Chapter 6: Friday Night Dinner at the Gilmore's

Max and Lorelai were standing outside of the Gilmore house looking at the door—neither one of them quite ready yet to announce their presence to her parents.

"Lorelai, are you sure? We can leave now… I can whip up some of that spaghetti that you love so much…"

"I love you . You know that? I need to do this. For my father. And it's only this one night."

Max nodded.

Finally Lorelai reached out and rang the doorbell.

"Richard, they're here," Emily called out as she was hurrying around making sure that everything looked in order.

"Isabelle, don't just stand there. Answer the door."

The timid maid nodded in response and opened the door to Max and Lorelai.

"Hello Lorelai."

"Emily."

"And you must be Max."

"Yes, I'm pleased to meet you Mrs…"

"Please, call me Emily."

"Well, why don't we head into the living room and have some drinks."

"Lorelai, Max, lovely to see both of you again."

"Hey Dad," Lorelai replied giving her father a hug.

"It's nice to see you again Richard."

"Likewise Max."

They sat in the living room as Emily poured each of them drinks.

Finally Emily broke the silence.

"So Max, tell us about yourself. I understand you're the new English teacher at Chilton? Where were you before Chilton? Where did you study?"

"Well, I got my BA in English at Stanford and then completed my masters and PhD there as well. I also studied for a year at Oxford."

Richard and Emily nodded in approval.

"I then accepted an assistant professor position in the English department at Stanford."

"So how did you end up at Chilton?"

"As much as I loved the environment at Stanford, it has always been a dream of mine to teach at the high school level—to be a part of the more formative years of the education of young people."

"That's very interesting."

"So how did you two meet?" Emily finally asked not being able to stand it any longer.

Max looked at Lorelai. Finally, Lorelai responded, "Max was a teaching assistant when I was an undergraduate student at Stanford."

"You went to Stanford?" Emily replied in shock.

"Yes, I did Emily."

"So what did you major in?"

"I have a masters in business with an emphasis in hotel management."

"Fascinating!" Richard immediately piped up and began a discussion about the state of the business world with his daughter.

The conversation kept up through dinner and then Richard suggested that he and Max have an after dinner drink in his study so Richard could show Max some rare first edition literature that he had in his collection. Max shot an apologetic look toward his wife and followed Richard into the study.

After what seemed like hours to Lorelai, Richard and Max finally emerged. Lorelai immediately noticed that something was troubling Max.

After they said their goodnights and got in the car, Lorelai was finally able to ask her husband what was going on.

"Max, what happened?"

"Lorelai, I'm not sure how to tell you this."

"What is it Max?"

"I saw a picture of you…when you were younger…"

"And what? You thought my hair was hideous—it was the 80s."

"Lorelai, I recognized the picture."

"Max, how?"

"I have a student in one of my classes that is the spitting image of you when you were younger."

Lorelai immediately paled and with her voice breaking asked him, "How.. old?"

"She's 16 Lorelai."

Lorelai nodded trying to take in what Max was telling her.

"She lives in Stars Hollow with a man by the name of Luke Danes. She was found by him abandoned in the gazebo in the center of town when she was only three months old."

"Oh my God Max. It's her. It's her. We found Rory."

"Lorelai, we need to be sure."

"Max, I feel it. I finally found my daughter. My Rory."