Chapter 11: Revealing Conversations
Luke listened as the phone rang for the third time, then it was picked up on the other end and he heard an unexpected voice say, "Hello?"
Confused, Luke paused for a second before venturing, "Rory?"
"Oh, hi, Luke."
"What are you doing there?" Luke asked, but before Rory could respond, he answered his own question, "Your mother called you. Did she tell you what's going on?"
"Luke, my mother and I tell each other everything."
"Everything, what do you mean everything?" Luke asked.
"Mom and I have no secrets."
"So, what exactly has she told you?" Luke asked, feeling sweat break out on his forehead.
"Well, let's just say that the next time I eat at the diner, I'll be looking at the area behind the counter a whole lot differently."
"Oh, God!"
"Is activity like that considered sanitary, Luke?"
"Oh, jeez." Luke took a deep breath before continuing, "Look, if you don't mind, I'm going to pretend that we never had this conversation. Otherwise, I'm never going to be able to look you in the eye again. Okay?"
"Sure, Luke," Rory answered. "Do you want to talk to Mom?"
"Where is she?"
"She's outside talking with Babette, but I can get her."
"Before you do, can you tell me how she's doing?" Luke asked.
Rory paused before replying. Luke feared that she might not answer, but she eventually she said, "She's holding up, but I think she's scared."
"Scared?"
"Yeah," Rory answered. "She's scared that things might not work out between you two. She really loves you, you know."
"I love her too. It's just…" Luke let the statement hang.
"You don't have to explain anything to me, Luke," Rory offered.
"That's good, cause I don't exactly understand myself." Luke shifted ears then asked, "I guess she's pretty ticked at me right now?"
Rory paused for a moment considering her response, then said, "I think she's a little hurt by things, but at the same time I think she understands. Does that make sense?"
"As much sense as anything I can come up with."
"Well, at least she has something to take her mind off of things tonight."
"What's that?" Luke asked.
"We got invited over to my grandparents for dinner."
"I bet you Mom's real thrilled."
"That's not the word I'd use." Rory was quiet for a moment then said, "Oh, I hear Mom coming. Want to talk to her?"
"Yeah, I do. But could you not tell her what we talked about?"
"Luke your secret is safe with me."
Luke chuckled and said, "Somehow I'm not so sure about that."
A moment later, he heard Lorelai say, "Hi, honey."
"Hi."
Luke was unsure how start, but he was saved when Lorelai asked, "How was your flight?"
"It was fine."
"And the hotel?"
Luke looked around the room and answered, "The hotel is nice. You picked out a good one."
"Well I do know a thing or two about hotels."
"I suppose you do," Luke replied.
"So how's Dayton?"
"It's fine, I guess."
"What did you do today?"
"Not much so far, but in a little while I'm going to get some dinner, then after that I'll go by the funeral home."
"I'm not sure how to respond to that," Lorelai said. "I mean I can't say something like, have a good time."
"I'm not sure there is a good way to respond," Luke replied. "So speaking of having a good time, I hear you're going to your folks tonight. How'd you manage that?"
"Errrr, I don't want to talk about it," Lorelai declared.
"Okay, I'll drop it."
"Oh, I just remembered something," Lorelai said. "Hold on, let me go up stairs."
Luke heard Lorelai say something to Rory then the line was quiet for a moment. Finally he heard what sounded like a door closing then Lorelai came back on the line and said, "Okay, I'm in our room, and I want to ask you something."
"What's that?"
Lorelai paused then in a sultry voice she asked, "What are you wearing?"
"Oh, jeez, Lorelai, not now," Luke groaned.
Luke listened as the phone rang for the third time, then it was picked up on the other end and he heard an unexpected voice say, "Hello?"
Confused, Luke paused for a second before venturing, "Rory?"
"Oh, hi, Luke."
"What are you doing there?" Luke asked, but before Rory could respond, he answered his own question, "Your mother called you. Did she tell you what's going on?"
"Luke, my mother and I tell each other everything."
"Everything, what do you mean everything?" Luke asked.
"Mom and I have no secrets."
"So, what exactly has she told you?" Luke asked, feeling sweat break out on his forehead.
"Well, let's just say that the next time I eat at the diner, I'll be looking at the area behind the counter a whole lot differently."
"Oh, God!"
"Is activity like that considered sanitary, Luke?"
"Oh, jeez." Luke took a deep breath before continuing, "Look, if you don't mind, I'm going to pretend that we never had this conversation. Otherwise, I'm never going to be able to look you in the eye again. Okay?"
"Sure, Luke," Rory answered. "Do you want to talk to Mom?"
"Where is she?"
"She's outside talking with Babette, but I can get her."
"Before you do, can you tell me how she's doing?" Luke asked.
Rory paused before replying. Luke feared that she might not answer, but she eventually she said, "She's holding up, but I think she's scared."
"Scared?"
"Yeah," Rory answered. "She's scared that things might not work out between you two. She really loves you, you know."
"I love her too. It's just…" Luke let the statement hang.
"You don't have to explain anything to me, Luke," Rory offered.
"That's good, cause I don't exactly understand myself." Luke shifted ears then asked, "I guess she's pretty ticked at me right now?"
Rory paused for a moment considering her response, then said, "I think she's a little hurt by things, but at the same time I think she understands. Does that make sense?"
"As much sense as anything I can come up with."
"Well, at least she has something to take her mind off of things tonight."
"What's that?" Luke asked.
"We got invited over to my grandparents for dinner."
"I bet you Mom's real thrilled."
"That's not the word I'd use." Rory was quiet for a moment then said, "Oh, I hear Mom coming. Want to talk to her?"
"Yeah, I do. But could you not tell her what we talked about?"
"Luke your secret is safe with me."
Luke chuckled and said, "Somehow I'm not so sure about that."
A moment later, he heard Lorelai say, "Hi, honey."
"Hi."
Luke was unsure how start, but he was saved when Lorelai asked, "How was your flight?"
"It was fine."
"And the hotel?"
Luke looked around the room and answered, "The hotel is nice. You picked out a good one."
"Well I do know a thing or two about hotels."
"I suppose you do," Luke replied.
"So how's Dayton?"
"It's fine, I guess."
"What did you do today?"
"Not much so far, but in a little while I'm going to get some dinner, then after that I'll go by the funeral home."
"I'm not sure how to respond to that," Lorelai said. "I mean I can't say something like, have a good time."
"I'm not sure there is a good way to respond," Luke replied. "So speaking of having a good time, I hear you're going to your folks tonight. How'd you manage that?"
"Errrr, I don't want to talk about it," Lorelai declared.
"Okay, I'll drop it."
"Oh, I just remembered something," Lorelai said. "Hold on, let me go up stairs."
Luke heard Lorelai say something to Rory then the line was quiet for a moment. Finally he heard what sounded like a door closing then Lorelai came back on the line and said, "Okay, I'm in our room, and I want to ask you something."
"What's that?"
Lorelai paused then in a sultry voice she asked, "What are you wearing?"
"Oh, jeez, Lorelai, not now," Luke groaned.