How did mom's Hello Kitty clock end up by my bed? Ok, ten minutes till six. I'll stay in bed until six. I get to sleep in. Why don't I want to sleep in? Nine minutes till six. There's too much to do. Screw this. I'm getting up.
I throw off the pink chenille bedspread. A quick look in the mirror tells me my hair is unmussed and my skin is pink and glowing, as usual. My Paul Frank pajamas must have been delivered by little birds courtesy of my fairy godmother, because there is no way I could afford them. Dean's bracelet is comfortable on my wrist. The medallion is Celtic, very old, and magical. We can send each other telepathic messages as long as I am wearing it. I try to send him a mental image of how cute I am this morning, but he's still asleep. Oh well.
I go to the bathroom, but only to pull my hair back into a perky ponytail. I never pee or brush my teeth or shower. I'm too cute for that stuff. My bathroom smells like baby powder and perfume. The window is open into the yard even though this is an interior room, and there is a squirrel sitting on the sill. It hops over onto the sink and climbs up my arm to nuzzle my ear and give me directions to its stash of nuts just in case I ever need a snack.
In our cheerful kitchen I put on some coffee because I know mom will be so happy to wake up to coffee. When I open the back door, I find a bottle of milk along with a copy of the newspaper. I pour myself some Cheerios and milk in a glass bowl big enough to fit my head inside. I eat three fourths of this while I read this morning's edition of the Stars Hollow Gazette, which features a story on the festival this weekend, and then leave the bowl for the house elves to wash when I'm gone.
Out of my antique wardrobe I select a pair of red cordorouys, a sweet blue fitted polo with little puffed sleeves and buttons shaped like flowers, and a light denim jacket. My Keds are sparkling white. My leather satchel bag contains a pack of bubblegum, my pager, and a copy of Finnegans Wake, which I find just a breeze to read.
The front door opens for me of its own accord, and I skip down the porch steps and into the yard.
"Rory, honey, ya look gorgeous!" Babette is reconfiguring the positions of her garden gnomes. They scurry around from place to place, occupying whatever new spot she points at from her lawn chair.
"Thanks, Babette. And I think Georgy and Fuddle should be over next to the wishing well."
"You're right, honey, thanks, doll!"
"Keep cool, kid."
That must be Morrie but strangely I can't seem to see him anywhere. I walk through the front gate and am teleported instantly to the town gazebo, which is covered in tulle, white twinkle lights and apple pies. Something is flashing in my eyes, and I try to shield my delicate, cornflower blue irises with a paper star. Then I realize it's Lane using a mirror to Morse code a message to me from her bedroom window. She must be grounded for looking at a bottle of nail polish again.
"Need you. Come over. Must have human contact."
A random townie offers me her compact and I Morse code back:
"I'll come by later after I run around town unescorted and do as I wish while my mother sleeps at home with no knowledge of where I am."
I try to give the compact back to the lady but she insists I keep it along with a hundred dollar bill and a bouquet of sunflowers.
"I heard they were your favorites so I grew them in my garden and always carry some into town with me in hopes that I'll run into you."
Wow. People sure are nice in this town.
The bell on the door at Luke's rings when I open it and an angel appears out of nowhere to inform me that I'm next on the list to get my wings, but I tell him I've got five pair at home already and nowhere to keep more.
"How about a halo?"
"Okay."
I sit on the diner stool right in front of the old-fashioned cash register and start pushing all the buttons to see what happens. Luke comes out of the kitchen with his order pad and a pencil.
"What's with the headwear, kid?"
I adjust my halo a little to the left. "What, you don't like it?"
"It's great, but it could use a little polishing. Give it to me, I'll do it for you and bring it back by your house this afternoon when I come over to do your mother's chores."
"Wow. Okay, thanks Luke."
"No problem. Here's your large steaming mug of coffee and a slice of pie straight out of the oven. On the house. Just, make sure your mom wears a short skirt today, okay?"
"Why, is there something fancy"
"Just...remember the skirt thing."
"Okay."
I have my coffee and pie while I finish the last chapter of Finnegans Wake. This book was easy, but I think Ulysses was even easier. I mean, I was only six when I read it. In fact, I think I'll rewrite both of them and see about getting them republished. Yeah.
"If you had a small child trapped in a pit in your basement, and it started to turn a little bluish, what would you feed it?" Kirk has taken the seat next to me and is whispering to me and giving all the other townies nervous looks.
"Haha. Kirk, you're so loveable and awkward."
Uh-oh, Dean is sending me a telepathic message. He wants me to meet him in front of the bookstore so he can buy me some more books in exchange for a peck on the lips. Yay!
"Bye, Luke!"
"Bye, Rory! Short skirt!"
"Copper boom!"
"Luke, if you had a small child trapped"
The bell rings again as the door shuts behind me. That Kirk sure is wacky.
Dean is leaning against the front window of the bookstore with an enormous pair of wings sprouting out of his back.
I giggle. "You were"
"Right after you on the list."
"The bell at Luke's?"
"Yep, you've given me a gift almost as precious as your presence in my life, Rory."
"Here, let me show you how to fold those up and keep them in your pocket."
Dean buys me first editions of A Light In August, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and To Kill a Mockingbird. I'm going to binge on Southern Literature. Afterwards I let him hold my hand on the walk over to the gazebo, where I allow one kiss and then teleport back to my front gate.
"Mom," I call, as I rush through the front door and throw my books on the hall table for the house elves to put away. "Mom!"
I check the kitchen but the coffee pot is still full, so she can't be downstairs.
Dean telepathically sends me his undying love and I tell him thanks but I'm talking to my mom right now.
"Mom!"
"Wha! What happened!" Mom sits straight up in her bed when I fling open the door. It's funny when she does that.
"Oh, my pride and joy, it's you."
"Yep."
She reaches out and pulls me into her soft, downy comforter and holds me tight. The pillows smell like cinnamon and vanilla. I love my mother. She's so beautiful when she wakes up in the morning. She pulls the cover over our heads and while my eyes adjust to the darkness she smoothes my hair down and kisses my forehead.
"I love you, Rory."
"I love you, too."
"Why don't you pick me out something to wear and then we'll go get coffee."
"I already made coffee, and Luke sent a piece of pie for you."
"You already went to Luke's this morning?"
"Uh-huh, and to the bookstore."
"I'm tired just listening to that. Can I go back to sleep now?"
"Noooo!" I laugh and pull the covers off Mom. I throw open the doors to her wardrobe and pick out a short black skirt and a sparkly blue top to go with it. "How about this?"
"Sure, sweetie."
I'm downstairs pouring two cups of coffee when Mom comes down the stairs. She picks up her cup of coffee and the Gazette. "You and Dean going to the End of Spring Not Quite Summer Festival together?"
"Yeah, but I'm not going to stay too long because I have to get in bed early."
"Rory, it's Saturday. You don't have school tomorrow. Live it up. See what the hour of eleven p.m. looks like outside our house!"
"I can't, I have to study tomorrow. And rewrite two Joyce novels."
"Well, at least eat way too much cotton candy and go to bed with your makeup on."
"You know we don't wear makeup, Mom. We're naturally this perfect."
"Geez, kid, don't they teach you anything about humor in that fancy school of yours?"
The back door swings open and Luke lets himself in. He has Stan the toolbox with him. His eyes dart straight at Mom's thighs and then away.
"I'm...just...gonna fix the mhahthatphmmmm..." He disappears into the living room.
"Boy, I didn't even know we had one of those," Mom says.
We finish our coffee and teleport to the gazebo, where the town declares Mom queen of the festival. Miss Patty leads the elementary school in a dancing parade right up to the gazebo steps and crowns Mom in front of all of Stars Hollow. In her acceptance speech, Mom tells a story involving the band Poison and a crazy toaster that I'm pretty sure she just made up, but the whole town is just cracking up.
The festival has begun and there's a clown and hotdogs and a giant merry-go-round and oops, Dean's sending another message. I don't want to leave Mom, but then Luke comes up and asks her to dance to the strummy-strummy-la-la, so I meet Dean beside the bonfire. We kiss some, and then my back starts to hurt from bending backwards away from Dean so much.
"I have to go now, I really need to go to bed early."
"You have to study tomorrow?"
"Yeah. But I'll leave the curtains open and you can watch me from outside so you don't miss me too much."
"Sounds great!"
A family of bunnies tucks me into my bed at home, and I think about how much fun studying is going to be tomorrow.
Oops, I forgot about Lane.
