Chapter 15: Put On The Boxing Gloves And Sit Down To Dinner
Emily noticed Lorelai absentmindedly pushing her food around her plate without eating much. Being a concerned mother and hostess, Emily asked, "Is your roast not done, Lorelai?"
Surprised, Lorelai looked up and said, "Oh no, Mom. It's fine. I'm just not that hungry."
"Are you feeling alright?" Emily asked.
"I don't know. I might be coming down with something."
"Well, have you seen a doctor?"
"No Mom, it only just started."
"Well, don't let it go to long."
"I won't mom."
"I'm serious, Lorelai. If you don't have your health, nothing else matters," Emily counseled.
"You're right, Mom. If I'm not better by Monday, I'll call the doctor."
Emily turned to her granddaughter, and said, "You know, Rory, the next time you come into town you should bring Kyle with you. I'd love to have him for dinner."
"Yeah," Lorelai said, looking at Rory with a smile in her eyes. "I'm sure he'd love to check out your bedroom upstairs."
It took Rory a second to get Lorelai's jibe, but once she did, she reddened slightly. She knew from experience that she couldn't kick her mother from where she sat, but that didn't prevent her from giving her mother an angry look.
Not being in on the joke, Emily asked, "What are you talking about?"
"Nothing, Mom," Lorelai explained, "Just a little mother-daughter joke."
"Well, I like a good joke, explain it to me."
Lorelai shook her head and said, "By the time I explained it to you, it wouldn't be that funny."
"I'm sure that's not true. You're such a wonderful story teller," Emily said.
Lorelai appeared to think about it a second, then said, "I don't think you'd find this funny, Mom."
Emily started to protest, but Lorelai interrupted, "Trust me, Mom, you don't want to know."
Emily shrugged and gave up. Instead, she decided to bring up a different topic, "Well, you'll have to tell Luke that he missed a great dinner."
Lorelai closed her eyes, and took a long breath before she answered, "I will, Mom."
"And make sure he knows that he's always welcome."
"I will, Mom."
"I want you to tell him that he's part of the family."
"I will mom," Lorelai answered. "I'll tell him as soon as he gets back from Ohio."
"Ohio? What's Luke doing in Ohio?" Emily inquired.
Lorelai closed her eyes, mentally kicking herself. She considered trying to throw Emily off the sent, but she decided that it was inevitable, so she said, "He, a… He went to a funeral."
"A funeral, oh dear," Emily said, "who died?"
Lorelai played with her food as she answered, "An old friend."
"Well, why didn't you tell me he went to attend a friend's funeral?" Emily asked.
"I aaa… I don't know," Lorelai apologized.
"Was Luke close to this person?"
Lorelai shrugged and answered, "Yeah, I guess so."
"Were they very old?"
Lorelai pushed a pea around her plate and said, "Mid-thirties, I guess."
"Luke must be very upset."
"Yeah, a bit," Lorelai replied.
"What is his friend's name?" Emily asked stood up and walked into the next room.
"What's that?" Lorelai called after her mother.
Emily returned a few seconds later, holding a day planner and a pen, and asked, "What is Luke's friend's name? I want to send some flowers."
"That's nice of you, Mom, but you don't have to do that, I already sent some."
"But I want to," Emily replied. "Luke is family, and it's what you do for family."
"That's really not necessary, Mom."
Emily shook her head and said, "I won't take no for an answer. What's Luke's friend's name?"
Lorelai looked at Rory, but all her daughter could offer was a shrug. Lorelai sighed and said, "Cooper. Rachel Cooper."
Emily wrote the name in her planner, and then said, "And what funeral home are…" Suddenly, Emily fit the pieces together. She closed the pen in the planner, and then let the hand holding the book fall to her side, as she looked sternly at Lorelai, and asked, "Who is Rachel?"
Lorelai felt small under her mother's gaze. She started to reply, but her stomach chose that moment to go into rebellion. "Uh-oh," Lorelai managed, before she covered her mouth with her hand, jumped out of her seat, and ran for the bathroom.
The three remaining Gilmores looked at each other. Rory was the first one to speak as she stood up, "I guess she's coming down with the flu. I'll go check on her."
Emily noticed Lorelai absentmindedly pushing her food around her plate without eating much. Being a concerned mother and hostess, Emily asked, "Is your roast not done, Lorelai?"
Surprised, Lorelai looked up and said, "Oh no, Mom. It's fine. I'm just not that hungry."
"Are you feeling alright?" Emily asked.
"I don't know. I might be coming down with something."
"Well, have you seen a doctor?"
"No Mom, it only just started."
"Well, don't let it go to long."
"I won't mom."
"I'm serious, Lorelai. If you don't have your health, nothing else matters," Emily counseled.
"You're right, Mom. If I'm not better by Monday, I'll call the doctor."
Emily turned to her granddaughter, and said, "You know, Rory, the next time you come into town you should bring Kyle with you. I'd love to have him for dinner."
"Yeah," Lorelai said, looking at Rory with a smile in her eyes. "I'm sure he'd love to check out your bedroom upstairs."
It took Rory a second to get Lorelai's jibe, but once she did, she reddened slightly. She knew from experience that she couldn't kick her mother from where she sat, but that didn't prevent her from giving her mother an angry look.
Not being in on the joke, Emily asked, "What are you talking about?"
"Nothing, Mom," Lorelai explained, "Just a little mother-daughter joke."
"Well, I like a good joke, explain it to me."
Lorelai shook her head and said, "By the time I explained it to you, it wouldn't be that funny."
"I'm sure that's not true. You're such a wonderful story teller," Emily said.
Lorelai appeared to think about it a second, then said, "I don't think you'd find this funny, Mom."
Emily started to protest, but Lorelai interrupted, "Trust me, Mom, you don't want to know."
Emily shrugged and gave up. Instead, she decided to bring up a different topic, "Well, you'll have to tell Luke that he missed a great dinner."
Lorelai closed her eyes, and took a long breath before she answered, "I will, Mom."
"And make sure he knows that he's always welcome."
"I will, Mom."
"I want you to tell him that he's part of the family."
"I will mom," Lorelai answered. "I'll tell him as soon as he gets back from Ohio."
"Ohio? What's Luke doing in Ohio?" Emily inquired.
Lorelai closed her eyes, mentally kicking herself. She considered trying to throw Emily off the sent, but she decided that it was inevitable, so she said, "He, a… He went to a funeral."
"A funeral, oh dear," Emily said, "who died?"
Lorelai played with her food as she answered, "An old friend."
"Well, why didn't you tell me he went to attend a friend's funeral?" Emily asked.
"I aaa… I don't know," Lorelai apologized.
"Was Luke close to this person?"
Lorelai shrugged and answered, "Yeah, I guess so."
"Were they very old?"
Lorelai pushed a pea around her plate and said, "Mid-thirties, I guess."
"Luke must be very upset."
"Yeah, a bit," Lorelai replied.
"What is his friend's name?" Emily asked stood up and walked into the next room.
"What's that?" Lorelai called after her mother.
Emily returned a few seconds later, holding a day planner and a pen, and asked, "What is Luke's friend's name? I want to send some flowers."
"That's nice of you, Mom, but you don't have to do that, I already sent some."
"But I want to," Emily replied. "Luke is family, and it's what you do for family."
"That's really not necessary, Mom."
Emily shook her head and said, "I won't take no for an answer. What's Luke's friend's name?"
Lorelai looked at Rory, but all her daughter could offer was a shrug. Lorelai sighed and said, "Cooper. Rachel Cooper."
Emily wrote the name in her planner, and then said, "And what funeral home are…" Suddenly, Emily fit the pieces together. She closed the pen in the planner, and then let the hand holding the book fall to her side, as she looked sternly at Lorelai, and asked, "Who is Rachel?"
Lorelai felt small under her mother's gaze. She started to reply, but her stomach chose that moment to go into rebellion. "Uh-oh," Lorelai managed, before she covered her mouth with her hand, jumped out of her seat, and ran for the bathroom.
The three remaining Gilmores looked at each other. Rory was the first one to speak as she stood up, "I guess she's coming down with the flu. I'll go check on her."