Chapter 23
On the eve of my meeting with Vivienne, I found myself on the road home. I don't mean my home, I meant my childhood home in Stars Hollow. I was incredibly nervous about her visit, and I still wasn't sure how I'd handle the situation. Then, I realized that my mom had gone through something similar with April.
"Mom," I said as I walked through the front door. "I come bearing gifts of tacos and coffee!"
"It's been a full hour since my last infusion," my mother called from the kitchen.
"Coffee or tacos?"
"Yes," she replied chuckling.
I made my way to the kitchen and set the bag and drink carrier on the table. My mom dug right into the bag, and I set a coffee next to her.
"Is this from the place by your house? They have the best tacos!"
"Yes, I knew you'd appreciate them," I remarked and started pulling food out of the bag, setting some more in front of my mother.
"You look happy," Lorelai noticed. "What's going on?"
She always knew when things were going on with me when I was younger, and it wasn't any different now.
"I've been seeing someone..." I replied coyly.
"Logan?"
"How?" I wondered. She's like a witch or a fortune teller, I thought. Maybe the Doggy Swami helped her hone these powers.
"Never underestimate the powers of Lorelai Gilmore!" she chuckled.
"Things went in a completely different direction from the last time we talked," I revealed. "I didn't realize how much I had missed him. Obviously, he missed me, too."
"You are quite missable. I've always said that about you," Lorelai said.
"When have you ever said that about me?"
"Every time you go away!" she replied.
"Can we get back to the topic of conversation?"
"What does Richard think?"
"You know, he seems ok with it," I answered confidently.
"And Logan's daughter?" she continued to prod.
"Vivienne," I started and paused. "That's where I'm running into issues."
"She doesn't want you to be her new mommy?" Lorelai quipped.
"It's not that. She's just holding onto this resentment."
"What kind of resentment?"
"The kind that comes from not knowing your brother for the last sixteen years," I said quietly.
"The same one you thought Logan would have?"
"And he did...at first," I revealed.
"He's suddenly cool with it?" she asked confused.
"We're both getting there," I replied.
"What do you have to find in all of this?" she wondered, almost pointedly.
"I'm learning the consequences of my actions and how to deal with the ramifications," I answered softly.
My mother didn't say a word to me for what felt like an eternity. She did, however, get us some more coffee while she thought.
"How can I help with Vivienne?" she broke the silence.
"She's coming over tomorrow to help me with my book. I don't know how to get through to her," I explained. "How did you do it with April?"
"April," she began, "is a horse of a different color. She either likes you or she doesn't. I hooked her early at her thirteenth birthday party. Anna, on the other hand, was the tough one to deal with in the beginning."
"That's not very helpful," I half-laughed.
"Sorry, I can't tell you more, Kid," she replied. "My advice is to find some common ground, and the rest will flow."
I knew she was right, but it did very little to ease my mind on the subject. I was probably overreacting because I saw how excited she seemed to help me out. There was just so much riding on this one meeting, and I wasn't a pessimist; I just always prepared for the worst.
Sitting with my mom, we finished our coffee and chatted about other subjects. While my nerves weren't completely settled, she did manage to distract me with some town gossip. I began taking mental notes for ideas in future books. The locals provided enough fodder to inspire me, and I was eternally grateful for that. In this instance, Kirk and Lulu did not disappoint. Everyone in town is thankful for them raising pets rather than human children. I returned home with more than enough material to start my next book.
That night, I went to bed and dreamt of my small town and Vivienne. It was like a weird musical meeting reality, and it reminded me of the musical Taylor wrote about the history of Stars Hollow except Logan's daughter was the lead. I shot straight up in my bed, confused and breathing heavily. This certainly didn't help my cause, but I used the strangeness to my advantage. I wrote down every detail I could remember from my dream in hopes that I could potentially use some of it in the future. Afterward, I went downstairs and started a pot of coffee in order to face the day.
Why was I so nervous about a teenager's arrival? Oh, because she's my son's half-sister, and I'm dating her father, I thought. My life went from my version of normal to complicated in about sixty minutes.
The doorbell rang, and I leaped out of my skin. I had coffee prepared in anticipation. I opened the door to see Logan's daughter standing before me. Immediately, I felt relief that she actually showed up.
"Vivienne, it's so nice to see you!" I greeted her. "Come in!"
"Thanks," she replied, seeming tentative and nervous.
"Would you like some coffee?" I offered.
"Only with my oxygen," she said with a giggle that seemed to break the slight tension.
"You sound just like my mother!" I remarked.
We eased into some conversation regarding the book and my dilemma. This girl was so sharp, she'd actually homed in on the issue before I said a word about it. After a few minutes of brainstorming ideas, the solution became glaringly obvious. Vivienne was on the same page as me, yet she brought a fresh perspective. She also suggested a couple of other things to me, and she was right on the money.
While many stories were based on incidents in my town, I still had to fill in gaps and find relevant situations for the characters I'd created. I couldn't simply model a character after Kirk, and call him Dirk, while giving him the exact characteristics as real-life Kirk. Fiction didn't work that way. So, when some of my plots didn't add up or make sense to Vivienne, she brought it up. I liked that she questioned and pushed me.
After three solid hours of discussion and writing, I realized the time.
"Wow!" I exclaimed. "I'm starved. Are you hungry?"
"Famished," she replied.
"Chinese it is! Unless you don't want that. Sorry, I should have asked first," I rambled a little bit when I realized I was assuming she liked everything I did.
"No, I love Chinese!" she agreed. "The best place I've found here is the Hunan Garden."
"Then you need to look no further," I assured her. We were more alike than I ever thought, yet, she's very much her own person.
I called in our order and went into the kitchen to grab some snacks to tide us over. I came back to see that she seemed a little more serious. Oh, crap, I lamented silently. How did I screw this up already?
"Hey, what's up?" I asked.
"I'm...I'm..." she paused and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Rory. I've been terrible and -"
"No, you don't have to apologize, although I do appreciate it. You were justified in your feelings," I reassured her.
"I let my emotions overtake me," she admitted.
"Vivienne, you just lost your mom and found out you have a brother," I countered.
"I had a terrible relationship with my mom," she confessed. "And you can call me Viv if you want."
"She was still your mom, and I can tell you're the kind of person who cared, even if your relationship wasn't the best. Trust me, I've spent years watching my own mother and grandmother fight. At the end of the day, they still loved each other," I explained.
"I guess," she reluctantly agreed. "So, why weren't you my mother?"
"Whoa! That's a loaded question," I replied, taken aback by her bluntness. I didn't expect anything like this, especially after the grudge she'd been holding against me since she found out about Richard.
"I've seen the pictures and letters. You and my dad had that happily ever after kind of love," she clarified.
"Life isn't a fairy tale," I said.
"Why not?"
"I couldn't be the kind of wife your dad needed," I answered truthfully.
"He needed?" she wondered curiously.
"I wanted a career of my own and on my own merit. He needed a perfect society wife."
"Were you pining for him all of these years?" she fired off another question.
Wow, this girl must feel very comfortable with me to ask me about these kinds of things, I thought. It was certainly a shift that I wasn't prepared for, but I'd take it.
The doorbell ringing knocked me out of my thoughts, and I was thankful because I really didn't want to answer that question. My answer likely wouldn't satisfy her because I wasn't totally sure I could say definitively one way or the other. Subconsciously, I think I was, but it wasn't apparent until recently.
"Is the food here already?" I wondered aloud.
"You only ordered a few minutes ago," Viv replied.
I went to answer the door wondering if Logan decided to come early. I was in for another surprise entirely when I saw my younger sister. Oh, God, not again, I mumbled to myself.
"What a surprise," she began. "You're home. Do you ever go anywhere?"
"GiGi, it's nice to see you, too," I replied sarcastically.
As usual, she pushed her way past me making her way straight to the drink cart. When she breezed by me, I could smell the alcohol emanating from her skin. She stumbled a little just before she got to the other side of the room.
"Where's the Cristal? You never have anything good," my sister remarked as she poured herself a drink despite my lack of acceptable offerings.
"What are you doing here?" I asked pointedly. "If memory serves me correctly, you are suing me."
"Oh, that's so five minutes ago," she said. "Daddy caved. Your little plan failed, Dear Sister."
"What plan? There was no plan," I rebutted and looked over at Viv, who was watching the whole situation in attentive awe. Sometimes, I felt like my life was really just a telenovela. I couldn't make up these situations even if I tried.
"Your stupid plan to ruin me and leave me for broke!"
"You spent your money, not me," I reminded her.
"You know you were trying to poison Daddy against me and cut me off because you couldn't stand to be second to me! I always knew you were jealous of me, but I didn't know the lengths you would go to until this little stunt of yours! Daddy loves me and not you. I know it kills you that he loves me more!" she rambled.
Viv's attention was going back and forth like she was watching a tennis match, and she watched intently to see what I was going to say next. I didn't have the words because my sister was not only drunk but delusional as well. Feeling the need to talk to my dad, I grabbed my phone and started walking toward the kitchen. Then, I stopped and turned around.
"Why are you here, GiGi?"
At that moment, I realized that she had passed out in the chair nearest to the drink cart. Viv was in utter disbelief at what had transpired before her very eyes. She got up and walked toward me being as quiet as she could. Wanting to say something, she stood near me looking a little confused about the whole situation.
"That's my sister, GiGi," I began. "It's a long story."
"GiGi Hayden?" she asked curiously, and I nodded. "Party girl extraordinaire?"
"That's the one," I replied. I hated that this is what her life had become because she'd waster her youth and any potential she may have had. I didn't care that she enjoyed having a good time. I remember being young, but I grew up. Maybe I was lucky because my Mom taught me about hard work and not taking everything for granted. I tend to think it was due to her mother's laissez-faire, hippie approach to parenting coupled with the Hayden fortune that created the spoiled adult-child we have today.
"I thought that was all just an act!"
"Oh, no, it's not. I think at first it may have been, but she has evolved into the character she was playing," I explained. "I wish it were fake."
A car's honking horn pulled my attention out the window. I could see it was the one in front of my house. So, I went outside to find out why there were making such a racket. I assumed it was for my sister. I approached cautiously.
"Can I help you?" I asked.
"Where's GiGi?" the man asked, obviously irritated.
"She passed out inside. I'll help you get her out here if you'd like," I offered.
"No, way! Screw you, lady!"
The man rolled up his window and drove away before I could say anything more. I'm not surprised by the lack of loyalty among GiGi's crowd. Great, I thought as I went back inside. Now, I'm stuck with her.
"Mom, I'm home," Richard's voice called from the kitchen.
"We're in the living room," I shouted back. I didn't care if I woke Sleeping Beauty.
"Ritchie," Viv greeted him. "I didn't know your aunt was the GiGi Hayden."
"How did you -" he began when he saw her passed out on the chair. "Oh, no."
"I'll be right back, you two. I've got to make a call," I announced and went into the kitchen to call my father.
"Hey, Rory," my dad answered my call. "How's it going?"
"Why did you cave?" I didn't feel like beating around the bush with all the nice chit chat.
"I assume you're talking about GiGi," he said.
"I thought you were going to stand your ground this time. Instead, you pretend to be Mr. Tough Guy and then give in just like every other time. Now, she's passed out in my living room but not before she'd bragged about you loving her more, etc., etc."
"I'm sorry, Rory -"
"And I'm tired of all of this...drama. I refuse to be her verbal punching bag anymore, Dad," I continued my rant.
"That's not exactly what happened," he countered.
"Then what's the real story?" I asked.
He went on to explain that he's buying her a modest place to live while she gets a degree, and he'll give her a monthly stipend for living expenses, but it won't be anything close to what she was getting before. She's got to pass her classes as a condition of receiving any of his help.
"I want her to be able to support herself and not sponge off me for the rest of my life. Nothing else has changed and won't until she can prove to me that she's not going to throw this all way like she's done before," he finished.
"I knew there had to be more to the story than what she was telling me before she passed out," I replied sounding a little relieved. "I think you should come to get her because her ride took off, and frankly, I don't want her in my house."
"No problem, I'll be there in ten minutes," he said. "I'm sorry, kiddo. I hate that you've been stuck in the middle of her battle with jealousy. I just wish she could be more like you."
"Thanks, Dad," I said and hung up.
I went back into the living room. The kids must have gone upstairs, I thought. So, I went back into the kitchen to get some coffee. I certainly didn't want to be the one to wake the passed-out party girl. s promised, my dad showed up to get my sister. He was a lot faster than I thought he'd be, but I didn't care. I just wanted her gone.
"She's in the living room," I nodded my head toward the other room.
"I'm really sorry, Rory," he apologized again. "I hate that things are like this but I'm hoping they will be better soon."
"I do, too, Dad," I replied with a soft smile before he headed into the living room.
"GiGi, it's time to get up and get you home," my dad said.
"Daddy? Is that really you? I knew you'd come for me!" she replied sweetly and slightly slurred.
I could see Viv and Richard watching the spectacle from the landing, trying not to laugh audibly.
"Stand up," he ordered and pulled her feet.
"I knew you loved me more than that old fuddy-duddy, Rory," GiGi said in a fake tone. It was as if she was putting on some show for him. Thankfully, he didn't seem to be buying it.
As they left, you could hear her rambling incoherently about his love for her and how mean I was, but it turned into gibberish. I closed the door behind them and sighed in relief.
"Is she gone?" I heard Richard call from the stairs.
"Yes!" I cheered. "Let's hope she finally stays away for a while."
"I doubt it, but here's to hoping," he replied.
The kids went into the living room while I cleaned up the small mess my sister had made. It was embarrassing that a grown woman had turned into such a train wreck. I know my dad wasn't blameless in this situation because Sherry had certainly contributed to the spoiling, but why didn't anyone try to stop this sooner? Was this some sort of phase they thought she'd grow out of?
"Hey, Mom," Richard called from the other room.
"Yeah?"
"We're trying to come up with something to watch tonight, and we can't decide," he replied.
I stood at the entrance of the living room. "What are the choices?"
"I think we should watch Inside Out," Viv jumped in.
"No, we're watching Judy," Richard rebutted.
"How about a compromise, and we do Pulp Fiction?" I suggested.
"Pulp Fiction is a compromise how?" he replied bewildered by my choice.
"It's not, but it's a great movie," I retorted.
I went back into the kitchen to grab a snack to tide us over. Just as I came back into the living room, the doorbell rang.
"Oh, thank, God! I thought the food was never going to come!" Viv exclaimed.
I went to answer the door and found Logan standing with several bags of food and a smile on his face.
"I caught the delivery guy and took care of it," he announced.
"Well, he got a very nice tip because I've got an account there and already paid," I explained.
"That's why he was so happy," Logan revealed, and we both laughed.
"Better hurry inside because your daughter is starving," I warned him.
"Did you two have a good time?" he asked hopefully.
"Yes, it was just what we needed," I answered.
"Good, I'm glad to hear that," he said with a small kiss on my cheek.
We walked into the living room, where Viv and Richard were chatting. I wanted her to hear what I was going to say next.
"I'm actually considering asking Viv if she wants to be my permanent beta reader," I revealed.
"You what?" she squealed. "Are you for real?"
"I loved working with you today, and you've got a great eye."
"As long as it doesn't interfere with school," Logan chimed in.
"You know that's not going to be a problem on my end," I said.
"I promise, Dad!" Viv vowed.
"I trust we can keep this quiet. Right, Viv?" I asked. I really didn't want people to know the inner workings of my process or my stories.
"I'm the queen of secrets!" she agreed with a huge smile.
I felt good about how things had turned out. Viv had been a huge help, and we'd really bonded over my book. There was a huge sense of relief, and now, maybe, things could finally get back to normal, whatever that was.
