Chapter 12: No One Suspects Jacob Marley
Luke took advantage of a red light to check the map that Lorelai had provided. According to the map, the funeral home should be just ahead. Once the light changed, he proceeded up the street. Within moments, the map proved right when he saw the sign that said, Reese and Sons Funeral Home.
The large brick building sat back from the road on top of a very slight rise. The building was simultaneously pleasant and intimidating. But Luke could never remember a funeral home that wasn't intimidating.
Luke pulled into the adjacent lot and found a spot to park his rental. He sighed deeply and looked at his watch noting that it was 6:50pm. Luke reached onto the seat next to him and picked up the instructions that Lorelai had painstakingly written out and confirmed again that visitation was from 6 to 9pm.
Luke ran his finger over Lorelai's flowing handwriting, missing her deeply. Since he had moved into Lorelai's house almost two years ago, they had spent some time apart. She had been gone for a whole month the summer after Rory graduated Chilton, when she and Rory had gone on their hiking trip to Europe. They had both tried to talk him into coming with them, but Luke had declined, citing not wanting to leave the diner for that long.
However Luke's real reason was he knew that that time should be just be between the Gilmore girls, because with Rory getting ready to start college, he knew that Lorelai would want the time alone with Rory. Even though Lorelai wouldn't admit it, he knew that she appreciated his allowing her their time alone.
Despite the fact that they had spent time apart before, this time it was very different. Before when they had been apart, it was due to some outside influence that required it, never of their own choice.
Luke shook his head trying to decide what had gone wrong. He loved Lorelai so much, and he had loved her for such a long time. The day that she had told him that she wanted him to be a bigger part of her life, had been one of the happiest days of his life. At the time he had thought that it wouldn't be topped, but in the time they had been together, he had had many days that were just as happy, if not happier than that one.
So why, if he still loved Lorelai, was he having such a hard time with Rachel's death? It wasn't like he had ever hated Rachel. Even though she left him on more that one occasion, he had never stopped caring. But was it more that that? Were these feelings he was having due to the fact that he loved Rachel, or maybe it was due to guilt, over the way he had treated her the last time they were together? Looking back, he couldn't blame her for leaving that time. He had driven her away because he couldn't fully commit to her due to his feelings for Lorelai. And now that he was with Lorelai, he was suddenly having trouble fully committing to her because of all these unresolved Rachel feelings.
Luke looked up from his contemplations about life and love to the door of the funeral home. Well, he thought, to try and exercise the ghost from his system was the reason he was here and sitting in the car was not getting that done.
He glanced at his watch, noting that he had been sitting there for fifteen minutes. He sighed and buttoned the color of his dress shirt and tightened the tie. He glanced at his hair in the rear view mirror. Feeling naked without his cap, he ran a hand through the hair, in an effort to straighten it.
He got out of the car, and then reached into the back seat to retrieve his suit coat, before closing the door and pocketing the keys. He put on the jacket then headed towards the door.
As he neared the door, he noted an elderly couple approaching from the other direction. He hurried ahead the last few steps and pulled open the door, allowing the couple to enter ahead of him. The elderly woman smiled her thanks, and then entered the building.
Luke followed the couple into a large foyer that had hallways branching to the left and right, in addition to straight ahead. His eyes searched the foyer till he found the sign used to indicate which room he was looking for. The second line indicated that R. Cooper was in parlor 2 & 3 which were in the hallway straight ahead.
Luke watched the older couple head down the hall on the right towards Chapel A. Nervously wiping his hands on his slacks, he headed down the hallway ahead.
A short way down the hall on the left, he saw a sign by a door indicating that it was the entrance to Parlor two. Outside the door was a pedestal holding a book for visitors to sign. Luke waited for a couple with a small girl of about seven to finish at the book. The mother signed the book while the father held the girl who wore a blue dress with large white polka-dots on it.
The little girl stared at Luke, making him feel nervous. After a moment, she smiled and waved at him. Not knowing what else to do, Luke smiled and waved back.
The little girl was blond, but her hair had the same curl that Rachel's did, making Luke wonder what Rachel's kids might have looked like. The thought caused a wave of grief to sweep over Luke, with a sinking feeling in his gut.
After a moment, the mom finished and the family stepped away from the pedestal, making room for Luke. He moved to the pedestal, taking the pen in hand. He looked for the next available line to sign on, noting that it was number 131. He quickly scanned some of the other entries on the same page and noted that many were from out of state.
Luke finished signing the guest register, and then took a deep breath. He stared at the sign on the door that said R. Cooper, trying to steel himself for what lay ahead.
Before he could start towards the door, he heard a strangely familiar voice behind him say, in a slightly teasing way, "You've come this far you might as well go in."
Luke turned to look at the speaker. When he saw her, his mind went into overload, telling him what he saw could not be possible. He blinked trying to clear his vision, but the image refused to change. He thought, this can not be possible, as he took in her trademark curly auburn hair, and brilliant smile. It was Rachel.
Luke took advantage of a red light to check the map that Lorelai had provided. According to the map, the funeral home should be just ahead. Once the light changed, he proceeded up the street. Within moments, the map proved right when he saw the sign that said, Reese and Sons Funeral Home.
The large brick building sat back from the road on top of a very slight rise. The building was simultaneously pleasant and intimidating. But Luke could never remember a funeral home that wasn't intimidating.
Luke pulled into the adjacent lot and found a spot to park his rental. He sighed deeply and looked at his watch noting that it was 6:50pm. Luke reached onto the seat next to him and picked up the instructions that Lorelai had painstakingly written out and confirmed again that visitation was from 6 to 9pm.
Luke ran his finger over Lorelai's flowing handwriting, missing her deeply. Since he had moved into Lorelai's house almost two years ago, they had spent some time apart. She had been gone for a whole month the summer after Rory graduated Chilton, when she and Rory had gone on their hiking trip to Europe. They had both tried to talk him into coming with them, but Luke had declined, citing not wanting to leave the diner for that long.
However Luke's real reason was he knew that that time should be just be between the Gilmore girls, because with Rory getting ready to start college, he knew that Lorelai would want the time alone with Rory. Even though Lorelai wouldn't admit it, he knew that she appreciated his allowing her their time alone.
Despite the fact that they had spent time apart before, this time it was very different. Before when they had been apart, it was due to some outside influence that required it, never of their own choice.
Luke shook his head trying to decide what had gone wrong. He loved Lorelai so much, and he had loved her for such a long time. The day that she had told him that she wanted him to be a bigger part of her life, had been one of the happiest days of his life. At the time he had thought that it wouldn't be topped, but in the time they had been together, he had had many days that were just as happy, if not happier than that one.
So why, if he still loved Lorelai, was he having such a hard time with Rachel's death? It wasn't like he had ever hated Rachel. Even though she left him on more that one occasion, he had never stopped caring. But was it more that that? Were these feelings he was having due to the fact that he loved Rachel, or maybe it was due to guilt, over the way he had treated her the last time they were together? Looking back, he couldn't blame her for leaving that time. He had driven her away because he couldn't fully commit to her due to his feelings for Lorelai. And now that he was with Lorelai, he was suddenly having trouble fully committing to her because of all these unresolved Rachel feelings.
Luke looked up from his contemplations about life and love to the door of the funeral home. Well, he thought, to try and exercise the ghost from his system was the reason he was here and sitting in the car was not getting that done.
He glanced at his watch, noting that he had been sitting there for fifteen minutes. He sighed and buttoned the color of his dress shirt and tightened the tie. He glanced at his hair in the rear view mirror. Feeling naked without his cap, he ran a hand through the hair, in an effort to straighten it.
He got out of the car, and then reached into the back seat to retrieve his suit coat, before closing the door and pocketing the keys. He put on the jacket then headed towards the door.
As he neared the door, he noted an elderly couple approaching from the other direction. He hurried ahead the last few steps and pulled open the door, allowing the couple to enter ahead of him. The elderly woman smiled her thanks, and then entered the building.
Luke followed the couple into a large foyer that had hallways branching to the left and right, in addition to straight ahead. His eyes searched the foyer till he found the sign used to indicate which room he was looking for. The second line indicated that R. Cooper was in parlor 2 & 3 which were in the hallway straight ahead.
Luke watched the older couple head down the hall on the right towards Chapel A. Nervously wiping his hands on his slacks, he headed down the hallway ahead.
A short way down the hall on the left, he saw a sign by a door indicating that it was the entrance to Parlor two. Outside the door was a pedestal holding a book for visitors to sign. Luke waited for a couple with a small girl of about seven to finish at the book. The mother signed the book while the father held the girl who wore a blue dress with large white polka-dots on it.
The little girl stared at Luke, making him feel nervous. After a moment, she smiled and waved at him. Not knowing what else to do, Luke smiled and waved back.
The little girl was blond, but her hair had the same curl that Rachel's did, making Luke wonder what Rachel's kids might have looked like. The thought caused a wave of grief to sweep over Luke, with a sinking feeling in his gut.
After a moment, the mom finished and the family stepped away from the pedestal, making room for Luke. He moved to the pedestal, taking the pen in hand. He looked for the next available line to sign on, noting that it was number 131. He quickly scanned some of the other entries on the same page and noted that many were from out of state.
Luke finished signing the guest register, and then took a deep breath. He stared at the sign on the door that said R. Cooper, trying to steel himself for what lay ahead.
Before he could start towards the door, he heard a strangely familiar voice behind him say, in a slightly teasing way, "You've come this far you might as well go in."
Luke turned to look at the speaker. When he saw her, his mind went into overload, telling him what he saw could not be possible. He blinked trying to clear his vision, but the image refused to change. He thought, this can not be possible, as he took in her trademark curly auburn hair, and brilliant smile. It was Rachel.