Fool for Love
By
Javakamp
Chapter 5: The Third Degree from Emily
At the sound of the ringing phone, Lorelai looked up from the work schedule she was adjusting. Seeing that the only other person at the counter was waiting on a customer, she answered the phone, "Independence Inn. Lorelai speaking."
"Lorelai, why didn't you call me back last night?" Asked the voice coming through the phone.
Lorelai bit back the first thing that came to mind. Instead she said, "Hi, Mom. It's nice to talk to you too."
"I even left a message on that silly machine this time. But I see it didn't do any good."
"Sorry, mom, "Lorelai apologized, "but it was very late when I got in last night. I didn't think you'd still be up." Feeling the frustration building Lorelai used her free hand to push her hair behind one ear and said, "I was planning on calling you today."
"It's 2:30 in the afternoon. When was this alleged call going to take place?" Emily asked accusingly.
"I'm sorry mom, but it's been real busy today," Lorelai explained as one of the bellmen handed her a note. Lorelai scanned the note, and signed it. As she handed the note back to the bellman she continued, "I just haven't had a chance to call." Lorelai took a deep breath then said, "But I'm here now mom. What can I do for you?"
"Well it's a good thing that what I needed to talk to you about wasn't an emergency. You know it's very rude not to return a simple phone call."
"Mom," Lorelai started, "did you have something you needed to talk to me about, or is this call just to lecture me about my bad manners."
"What were you doing anyway?" Emily asked.
"What?!"
"Well can I at least know what kept my only daughter out till all hours of the night, and prevented her from extending the basic courtesy of returning a phone call."
"Mom, I thirty-five years old, and the last time I checked the state of Connecticut considers me an adult. Which means that I don't have to account for my whereabouts to my mother."
Lorelai heard her mother sigh before she said, "No you don't have to tell me where you were."
"Thank you, mother."
"But I can't imagine what horrible thing that a grown woman could have been doing that she would be so embarrassed that she couldn't tell her mother."
Lorelai covered her eyes with her hand before she said, "I am not embarrassed about anything. I just…"
"Well then why don't you tell me?" Emily sighed. "As you so often point out, I have no life, so I fail to see why you deny me the opportunity to live vicariously through you."
Amazed at the manner in which her mother combined sarcasm, and guilt, Lorelai gave in and said, "Alright I give up, mom. I was on a date."
Sensing freshly drawn blood, Emily said, "Oh really. Isn't that nice"
Annoyed for letting her mother get to her, Lorelai replied, "I suppose so."
"So who was he?"
"What?"
"Who was this man who kept you out all night?" Emily paused before she hurriedly asked, "It was a man wasn't it?"
"What!?!" Lorelai asked in a shocked tone. "Of course it was with a man."
Lorelai noticed that her reply had drawn the attention of several people near the desk. Embarrassed, she lowered her gaze.
Really getting into the flow, Emily said, "Because if you were on a date with, someone other than a man, that might explain why you were so hesitant…"
"Mom," Lorelai tried to interrupt.
Emily ignored her and continued, "…about telling me where you were last night. Now, you may not think so…"
"Mooom."
"…but I happen to be very progressive in my thinking. And I can understand…."
"Mooooo-om"
"…that you may not be ready to tell your father and I about something like this. However, when you are ready to, what is it they say… 'Come out of the closet', we'll still love you, and will support whatever lifestyle you choose for yourself."
"MOM!"
"Yes, Lorelai?" Emily asked as if she had no idea why her daughter would be upset."
"Mom, I had a date with a man," Lorelai stated. "Now wasn't there something you needed to talk to me about."
"Oh, yes," Emile answered. "Your father is flying in a little later that originally planed tomorrow, and I was wondering if you and Rory would be willing to wait till 7:30 for dinner."
"That's it. That's what was so important that you had to call me at work, in the middle of the day to talk about."
"Yes, that was it."
"Why couldn't you have called me at home tonight?"
"Well how was I to know if you were going to be home tonight, or if you would be out with your girlfriend?"
"Whatever, mom," Lorelai gave up. "7:30 is fine. Is that it?"
"That was all I needed."
"Okay, then. We'll see you tomorrow. Bye."
"Goo…" was all Emily managed to say before Lorelai thumbed the button to disconnect the phone.
As she sat down the phone, a customer stepped up to Lorelai and started to ask a question. Before he could begin to ask, Lorelai smiled and asked, "Could you wait just a minute?" When the customer nodded, Lorelai looked around the lobby. When she spotted a young girl with short blond hair, she called out, "Kristi, Could you come here a moment."
Kristi quickly stepped up to Lorelai and said, "Yes Ma'am?"
Lorelai put on her best fake smile and asked, "Could you help this gentleman. I have to check on… something."
Not waiting for a reply Lorelai turned and headed for the kitchen, as Kristi turned to the customer, and said, "What can I do for you sir?"
Lorelai quickly crossed the lobby and entered the kitchen, where Sookie was sitting at her desk doing some paperwork. Sookie looked up and said, "Hey there."
Without breaking stride or even acknowledging Sookie, Lorelai strode across the kitchen to the large walk in freezer. Once she reached the freezer, she stopped long enough to reach out for the handle and open the door. When the door was open, Lorelai walked into the freezer and slammed the door behind her, leaving Sookie staring after her.
After a moment, Sookie could hear the muffled sounds of someone yelling in frustration from inside the freezer. Nodding slightly, Sookie stood up from her paperwork and walked to the coffee pot. After filling a cup, she walked to the freezer.
She arrived at the freezer just as slightly chilled Lorelai stepped out. Sookie handed her the cup full of hot coffee and in a sympathetic voice asked, "Let me guess. You just talked to your mother?"
By
Javakamp
Chapter 5: The Third Degree from Emily
At the sound of the ringing phone, Lorelai looked up from the work schedule she was adjusting. Seeing that the only other person at the counter was waiting on a customer, she answered the phone, "Independence Inn. Lorelai speaking."
"Lorelai, why didn't you call me back last night?" Asked the voice coming through the phone.
Lorelai bit back the first thing that came to mind. Instead she said, "Hi, Mom. It's nice to talk to you too."
"I even left a message on that silly machine this time. But I see it didn't do any good."
"Sorry, mom, "Lorelai apologized, "but it was very late when I got in last night. I didn't think you'd still be up." Feeling the frustration building Lorelai used her free hand to push her hair behind one ear and said, "I was planning on calling you today."
"It's 2:30 in the afternoon. When was this alleged call going to take place?" Emily asked accusingly.
"I'm sorry mom, but it's been real busy today," Lorelai explained as one of the bellmen handed her a note. Lorelai scanned the note, and signed it. As she handed the note back to the bellman she continued, "I just haven't had a chance to call." Lorelai took a deep breath then said, "But I'm here now mom. What can I do for you?"
"Well it's a good thing that what I needed to talk to you about wasn't an emergency. You know it's very rude not to return a simple phone call."
"Mom," Lorelai started, "did you have something you needed to talk to me about, or is this call just to lecture me about my bad manners."
"What were you doing anyway?" Emily asked.
"What?!"
"Well can I at least know what kept my only daughter out till all hours of the night, and prevented her from extending the basic courtesy of returning a phone call."
"Mom, I thirty-five years old, and the last time I checked the state of Connecticut considers me an adult. Which means that I don't have to account for my whereabouts to my mother."
Lorelai heard her mother sigh before she said, "No you don't have to tell me where you were."
"Thank you, mother."
"But I can't imagine what horrible thing that a grown woman could have been doing that she would be so embarrassed that she couldn't tell her mother."
Lorelai covered her eyes with her hand before she said, "I am not embarrassed about anything. I just…"
"Well then why don't you tell me?" Emily sighed. "As you so often point out, I have no life, so I fail to see why you deny me the opportunity to live vicariously through you."
Amazed at the manner in which her mother combined sarcasm, and guilt, Lorelai gave in and said, "Alright I give up, mom. I was on a date."
Sensing freshly drawn blood, Emily said, "Oh really. Isn't that nice"
Annoyed for letting her mother get to her, Lorelai replied, "I suppose so."
"So who was he?"
"What?"
"Who was this man who kept you out all night?" Emily paused before she hurriedly asked, "It was a man wasn't it?"
"What!?!" Lorelai asked in a shocked tone. "Of course it was with a man."
Lorelai noticed that her reply had drawn the attention of several people near the desk. Embarrassed, she lowered her gaze.
Really getting into the flow, Emily said, "Because if you were on a date with, someone other than a man, that might explain why you were so hesitant…"
"Mom," Lorelai tried to interrupt.
Emily ignored her and continued, "…about telling me where you were last night. Now, you may not think so…"
"Mooom."
"…but I happen to be very progressive in my thinking. And I can understand…."
"Mooooo-om"
"…that you may not be ready to tell your father and I about something like this. However, when you are ready to, what is it they say… 'Come out of the closet', we'll still love you, and will support whatever lifestyle you choose for yourself."
"MOM!"
"Yes, Lorelai?" Emily asked as if she had no idea why her daughter would be upset."
"Mom, I had a date with a man," Lorelai stated. "Now wasn't there something you needed to talk to me about."
"Oh, yes," Emile answered. "Your father is flying in a little later that originally planed tomorrow, and I was wondering if you and Rory would be willing to wait till 7:30 for dinner."
"That's it. That's what was so important that you had to call me at work, in the middle of the day to talk about."
"Yes, that was it."
"Why couldn't you have called me at home tonight?"
"Well how was I to know if you were going to be home tonight, or if you would be out with your girlfriend?"
"Whatever, mom," Lorelai gave up. "7:30 is fine. Is that it?"
"That was all I needed."
"Okay, then. We'll see you tomorrow. Bye."
"Goo…" was all Emily managed to say before Lorelai thumbed the button to disconnect the phone.
As she sat down the phone, a customer stepped up to Lorelai and started to ask a question. Before he could begin to ask, Lorelai smiled and asked, "Could you wait just a minute?" When the customer nodded, Lorelai looked around the lobby. When she spotted a young girl with short blond hair, she called out, "Kristi, Could you come here a moment."
Kristi quickly stepped up to Lorelai and said, "Yes Ma'am?"
Lorelai put on her best fake smile and asked, "Could you help this gentleman. I have to check on… something."
Not waiting for a reply Lorelai turned and headed for the kitchen, as Kristi turned to the customer, and said, "What can I do for you sir?"
Lorelai quickly crossed the lobby and entered the kitchen, where Sookie was sitting at her desk doing some paperwork. Sookie looked up and said, "Hey there."
Without breaking stride or even acknowledging Sookie, Lorelai strode across the kitchen to the large walk in freezer. Once she reached the freezer, she stopped long enough to reach out for the handle and open the door. When the door was open, Lorelai walked into the freezer and slammed the door behind her, leaving Sookie staring after her.
After a moment, Sookie could hear the muffled sounds of someone yelling in frustration from inside the freezer. Nodding slightly, Sookie stood up from her paperwork and walked to the coffee pot. After filling a cup, she walked to the freezer.
She arrived at the freezer just as slightly chilled Lorelai stepped out. Sookie handed her the cup full of hot coffee and in a sympathetic voice asked, "Let me guess. You just talked to your mother?"
