a diner. They looked at each other.
"Coffee!" they shouted at the same time. They hurriedly opened the door and entered the diner. They raced up to the counter. Lorelai lifted Rory and plopped her on a stool. She then hoisted herself onto the stool next to Rory. There was a man with his back to them behind the counter. They silently counted to three and then yelled "Coffee!"
"Geez! You scared me!" The man behind the counter turned around.
"You!"
"And you." the man said as he placed a cup in front of Lorelai and poured coffee into it. He paused before putting a cup in front of the first-grader. "Uh, do you want her to have coffee?"
"Oh, I don't know Ror, do you want some coffee?" Lorelai turned to Rory.
"Hmm." Rory pretended to think it over. "I guess so."
"Pour it, mister!" Lorelai banged the counter with her hand. "Oh, and can we get two cheesburgers and an order of chili fries?"
"That stuff'll kill you, you know."
"Yeah. Dying sure is fun!"
"Fine." The man sighed.
"By the way, I'm Lorelai, and this is Rory."
"I'm Luke."
"Okay, Duke! Now, hurry man! Bring those delicious foods dripping in even more delicious fat!"
Luke sighed and headed off. Lorelai high-fived Rory and they both sipped their coffee.
~~~~~
"Where do you want it?" A large man at one end of Lorelai's bed asked impatiently.
"Uh, up the stairs. The first room to the right." The man nodded and and started climbing the stairs. Lorelai watched the man at the other end of her bed go by and then crossed into the living room. All the furniture was there and covered by large cardboard boxes. She sighed and opened the first box to unpack it. The first thing she pulled out was a picture of Rory on her first day of kindergarten. Lorelai smiled and placed it on the mantle.
"She's the cutest thing there is."
Lorelai spun around.
"Oh, I'm sorry, honey, did I startle you?" Mia passed by Lorelai on her way to the mantle and squeezed her arm. "She really is absolutely adorable."
"Yeah, she really is. I'm really lucky to have her."
"Speaking of Rory, where is she?"
"Oh, she's over at Babette's, playing with Cinnamon."
"That cat is so spoiled."
"Yeah."
"Lorelai, I need to tell you something."
"What is it, Mia?"
"Well, I really think that you're one of the best things to happen to the Inn."
"Well, thank you."
"Yes, and I have so much faith in you that I'm leaving."
"What?"
"Well, you'll basically be the boss. You'll run the whole Inn, I'll just own it. From far away."
"Where are you going?"
"California."
"Oh." Lorelai got a pang in her chest. He was in California. She forced a smile. "I can do it."
"Really? That's so great! This is just something I have to do, and I've waited forever, but now I think the Inn's in capable hands."
"Wow. That's quite a compliment."
"It's true." Mia squeezed Lorelai's arm one more time. "Now, I'm heading off to look at houses for a week, but I'm not moving yet. Here's the number of the place I'll be staying if you need me." She handed Lorelai a business card. "I'm going to say good-bye to Rory."
"Okay." Mia smiled and left the house. Lorelai, shocked, sank down onto the couch. She was going to be all alone in the Inn. She was going to have control over basically everything. It was a lot of responsibility. She hoped she could handle it.
Rory came in five minutes later, crying her poor little eyes out. Lorelai pulled her daughter onto her lap and cried with her. They were going to miss Mia. She'd given them a home and Lorelai a job. She'd gotten them to where they were, in a beautiful two-story house with a room for each of them. They were going to miss her.