Paved Paradise
"Your mother chose the metal casket for your grandmother years ago. This on is lovely and can be used for both sexes, as the linings and the handles are interchangeable, so this one can be used for both your mother and your father."
Lorelai listened to the funeral director at Hartford East Memorial Home droan on and on about caskets, handles, plates, and insurance for the past two hours. Christopher stayed by her side the whole time and listened to the information Mr. Roth, the funeral director was giving her.
"Lor," Christopher said, "These caskets are nice and reasonable."
"Yes, at three thousand ten dollars each, they are quite nice for their price. For both, I'll naturally give you a deal, $5900 for the lot including the brass handles for your father and the rose etched brass one for your mother," Mr. Roth quoted.
Lorelai was sick of it all. She wanted it over with. Not just the arrangements, but everything the wakes, the funeral, everything, "All right," she agreed, finally, "Let's get this done."
Roth smiled dimly, "All right, Ms. Gilmore, let's go up to my office and sign the papers. After that, I'll give you a list of funeral readings and hymns to choose from."
Lorelai nodded, "Um , Tom,is there…what about the eulogy?"
"Generally the eulogy is delivered by a family member, but sometimes it can be written and someone else can read it for you," Mr. Roth explained, "You can decide that and lt me know at the wake."
Lorelai nodded, "Thank you, Mr. Roth for the information."
"No problem, Ms. Gilmore. If you'll just sign by the X and initial by the circle we can get this finished," Mr. Roth pushed two forms towards Lorelai.
"What are these pages, Mr. Roth?" Christopher asked for Lorelai as she started reading.
"The white one is to confirm the order for the caskets, lining, and handles. The blue one is a promise that Ms. Gilmore will pay whatever Mr. and Mrs. Gilmore life insurance policies do not cover," the white haired man explained.
Lorelai scoffed at that, "My parent's policies will more than cover this."
"It's just a precaution," Mr. Roth replied, "The X and the circle."
Lorelai finished reading the contract and signed her name with a flourish of the pen.
"All right, Ms. Gilmore, Mr. Hayden," Mr. Roth said rising, "that'll just about do it. We'll see you Thursday afternoon. We aske the family to arrive about 1:30 pm. See you then."
Lorelai nodded and Chris shook the man's hand as he and Lorelai left the memorial home.
"You okay, Lor," Chris asked, a guiding hand at her back.
"Yeah, I'm good. I'm just glad it's over, that guy was creepy," Lorelai gave a mock shiver.
"No one ever said funeral directors were normal people," Christopher commented then he sighed, "Lorelai, I need you to be serious for a minute, okay?"
"Chris, I'm really fine," Lorelai said, trying to avoid another emotional talk.
"I know that's not what I was going to ask you," Christopher sighed, "Lorelai, you're engaged to Luke, I know you're in love with him, so why am I here instead of him?"
Lorelai stopped walking and was silent for a moment; she didn't think Christopher would question her motives, "So you don't want to be here. You could have said something," she snapped.
"No, it's not that," he assured, "but it's a strange choice, Lor. You didn't call him to the hospital; you don't want him involved in the arrangements. I'm just curious as to why."
Lorelai was quiet again, she couldn't tell the truth, that she couldn't cry in front of him, "Because you're Rory's father, you knew Mom and Dad, we've got history."
"Okay," Chris replied, "good enough."
Back in Stars Hollow, on their favorite bridge, Rory waited for Jess. She knew he'd ask he the question she'd been expecting, why him?
Rory heard footsteps approach the bridge and turned to offer Jess a greeting, "What are you doing here?" she asked when instead of seeing Jess, as she expected, she saw Dean.
"I saw you come out this way, Luke, wouldn't let me talk to you on the phone," he explained, "Why didn't you call me?"
"Because she called me," Jess replied, arriving at the bridge with two bags from Luke's.
"Rory?" Dean's tone held a lot of questions.
"Look," Jess said a bit defensively, "Rory called me because she chose to call me. Why she did that is her business, not ours. She's been through a difficult time and you and I doing our usual chest pounding macho man routine isn't going to help her, so let's act like two adults and let this end properly."
"Sure," Dean replied closing the space between Jess and himself, "get lost. Go back to New York or California, leave Rory to me."
Jess stepped back from Dean and looked at Rory who now sat on the bridge crying. Jess ignored Dean and knelt beside Rory, "I'm sorry, Rory. Here, eat your burger, calm down, and I'll finish this."
"Okay," Jess said to Dean, "Now your presence is upsetting Rory. She's all ready upset enough so you need to leave now."
"I want to hear that from her," Dean pointed at Rory.
Rory jumped from her perch on the bridge, "How dense are you? Did you hear Jess? I called him; I want to talk to him. Go home, Dean. Go back to Lindsey, leave me alone!" Rory grew quiet after that outburst and sat down on the bridge, taking a huge bite of her burger.
"You heard it from her," Jess said and quietly, "Thank you for your concern. See you," Jess sat down next to Rory then and began sharing her French fries ignoring Dean's presence and exit.
"Luke, Rory, I'm home," Lorelai called once Christopher dropped her off in front of the house.
"I'm in here," Luke called from the kitchen, "Rory's out with Jess."
Lorelai followed Luke's voice to the kitchen, "Hey," she whispered, leaning up to give him a kiss, "What are you making?"
"Pecan pie," Luke replied, "and your favorite butter pecan ice cream."
"Okay," Lorelai sighed, "and this is without begging, what did I do to deserve that?"
Luke leaned over and kissed her lips lightly, "You've been you."
"Call me when that pie's ready I'm going to go and see what I have that is suitable for a funeral," Lorelai said quickly on her way up to the bedroom.
Luke leaned over and checked the pie, "Almost done," he said to himself then he heard Lorelai running down the steps, "Luke! Luke!" she called her voice nearly frantic.
Luke was out to the living room in a flash, "Lorelai, what is it? What's wrong?" he asked, wondering if the melt down he knew was coming had finally come.
"I have one black suit," she told him, holding the outfit, tears beginning to swim in her blue eyes. "I have to go through two days of wakes and one long funeral, and I only have one black suit. And that's a summer suit and it's October and I'll be freezing and shivering and that is so not proper…"
Luke gently took Lorelai by the arms, "Whoa, calm down, Lor. You have plenty of grey suits and a nice navy blue skirt that I love, by the way, you can wear those things."
"No," she shook her head, "I have to wear black suits. My mother will come back and haunt me if I wear anything other than a stylish black suit to her wake and funeral, and I really don't want my mother haunting me for all eternity!" Lorelai's rant finally ended.
"Okay, so," Luke thought for a moment, "Why don't you and I, while the pie's cooling and the ice cream is freezing, hit the mall and find some seasonal, tasteful, stylish, black outfits."
Lorelai listened to Luke's' calm voice, his sensible suggestion, and stomped her foot on the floor, "Why are you doing this?"
"Doing what?" Luke asked, confused.
"Baking me pies, making me ice cream, giving me coffee, offering to take me shopping, why are you being so nice to me? You are never nice to me," Lorelai ranted at Luke.
Luke's jaw dropped and his blue eyes grew bright. Those words hurt him to the very core. He understood Lorelai's armor was up but that was just too much, "Lorelai, I get that you are upset, but how can you say I'm never nice to you? Am I that horrible to you? Just because I don't give you coffee without arguing sometimes, and I get on you about eating junk food, does that make me that bad a person? I don't want you to make yourself sick with that stuff, but I know you love it. And today, I'm trying to do something that you love or even like, because I know how upset you are about losing your parents. You don't want to show it to me or admit it to me, you don't even want to admit it to yourself, but I know you're hurt and I want to make it better. This is the only way I know how to make it better!"
"You can't make it better, Luke! You can't make it better! There is nothing to fix, there is nothing that you can do to change what's happened. I'd appreciate it if you were just sour surly Luke, who rolls his eyes at my coffee addiction and makes me beg for my burger and fries. This nice act is really not making it any easier," Lorelai told him.
Luke nodded, "Okay, but I all ready made the pie and the mall offer…so…"
"Okay, when the pie's done, we'll go look for black suits and you can bug me about how much everything costs," Lorelai agreed.
Luke smiled and kissed her cheek quickly, "Good deal."
Back at the bridge, Rory and Jess were finishing up their burgers. Jess was ill at ease and Rory could tell he had something he wanted to say to her, "So spill it," she said, "What's on your mind?"
"What makes you think there is anything on my mind?" Jess asked, toying with his zipper.
"Because you are playing with your clothing and you are not the clothing player type, so what's bugging you?" Rory asked.
"Nothing really, Rory, it's just…I'm going to get kind of mushy here for a minute, document this moment, it does not come around very often, but…" Jess sighed, "But I just wanted to say, I'm glad that you can, that you thought you could call me, that you knew I was telling the truth last summer when I told you could count on me now. I'm so glad that you want me to be here for you, I'm just sorry that it took something like this for you to realize it." Jess studied the pond.
Rory reached out her hand and lifted Jess' chin, gently turning his neck so that their eyes met, "Jess, this is the hardest thing I've ever done, and there is no one I'd rather have at my side then you. I'm just sorry we lost so much time. I want…I want us to start over, to start new…but I want us to do it in Stars Hollow. That's what freaked me out last May, not leaving with you, it was leaving," she explained.
"Rory, I bailed on you, twice," Jess confessed, "but I never stopped lov…"
Jess didn't get a chance to finish his sentence. Rory's lips were on his, gently parting them with her tongue. It was a reunion for them. They'd been rejoined by the tragedies in Rory's life, but they were never reunited until this kiss.
"Wow," Jess gasped, "You really learned a few things from me, huh?"
"I am a quicker learner," Rory quipped, leaning her head against Jess' shoulder, "Jess?"
"Huh?" he answered.
"It hurts, you know?" she told him on a sigh.
Jess lifted his arm and cradled her head next to his chest, "I know it does. You loved your grandparents and they are gone now. But I'm here, and I'll always be here. I promise you that. I love you, Rory."
Rory rubbed her cheek against Jess' shirt and whispered, "I love you too."
They sat there a moment, holding each other, listening to the breeze, then Rory spoke again, "Jess?"
"Yes, Rory," he replied.
"Come with me, to the funerals?" she requested not looking at him, just holding on to him.
"Of course, I will, Rory," he replied dropping a kiss on her head, "You didn't even need to ask."