Insert Picture Here (Part 3)
Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story other than the privilege of being able to write about a wonderful character. Oh, that and a character here and there.
A/N: Wow that was quick, wasn't it? I'm warning you now that most of this chapter is completely fictional. The show doesn't go into much detail about this point in her life, so this is all a figment of my imagination. Anyways, once again, thanks to everyone who reviews. You all rock. There's an indirect shout-out in this chapter, so the person that knows who they are, you're awesome.
---
Lorelai stood next to the abandoned road and kicked a gravel pebble. She watched to see where it went, but it was just a shot in the dark. Like everything else. How cliché…she was standing on the side of a dark road with no company except for the occasional passing headlight. She had a backpack stuffed with oyster crackers, baby formula that nobody would drink willingly, and a few faded shirts. After realizing that nobody was going to pick her up, she set Rory on a patch of grass and stretched out on her back with her head to the stars.
---
She was pondering the formation of four stars when she was interrupted by a loud car horn. She bolted upright and grabbed Rory. She used her other hand to shield her eyes from the blinding white headlight. A middle-aged woman's head emerged from the driver's window.
"Hey. What are you doing on the side of the road?" The woman questioned.
"Trying to get a ride. What does it look like I'm doing?"
"There's no need to get smart young lady; I'm just trying to help you." She quietly responded.
"How would you help me?"
"Well, I could take you somewhere. Any idea of where you want to go?"
Lorelai shifted Rory in her arms. "No. Just somewhere."
"I own an inn in a small town called Stars Hollow. I could take you there if you like."
"Swell." Lorelai replied half-heartedly.
"You could at least try to sound enthusiastic. It's a whole hell of a lot better than where you are now." The woman gestured to the wooded area.
"I know. I'm sorry … it's just been a rough week." Lorelai tucked a piece of stray hair behind her ear and stared at the moonlit pavement.
"Honey, it looks like you've had a rough eternity. Get your child and your things and hop in." The woman smiled tenderly.
This was the first time Lorelai had come in contact with a woman who wasn't concerned with her appearance or how much money she had and she gratefully accepted her invitation.
---
Lorelai rubbed her thumb up and down the beige leather of the car. She didn't know what to say to this strange woman. She didn't even know her. Rory was sound asleep and it was apparent that she didn't want to talk either.
"So, what's your name?" The woman's voice startled Lorelai out of her trance.
"Lorelai."
"Lorelai. That's pretty. Do you have a last name?"
"Not that I'd share." Lorelai flatly answered.
"Okay. Well, you can call me Mia. Like I said, I own an inn." Mia reached up to adjust her rearview mirror and could see a sullen Lorelai fiddling with a thread on her shirt. "It's called the Independence Inn. When I was a little girl, I never liked to be confined, so I knew it would be the perfect name."
"Fascinating." Lorelai wasn't ready to let her guard down yet. She never gave up without a fight and now was not about to become an exception.
Lorelai became wide-eyed when she noticed that Mia was pulling over the car. There was a slight 'ping' as she pulled out the car key. Mia unbuckled her seatbelt and turned to face Lorelai with glazed eyes.
"All I want to do is help. That's all. I'm not going to ask you why you were on the side of the road. I'm not going to ask you why you're apparently a teenager and have a baby with you. I'm not going to ask you where you lived or who your parents were. I just want to help you find your place again."
Lorelai was silent.
Mia sighed with utter disappointment as she redid her seatbelt. She started the car once more and continued the seemingly infinite drive to Stars Hollow.
"My name is Lorelai Gilmore." Lorelai absentmindedly tossed into the thickened air.
Mia smiled to herself. "It's nice to meet you, Lorelai Gilmore."
---
The following few years of Lorelai's life were none less difficult than the ones that had preceded it. Mia had generously offered her a position as a maid at the inn and being the unemployed person she had always been, Lorelai was quick to accept. Undeniably, the other maids in the department couldn't stand the sight of Lorelai. To them, it was insulting that a sixteen year old be given the same job, even though being a maid was nothing much to be proud of. Lorelai would exit a room, covered in soot, and immediately be met with leers and whispers of gossip. She would ask to use a feather duster and it would be thrown at her feet as if she were a peasant. The rebellious Lorelai bubbled within her and threatened to explode in sarcastic remarks and obscene phrases, but she knew that this job was one of the few things in her life that kept her alive and she couldn't afford to let go of that.
---
Lorelai never knew what friends were. To her, friends were just people that you could talk to in the hallways. To her, friends were the people you borrowed lipstick and nail polish from. To her, friends were the people who constantly stabbed you in the back and then pretended like they never did so. She had become good friends with Mia because of their experience together, but she could never talk to her because she was always busy arranging rooms for customers and ordering new things for the inn, like towels and business cards.
One day, Lorelai was quite frantic because a large company was to be arriving at the inn shortly. She folded white sheet after white sheet and placed more than one hundred delicately wrapped pillow mints on top of silver pillowcases. She cursed several times as she bent over to pick up fruit that had spilled from a fruit basket. She wouldn't have time to fix two other rooms and get replacement fruit. The situation seemed impossible.
"Let me help you with that. I have some extra fruit in my cart." A young woman not much older than Lorelai was hovering with an orange in one hand and an apple in the other.
An exasperated Lorelai looked up. The woman's nametag read: Alison. "Oh, thanks Alison. I can be so clumsy sometimes."
A smile tugged the edges of Alison's mouth. "Not a problem Lorelai. I've seen you around…I don't think we've met though."
"No, I haven't talked to you." Lorelai smiled gratefully. "Let's hurry with this fruit so we both can finish our rooms."
Both women bent over and began rearranging the infamous fruit basket. Alison stacked oranges, bananas, grapes, and apples while Lorelai cut and weaved silver ribbon through the grid of the basket.
Dusting off their knees, they rose at the same time. Alison gestured to the next hallway over. "Okay, well I've got to be going. I've got 42 and 44 left to do. If you ever need anything, I'm the housekeeping manager so feel free to let me know."
"I will. Thanks Alison."
So their friendship began. They spoke to each other in the hallway, they shared lipstick and nail polish, but they didn't stab each other in the back.
Alison served as Lorelai's mentor -- quietly correcting her fireplace arrangements and meticulously teaching her how to fold napkins for high profile room service trays. Lorelai taught Alison how to have fun – twisting her arm into attending parties and enlightening her by showing her how to steal promotional pens and drinks from the executive luncheons.
---
Every five years or so, Mia went on a promotion extravaganza. Cooks became chefs, receptionists became managers of some department, and gardeners became landscape designers. It was a tense time…employees' faces tightened with smiles dressed to impress and some of the maids purposely folded towels in Mia's line of sight. Everyone hoped to make that list of promoted employees. Except for Lorelai. She was happy with where she was…she didn't need a promotion.
She continued with her routine; separating shampoos from conditioners and lotions from face creams. She went back into the hallway and was greeted by a beaming Alison. Lorelai opened her mouth to ask what the joyous occasion was, but before she could, Alison breezed by, shoving something into Lorelai's hand and yelling that she needed to finish something in another room. Lorelai furrowed her brow and opened the taped envelope.
The paper read:
Congratulations Lorelai. You've been promoted to housekeeping manager. Don't argue because you deserve it. You're one of the best. Love, Mia.
As if the announcement wasn't shocking enough, there was a navy blue and silver pen taped to the bottom with a small note attached to it. A closer inspection revealed Alison's detailed script.
"You're going to need this."