Chapter 3
Lorelai awoke to the sound of the phone ringing. "Mmph," she mumbled. "Rory, get the phone!"As she became more awake, she remembered that she was alone in the house. Rory had officially been a college student for 2 and a half weeks now. The phone continued to ring as Lorelai caught a glimpse of her furry blue alarm clock. '6:00 am', it read. "Oh...my...god," she groaned, reaching for the phone. "You better have a good reason for waking me up," she said into the receiver.
"Would you like to switch to AT&T?"
"Rory!" Lorelai brightened.
"Hi Mom, sorry to call so early, but I wanted to catch you before class."
"That's ok, sweets," Lorelai sat up, fully awake now. "What's up?"
"Well...you're not going to like this, but..."
"If I'm not going to like it, don't tell me." Lorelai didn't like where this was going.
"I'm not going to be able to come home this weekend."
"What?! Rory, no! Why not?"
"There's this workshop that I really want to go to. They're only offering it this one time, and I don't want to miss it."
"But I'll miss you," Lorelai whined. "What am I gonna do all weekend?"
"You could do something with Sookie," Rory supplied.
"No, she and Jackson are visiting his parents this weekend."
"Well, go bug Luke. That'll keep you entertained for hours."
"Yeah, " Lorelai sighed. "I guess...I'm really gonna miss you, sweets."
"I know, and right back at ya. But at least you get out of Friday dinner."
"That's my girl, always able to find the silver lining." They talked for a few more minutes until Rory had to get ready for class. After she hung up, Lorelai reluctantly got out of bed and headed for the shower.
***
Luke's was bustling with the usual breakfast rush when Lorelai walked in an hour later. Luke noticed her and waved as he took someone's order. There wasn't an empty table anywhere, so Lorelai found a vacant stool at the counter next to Taylor Doose, the town magistrate, local business owner and all 'round pain-in-the-butt.
"Morning Lorelai!" he said cheerfully.
"Morning Taylor. Invent any new laws today?"
"Not yet," Taylor replied, ignoring the sarcasm in her voice. "But the day has just started. And what a beautiful day it is!"
"What's so wonderful about it?" Luke came up. "Hey," he said to Lorelai.
"Well, I just got a brand new shipment of candy in over at the Soda Shoppe. I'm anticipating a lot of business."
"Coffee?" Luke asked Lorelai, ignoring Taylor.
"Do you even have to ask?" Lorelai grinned. "Can I have a muffin too?"
"Do you two know how rude it is to ignore someone when they're talking to you?" Taylor asked.
"No Taylor, but I'm sure you'll tell us." Luke said as he poured Lorelai's coffee.
"And we'll ignore you then, too," Lorelai added.
"A match made in heaven" Taylor grunted. When will those two realize what the rest of the town has known for years? They belong together, He wondered, as he got up and left.
"Wow, we got him to leave. We'll have to remember how we did that." Lorelai said.
"Already noted," Luke laughed, and went to take orders from some customers who had just walked in.
Thirty minutes later the diner was finally empty. Lorelai was on her fourth cup of coffee and had no plans to leave yet. "Hey Luke?" Lorelai called, as Luke finished bringing the last of the breakfast dishes to the back.
"Yeah?" he said, coming up to her.
"What are you doing this weekend?"
"Why?"
"'Cause Rory can't come home and Sookie and Jackson are going to be out of town." "So I'm your third choice?" He pretended to be hurt. "No, I asked my mother before you, but she's got her annual meeting of the 'Women Whose Daughters are Huge Disappointments Club,'" Lorelai said sarcastically.
"Actually, I was going to get one last camping and fishing trip in before the weather gets cold."
"Oh," Lorelai said, clearly disappointed.
"But....you could...you could come, if you wanted," he said without thinking.
She laughed. "You're kidding, right? Me? Lorelai Victoria Gilmore? Camping?"
"Well, it wouldn't actually be camping. I've got a little cabin on the lake. It has a generator, plumbing, a kitchen facility and wood heat. It's actually quite nice." Why am I pushing this? he thought.
"It does sound nice," she said, hesitantly.
"And besides, you know how to fish already. You went with, what was his name? Adam?" shut up, Luke.
"Alex," she said.
"Whatever."
"Luke, you just did that 'thing'."
"What 'thing'?"
"The thing that men do to make themselves seem superior by pretending to forget another man's name. That 'thing'."
"I didn't do the 'thing'."
"Oh, you definitely did the 'thing'. There was definite 'thingage'."
"Whatever," he sighed. "So you want to come or not?"
Why not? she thought. It might be fun. And it's not like I have anything better to do. "Sure. You and I, alone in the wilderness. What could be more fun?"
"I'm afraid to even think about that." Right, He and Lorelai Gilmore, alone, for an entire weekend. What had he gotten himself into?
***
After leaving Luke's, Lorelai wandered down the street deep in thought. Why did I agree to this? I don't fish. I definitely don't camp! And spending the weekend alone with Luke? What was I thinking? Wait...Luke's my friend...why is it weird to be spending time with him? Rory's wrong, he doesn't have feelings for me. It's Luke! I'm not his type. He needs a girl who won't try to change him, who will watch baseball with him, and appreciate his flannel shirts and baseball cap. Why would he want me? She stopped. Why wouldn't he want me? I laugh at his jokes, when he makes one, I'd watch baseball...I'd probably talk through it, but I'd still watch it. And who was the one who bought him the baseball cap in the first place? Me, that's who. She shook her head. Why am I thinking about this? What does it matter if I'm Luke's type, anyway? He doesn't have feelings for me, and I don't have feelings for him. At least, I don't think... She sighed. This was going to be one long weekend. She attempted to think of something else, anything else as she continued on down the street.
***
Lorelai awoke to the sound of the phone ringing. "Mmph," she mumbled. "Rory, get the phone!"As she became more awake, she remembered that she was alone in the house. Rory had officially been a college student for 2 and a half weeks now. The phone continued to ring as Lorelai caught a glimpse of her furry blue alarm clock. '6:00 am', it read. "Oh...my...god," she groaned, reaching for the phone. "You better have a good reason for waking me up," she said into the receiver.
"Would you like to switch to AT&T?"
"Rory!" Lorelai brightened.
"Hi Mom, sorry to call so early, but I wanted to catch you before class."
"That's ok, sweets," Lorelai sat up, fully awake now. "What's up?"
"Well...you're not going to like this, but..."
"If I'm not going to like it, don't tell me." Lorelai didn't like where this was going.
"I'm not going to be able to come home this weekend."
"What?! Rory, no! Why not?"
"There's this workshop that I really want to go to. They're only offering it this one time, and I don't want to miss it."
"But I'll miss you," Lorelai whined. "What am I gonna do all weekend?"
"You could do something with Sookie," Rory supplied.
"No, she and Jackson are visiting his parents this weekend."
"Well, go bug Luke. That'll keep you entertained for hours."
"Yeah, " Lorelai sighed. "I guess...I'm really gonna miss you, sweets."
"I know, and right back at ya. But at least you get out of Friday dinner."
"That's my girl, always able to find the silver lining." They talked for a few more minutes until Rory had to get ready for class. After she hung up, Lorelai reluctantly got out of bed and headed for the shower.
***
Luke's was bustling with the usual breakfast rush when Lorelai walked in an hour later. Luke noticed her and waved as he took someone's order. There wasn't an empty table anywhere, so Lorelai found a vacant stool at the counter next to Taylor Doose, the town magistrate, local business owner and all 'round pain-in-the-butt.
"Morning Lorelai!" he said cheerfully.
"Morning Taylor. Invent any new laws today?"
"Not yet," Taylor replied, ignoring the sarcasm in her voice. "But the day has just started. And what a beautiful day it is!"
"What's so wonderful about it?" Luke came up. "Hey," he said to Lorelai.
"Well, I just got a brand new shipment of candy in over at the Soda Shoppe. I'm anticipating a lot of business."
"Coffee?" Luke asked Lorelai, ignoring Taylor.
"Do you even have to ask?" Lorelai grinned. "Can I have a muffin too?"
"Do you two know how rude it is to ignore someone when they're talking to you?" Taylor asked.
"No Taylor, but I'm sure you'll tell us." Luke said as he poured Lorelai's coffee.
"And we'll ignore you then, too," Lorelai added.
"A match made in heaven" Taylor grunted. When will those two realize what the rest of the town has known for years? They belong together, He wondered, as he got up and left.
"Wow, we got him to leave. We'll have to remember how we did that." Lorelai said.
"Already noted," Luke laughed, and went to take orders from some customers who had just walked in.
Thirty minutes later the diner was finally empty. Lorelai was on her fourth cup of coffee and had no plans to leave yet. "Hey Luke?" Lorelai called, as Luke finished bringing the last of the breakfast dishes to the back.
"Yeah?" he said, coming up to her.
"What are you doing this weekend?"
"Why?"
"'Cause Rory can't come home and Sookie and Jackson are going to be out of town." "So I'm your third choice?" He pretended to be hurt. "No, I asked my mother before you, but she's got her annual meeting of the 'Women Whose Daughters are Huge Disappointments Club,'" Lorelai said sarcastically.
"Actually, I was going to get one last camping and fishing trip in before the weather gets cold."
"Oh," Lorelai said, clearly disappointed.
"But....you could...you could come, if you wanted," he said without thinking.
She laughed. "You're kidding, right? Me? Lorelai Victoria Gilmore? Camping?"
"Well, it wouldn't actually be camping. I've got a little cabin on the lake. It has a generator, plumbing, a kitchen facility and wood heat. It's actually quite nice." Why am I pushing this? he thought.
"It does sound nice," she said, hesitantly.
"And besides, you know how to fish already. You went with, what was his name? Adam?" shut up, Luke.
"Alex," she said.
"Whatever."
"Luke, you just did that 'thing'."
"What 'thing'?"
"The thing that men do to make themselves seem superior by pretending to forget another man's name. That 'thing'."
"I didn't do the 'thing'."
"Oh, you definitely did the 'thing'. There was definite 'thingage'."
"Whatever," he sighed. "So you want to come or not?"
Why not? she thought. It might be fun. And it's not like I have anything better to do. "Sure. You and I, alone in the wilderness. What could be more fun?"
"I'm afraid to even think about that." Right, He and Lorelai Gilmore, alone, for an entire weekend. What had he gotten himself into?
***
After leaving Luke's, Lorelai wandered down the street deep in thought. Why did I agree to this? I don't fish. I definitely don't camp! And spending the weekend alone with Luke? What was I thinking? Wait...Luke's my friend...why is it weird to be spending time with him? Rory's wrong, he doesn't have feelings for me. It's Luke! I'm not his type. He needs a girl who won't try to change him, who will watch baseball with him, and appreciate his flannel shirts and baseball cap. Why would he want me? She stopped. Why wouldn't he want me? I laugh at his jokes, when he makes one, I'd watch baseball...I'd probably talk through it, but I'd still watch it. And who was the one who bought him the baseball cap in the first place? Me, that's who. She shook her head. Why am I thinking about this? What does it matter if I'm Luke's type, anyway? He doesn't have feelings for me, and I don't have feelings for him. At least, I don't think... She sighed. This was going to be one long weekend. She attempted to think of something else, anything else as she continued on down the street.
***