When the doorbell rang, Richard beat Joan to answering it, which was very odd considering Richard nearly never opened the door for company.
"Cecelia!" Richard greeted with open arms.
"Richard, darling." Cecelia replied. "I've brought a couple of my workers…"
"Oh, good… good." Richard smiled. "Uh, Joan!" Richard called. "Show these fine men to the sitting room please."
Joan sighed and came into the foyer. "This way." She said softly. She hated this idea of redecorating the sitting room. In fact she had hated everything that had been going on for the past month.
Lorelai came to the top of the stairs and watched as the men strolled into the sitting room. She glanced over at Joan who appeared very upset with this ordeal. Lorelai shrugged. Trying to preserve Emily's life and possessions was proving futile. There was no point in letting this upset her. She walked on down the stairway.
"I'm going out to play with Anna." Lorelai stated. "I'll be back before lunch."
"Take all the time you want." Joan replied.
Richard spotted Lorelai exiting out of the kitchen door. "Lorelai!" he called. "Cecelia is here."
"Okay." Lorelai returned.
"Come say hello." Richard continued.
"I can say it from in here." Lorelai's voice echoed. "Hello!" and with that the kitchen door shut.
"I see the discipline issue is still going unresolved." Cecelia noted.
Richard didn't reply. "Well, let's get started on this room, shall we?"
Hours went by. The sitting room became filled with plastic, pant, and tools. The workers were constantly being instructed to do this and that while Richard and Cecelia "supervised." Lorelai had given up playing with Anna quite a while ago, but had been in the kitchen with Joan helping her with chores and preparing dinner.
Joan laughed. "Would you seriously do something like that?"
"Of course I would." Lorelai boldly replied.
"You would not." Joan teased.
"I would so!" Lorelai repeated. "Dare me to do it, you'll see."
"Oh, I'm not going to dare you."
"Why?" Lorelai smirked. "Because you know I'll do it?"
"No, because I know you Lorelai Gilmore you would chew glass before you backed out on a dare."
"You know it." Lorelai said proudly. "Come on, dare me."
"I believe you just want to slip a bug into her soup it and you're looking for an excuse to do so."
"Maybe I am."
"Well, you'll just have to find your excuse somewhere else. I'm certainly not getting involved with that woman again after what happened last month."
"Oh, what do we care if Cecelia gets mad?" Lorelai asked.
"I suggest you stay on your best behavior tonight." Joan added. "And that includes no bugs in the soup."
"Fine." Lorelai sighed. "But I'm going to be hoping all night long that a bug finds its way into her soup all on its own."
Joan smiled. "That would be quite a sight."
As laughter broke out again, Richard opened the kitchen door. "Joan, its nearly 7:00."
"Dinner will be ready in a just a couple more minutes." Joan replied.
"Lorelai, leave the maid be and come sit at the table."
Lorelai's smile quickly faded. Why did Richard called Joan the maid? He used such a condescending voice that it even hurt Lorelai's feelings. Joan had been with the Gilmores ever since Lorelai could remember. She wasn't the maid… she was a part of the family.
"Come along, Lorelai. I don't speak to hear my head rattle." Richard groaned.
This attitude, these words and phrases, They reminded Lorelai so much of the mother she despised. Richard had turned into Emily. Mean. Hateful. Boring. Lorelai scooted off the bar stool and walked into the dinning room.
"Dinner will be out shortly." Richard replied as he took his seat at the table.
"Well, Lorelai there you are." Cecelia noted. "I was beginning to wonder where you had disappeared to."
Lorelai wish she could disappear. "I was in the kitchen."
"Helping the maid?"
"Her name is Joan." Lorelai scoffed.
"But she's still the maid." Cecelia added.
"She's more than that… she's family." Lorelai was becoming upset.
Richard cleared his throat. "Lorelai, that's enough."
Joan gracefully walked out with plates of food. She set down Cecelia's plate first.
"Oh, dear me." Cecelia replied. "I cannot possibly eat this. Richard why didn't you tell me we were having roast beef?"
"I'm sorry dear, what seems to be the problem?" Richard asked.
Lorelai shuttered. She hated it when they used words like, darling, dear, sweetheart… they all made Lorelai sick.
"I absolutely cannot eat roast beef. Doctors orders."
"It's not a problem." Richard said as he held his hand. "Joan… fix something else for Cecelia. What would cease your appetite my dear?" Richard asked.
"Lamb would be more than delicious."
"I'm sorry…" Joan began. "We are fresh out of lamb."
"Oh, well, do you have any lobster?"
"Afraid not." Joan replied.
"Well, what do you have?" Cecelia asked, her voice hardening.
"Roast beef." Lorelai answered with perfect time.
Joan desperately tried to retain herself from smiling.
"Lorelai." Richard scoffed. "Hush."
"I'll just have the soup." Cecelia finally complied. "And a salad."
"Right away ma'am." Joan said as she hurried out of the dinning room.
After dinner was over, Cecelia wasted no time in leaving. She claimed she must hurry home to Karl, but Lorelai knew better. In a sense, Lorelai was pleased with herself. She had only managed to say just a few words, yet they were enough to make Cecelia angry enough to go home earlier than planned.
After Richard had said his goodbyes to Cecelia he came in search of Lorelai.
"What did I tell you young lady?" He asked as he folded his arms. "You are now grounded for a month."
"For what?" Lorelai asked. Although she already knew the answer.
"For your behavior this evening. Lorelai, if you do not stop this intolerable behavior you'll force me to reside to a heavy punishment far worse than grounding. You will learn to respect Cecelia."
Lorelai sighed. She knew there was no point in trying to argue her way out of this. "I'm never going to respect her." Lorelai replied. "You can ground me for life… or punish me with the most intense punishment you can think of, but you can't make me respect her."
Richard's breathing became heavy and off beat. "You will obey me. You will do as you are told. I was going to wait till another time to tell you this, but I think you should get one thing clear, right now. Cecelia is going to be around for a very long time. You might as well get used to it. She and I are planning to be married soon and she will be your step-mother."
Lorelai's heart thumped so hard it felt as if it would break her chest. "What!" She yelled. "You said you'd never get married!"
"I said no such thing." Richard corrected. "I said I was not thinking about getting married."
"You can't marry her!" Lorelai screeched. "I'll run away! I'll leave and I'll never come back!"
Richard snarled. "You will respect her. You will obey her just as you obey me. We are all going to be a family."
"I don't want them here!"
"Well, I do!" Richard yelled. "Stop being so selfish and think of someone else for a change. Emily is dead, Lorelai… she is gone… she is never coming back. I have to go on with my life. This is what is best for me… and this is what is best for you!" Richard's face had become beat red. Never had Lorelai heard so much anger and pain in her father's voice.