YALE, TUESDAY MORNING
As Rory got her breakfast in the cafeteria, she suddenly noticed someone coming towards her. It was the guy from the nightclub at Lane's gig.
"Hey, I remember you," he said.
"Yup, that was me," said Rory, as she sat down and pulled out a book.
"So I saw you talking to that band the other night, do you know them?" he asked.
Rory looked up from her book. "Yes, I know them. The drummer is my best friend, and you were right that that was their first big gig ever. I'm sure all your other predictions about them will come true as well. Now if you'll excuse me I have studying to do," Rory said, annoyed.
"Mind if I sit here?" he asked, sitting down with his breakfast tray.
"It's a free country," she replied.
"I'm James," he said. "I think I owe you an explanation. I actually really liked your friend's band."
Rory looked up from her book. "What?" she asked.
"Yes, they were a little green, I could tell that they're new to the scene, but I thought their sound was really original."
"So why did you brush them off like that?"
"Now this is where things get a little embarrassing," explained James. "When I saw you sitting at the bar by yourself, I-uh, well I liked the way you looked, so I decided to come over to say hello."
"You were trying to pick me up by insulting my friend's band?" Rory asked.
"I didn't know you were friends with them. I guess I was trying to sound cool. I hope you didn't tell your friend what I said," said James.
"No, your secret is safe with me."
"Well anyway I saw you in here just now, I didn't think I'd ever see you again, so I took it as a sign, so I just thought I'd come over here to apologize and maybe start over again?"
"Uh, OK," Rory said hesitantly.
"So you're a big music fan, huh?"
"Well not as big as Lane is, but my mom and I have a pretty big CD collection."
"Your mom and you?" asked James. "You share music with your mother?"
"Yeah, you'd understand if you met her. My mom isn't like most mothers."
"She must not be. Hey, what classes are you taking this semester?" he asked.
"Well I've got calculus with Dr. Fisher..."
"That's a great class. You'd never believe how much fun you can have with integrals."
"You're right, I'll never believe it," Rory replied, smiling.
James glanced at his watch. "Hey, I'm actually meeting some people over there, but would you like to get some coffee later with me?"
"Um, well, OK," agreed Rory. She pulled out a pen and wrote her number down on a piece of paper. "Give me a call later. My last class is done at 3:15."
"OK, take care," James said as he left.
LATER, RORY'S DORM ROOM
Rory was changing her clothes when Paris walked in.
"I saw him," said Paris.
"Who?"
"Asher."
"Well Paris, it was bound to happen sometime. This campus isn't that big."
"And get this, he said 'hello Paris' to me"
"That bastard," replied Rory.
"'hello Paris.' As if there was nothing between us, no history, or else he just didn't care. Do you think he just didn't care?"
"I think he was probably just playing it cool, I mean you wouldn't want a scene right there in the middle of the campus. And it's bound to happen that you'll be seeing each other sometimes," said Rory.
"Oh God, what was I thinking that I could handle this? That's it, I'm going to have to transfer to another school. But Harvard wouldn't take me and Jamie is at Princeton so I can't go there. That's it, I'm going to have to go to some community college, and I'll end up working for the 'Supermarket Times' newspaper writing stories on how to choose the best cantaloupes."
"Stanford, Brown, Berkley..." suggested Rory.
"What?"
"Oh, just a few other places you might consider before that community college."
"Oh please," said Paris.
"Paris, you can't run away every time you break up with someone," said Rory.
"Well not everyone can be so cool and collected around our exes the way you are with Dean," said Paris. "But I'm really thinking you had the right idea last year with not dating anyone."
Rory looked uncomfortable. Just then there was a knock on the door. Rory went to answer it.
"Hey," she said as she saw James and motioned for him to come it. "Paris, this is James."
"Hey," Paris nodded to James. "I'll go start checking out Brown," she said to Rory, eyeing James up and down. "In case you want to join me there." Paris went into the other room.
"You ready to go?" asked James.
"Sure," Rory agreed as they headed out the door.
GILMORE RESIDENCE, 7PM
"Hello?" said Christopher, opening the door and letting himself in.
"Christopher!" shouted Lorelai, running in from the kitchen. "What are you doing here?"
"I thought I'd surprise my girlfriend," he replied as they kissed. "You got any plans tonight? Did you eat yet?"
"Yes, but that's not going to stop me from letting you take me out for another dinner," said Lorelai, playfully tugging on his tie. "Hey, don't you have to work tomorrow? What are you doing here?"
"Well, I was going to tell you over dinner, but I guess we can do it now. I'm down here to meet with an old friend of mine. We're discussing going into business together."
"Um, Christopher..."
"Now I know what you're thinking, I wasn't exactly a resounding success with my business ventures in California, but this is different."
"This is different. This time will be different. Chris, you've said that lots of times before," said Lorelai.
"Just hear me out. First of all, I'm not quitting my other job, at least not until things are up and running and solidly profitable."
"OK..." said Lorelai.
"Second, I'm doing it with a partner who has tons of experience in the field. He's actually taking the bigger risk than I am, with all the money he's putting into it, and he's quitting his job right off the bat. He says this is totally the time to be doing this, with the economy on the upswing like it is. And the last reason this is different, well it's the reason I'm doing this in the first place."
"What?" asked Lorelai, confused.
"You," he said. "If this works out, I'll be able to move down here. We could move in together like we discussed."
"Oh Christopher, what about Gigi?"
"I'll see her on weekends. Come on, Lorelai, I'm really excited about this, can't you be excited too? Don't you want to move in together?"
"Chris, of course I'd love to do the Ozzie and Harriet thing with you, I'm just afraid of history repeating itself. We don't exactly have a great track record as far as family life goes, you and me."
"We've never really tried, Lor. We've never been in the right place to try. Give this a chance. It's not going to happen right away anyway, it could be months or even a year before we turn a profit."
"OK, Chris," agreed Lorelai. "I'll try to keep an open mind."
"Thanks," said Christopher as he kissed her. "Let's go get something to eat."
RESTAURANT, 8:30
"You said you had dinner already, right?" said Christopher.
"Yep. Al's Pancake World, had some Pad Thai. They're doing Thai food this month."
"How is it possible that you could eat one dinner, then proceed to put away a complete dinner of steak, potatoes, and dessert, not 2 hours later?" Christopher asked incredulously.
"Years of practice, my friend," replied Lorelai. "Oh hey, Rory called me today. Apparently she's met a new guy."
Christopher's eyes widened. "Someone at Yale?"
"Well he goes to Yale, but I guess she met him for the first time at Lane's gig the other night. She said he was really rude about the band, but then he totally did an about-face and said he was only saying it to act cool around her. Anyway they had coffee this afternoon and I think love may be in the air for our daughter. I swear I haven't heard anyone gush this much about a guy since Joe Millionaire, and at least that guy had money."
"No he didn't."
"Yeah, but they thought he did," said Lorelai.
"Sounds like trouble," said Christopher.
"Bigtime," Lorelai agreed.
Christopher's cell phone rang. "Hang on a sec," he said as he answered it.
"Hello?...Yeah, how'd it go? We got it? Oh Sherry that's great! Thanks for calling. Bye." Christopher hung up his phone and turned to Lorelai. "Sherry has been trying to get Gigi into this preschool program that's supposed to be the best in Massachusetts. Looks like she's pulled it off, she just told me we made the lottery!"
"Congratulations," said Lorelai with a hint of sarcasm.
"What?" asked Christopher.
"Chris, she's not even 2 yet."
"Yeah, but you have to get on these waiting lists really early to get slots..."
"Christopher, it's a preschool. What difference does it make if it's the best one in Massachusetts, or the worst one in Stars Hollow?"
"We're just trying to give her the best start that we can," said Christopher.
"No, Sherry is trying to use it as a status symbol and you're just buying into all of it," accused Lorelai.
"What is your problem with this?" asked Christopher.
"Rory didn't even go to preschool and she's going to Yale now."
"Oh, here goes the Mother-of-the-Year routine. Yes, we got lucky with Rory, but that doesn't mean that she couldn't have benefited from a few more things."
"Or she could have turned into a total snob from having things handed to her," said Lorelai.
"Oh, that's what this is about? Your whole class warfare with your parents? Look, I know that you've worked your way up from nothing and you're very proud of it, and you should be. But don't blame me for wanting to give my daughter every advantage that I can," accused Christopher.
"I can't believe you're going along with this," said Lorelai. "I thought we both felt the same about..."
"And what business do you have telling me how to raise my daughter, anyway?" said Christopher.
"None whatsoever, apparently," said Lorelai as she stood up. "I'm going outside to get some air," she said as she stormed out of the restaurant.
Christopher paid the bill, got the car, and drove Lorelai home in silence.
As Rory got her breakfast in the cafeteria, she suddenly noticed someone coming towards her. It was the guy from the nightclub at Lane's gig.
"Hey, I remember you," he said.
"Yup, that was me," said Rory, as she sat down and pulled out a book.
"So I saw you talking to that band the other night, do you know them?" he asked.
Rory looked up from her book. "Yes, I know them. The drummer is my best friend, and you were right that that was their first big gig ever. I'm sure all your other predictions about them will come true as well. Now if you'll excuse me I have studying to do," Rory said, annoyed.
"Mind if I sit here?" he asked, sitting down with his breakfast tray.
"It's a free country," she replied.
"I'm James," he said. "I think I owe you an explanation. I actually really liked your friend's band."
Rory looked up from her book. "What?" she asked.
"Yes, they were a little green, I could tell that they're new to the scene, but I thought their sound was really original."
"So why did you brush them off like that?"
"Now this is where things get a little embarrassing," explained James. "When I saw you sitting at the bar by yourself, I-uh, well I liked the way you looked, so I decided to come over to say hello."
"You were trying to pick me up by insulting my friend's band?" Rory asked.
"I didn't know you were friends with them. I guess I was trying to sound cool. I hope you didn't tell your friend what I said," said James.
"No, your secret is safe with me."
"Well anyway I saw you in here just now, I didn't think I'd ever see you again, so I took it as a sign, so I just thought I'd come over here to apologize and maybe start over again?"
"Uh, OK," Rory said hesitantly.
"So you're a big music fan, huh?"
"Well not as big as Lane is, but my mom and I have a pretty big CD collection."
"Your mom and you?" asked James. "You share music with your mother?"
"Yeah, you'd understand if you met her. My mom isn't like most mothers."
"She must not be. Hey, what classes are you taking this semester?" he asked.
"Well I've got calculus with Dr. Fisher..."
"That's a great class. You'd never believe how much fun you can have with integrals."
"You're right, I'll never believe it," Rory replied, smiling.
James glanced at his watch. "Hey, I'm actually meeting some people over there, but would you like to get some coffee later with me?"
"Um, well, OK," agreed Rory. She pulled out a pen and wrote her number down on a piece of paper. "Give me a call later. My last class is done at 3:15."
"OK, take care," James said as he left.
LATER, RORY'S DORM ROOM
Rory was changing her clothes when Paris walked in.
"I saw him," said Paris.
"Who?"
"Asher."
"Well Paris, it was bound to happen sometime. This campus isn't that big."
"And get this, he said 'hello Paris' to me"
"That bastard," replied Rory.
"'hello Paris.' As if there was nothing between us, no history, or else he just didn't care. Do you think he just didn't care?"
"I think he was probably just playing it cool, I mean you wouldn't want a scene right there in the middle of the campus. And it's bound to happen that you'll be seeing each other sometimes," said Rory.
"Oh God, what was I thinking that I could handle this? That's it, I'm going to have to transfer to another school. But Harvard wouldn't take me and Jamie is at Princeton so I can't go there. That's it, I'm going to have to go to some community college, and I'll end up working for the 'Supermarket Times' newspaper writing stories on how to choose the best cantaloupes."
"Stanford, Brown, Berkley..." suggested Rory.
"What?"
"Oh, just a few other places you might consider before that community college."
"Oh please," said Paris.
"Paris, you can't run away every time you break up with someone," said Rory.
"Well not everyone can be so cool and collected around our exes the way you are with Dean," said Paris. "But I'm really thinking you had the right idea last year with not dating anyone."
Rory looked uncomfortable. Just then there was a knock on the door. Rory went to answer it.
"Hey," she said as she saw James and motioned for him to come it. "Paris, this is James."
"Hey," Paris nodded to James. "I'll go start checking out Brown," she said to Rory, eyeing James up and down. "In case you want to join me there." Paris went into the other room.
"You ready to go?" asked James.
"Sure," Rory agreed as they headed out the door.
GILMORE RESIDENCE, 7PM
"Hello?" said Christopher, opening the door and letting himself in.
"Christopher!" shouted Lorelai, running in from the kitchen. "What are you doing here?"
"I thought I'd surprise my girlfriend," he replied as they kissed. "You got any plans tonight? Did you eat yet?"
"Yes, but that's not going to stop me from letting you take me out for another dinner," said Lorelai, playfully tugging on his tie. "Hey, don't you have to work tomorrow? What are you doing here?"
"Well, I was going to tell you over dinner, but I guess we can do it now. I'm down here to meet with an old friend of mine. We're discussing going into business together."
"Um, Christopher..."
"Now I know what you're thinking, I wasn't exactly a resounding success with my business ventures in California, but this is different."
"This is different. This time will be different. Chris, you've said that lots of times before," said Lorelai.
"Just hear me out. First of all, I'm not quitting my other job, at least not until things are up and running and solidly profitable."
"OK..." said Lorelai.
"Second, I'm doing it with a partner who has tons of experience in the field. He's actually taking the bigger risk than I am, with all the money he's putting into it, and he's quitting his job right off the bat. He says this is totally the time to be doing this, with the economy on the upswing like it is. And the last reason this is different, well it's the reason I'm doing this in the first place."
"What?" asked Lorelai, confused.
"You," he said. "If this works out, I'll be able to move down here. We could move in together like we discussed."
"Oh Christopher, what about Gigi?"
"I'll see her on weekends. Come on, Lorelai, I'm really excited about this, can't you be excited too? Don't you want to move in together?"
"Chris, of course I'd love to do the Ozzie and Harriet thing with you, I'm just afraid of history repeating itself. We don't exactly have a great track record as far as family life goes, you and me."
"We've never really tried, Lor. We've never been in the right place to try. Give this a chance. It's not going to happen right away anyway, it could be months or even a year before we turn a profit."
"OK, Chris," agreed Lorelai. "I'll try to keep an open mind."
"Thanks," said Christopher as he kissed her. "Let's go get something to eat."
RESTAURANT, 8:30
"You said you had dinner already, right?" said Christopher.
"Yep. Al's Pancake World, had some Pad Thai. They're doing Thai food this month."
"How is it possible that you could eat one dinner, then proceed to put away a complete dinner of steak, potatoes, and dessert, not 2 hours later?" Christopher asked incredulously.
"Years of practice, my friend," replied Lorelai. "Oh hey, Rory called me today. Apparently she's met a new guy."
Christopher's eyes widened. "Someone at Yale?"
"Well he goes to Yale, but I guess she met him for the first time at Lane's gig the other night. She said he was really rude about the band, but then he totally did an about-face and said he was only saying it to act cool around her. Anyway they had coffee this afternoon and I think love may be in the air for our daughter. I swear I haven't heard anyone gush this much about a guy since Joe Millionaire, and at least that guy had money."
"No he didn't."
"Yeah, but they thought he did," said Lorelai.
"Sounds like trouble," said Christopher.
"Bigtime," Lorelai agreed.
Christopher's cell phone rang. "Hang on a sec," he said as he answered it.
"Hello?...Yeah, how'd it go? We got it? Oh Sherry that's great! Thanks for calling. Bye." Christopher hung up his phone and turned to Lorelai. "Sherry has been trying to get Gigi into this preschool program that's supposed to be the best in Massachusetts. Looks like she's pulled it off, she just told me we made the lottery!"
"Congratulations," said Lorelai with a hint of sarcasm.
"What?" asked Christopher.
"Chris, she's not even 2 yet."
"Yeah, but you have to get on these waiting lists really early to get slots..."
"Christopher, it's a preschool. What difference does it make if it's the best one in Massachusetts, or the worst one in Stars Hollow?"
"We're just trying to give her the best start that we can," said Christopher.
"No, Sherry is trying to use it as a status symbol and you're just buying into all of it," accused Lorelai.
"What is your problem with this?" asked Christopher.
"Rory didn't even go to preschool and she's going to Yale now."
"Oh, here goes the Mother-of-the-Year routine. Yes, we got lucky with Rory, but that doesn't mean that she couldn't have benefited from a few more things."
"Or she could have turned into a total snob from having things handed to her," said Lorelai.
"Oh, that's what this is about? Your whole class warfare with your parents? Look, I know that you've worked your way up from nothing and you're very proud of it, and you should be. But don't blame me for wanting to give my daughter every advantage that I can," accused Christopher.
"I can't believe you're going along with this," said Lorelai. "I thought we both felt the same about..."
"And what business do you have telling me how to raise my daughter, anyway?" said Christopher.
"None whatsoever, apparently," said Lorelai as she stood up. "I'm going outside to get some air," she said as she stormed out of the restaurant.
Christopher paid the bill, got the car, and drove Lorelai home in silence.