Chapter 156
April 20th, 2022
Rory wished she wouldn't be coming straight from work, and the best she had to go on was a pack of wet wipes which she was currently hastily using on her armpits in the bathroom closest to her classroom at Chilton, no longer caring if any of her students saw her since she was already running a little late. Thankfully, the place was deserted.
It was also the first day she'd worn her new pair of black maternity pants as well, her old pair having begun feeling a little tight, also sensing how it made it feel more real to her. The blouse top she wore - a simple sleeveless white button-up - was still from the regular department though a size larger than she usually wore, as now her breasts were no longer just sensitive, but all the bras and shirts had begun to feel tighter too. She was a lot more conscious about all the little changes her body was going through, and knowing what this meant - the tightness in her belly, the tingly feeling in her breasts… she couldn't wait to feel the baby's kicks, for her bump to show… for people to actually notice. Last time she'd almost been ashamed of it a litte, worrying someone was going to ask about her career or even perhaps assume that she was having the baby because of the lack of a career. This time, while not in an ideal place with her career either, she felt proud.
The chime of her phone pulled her out of her thoughts, reminding her that Logan had arrived, having earlier gotten a similar message about him being on his way. That was another thing that seemed to be happening to her these days - she got easily side tracked by her thoughts, losing track of time - not exactly ideal for a school teacher. But so far her students seemed forgiving, thank god she didn't have a student like Paris in her classes.
Rory pulled on her floral bomber jacked, and simply brought the blazer she'd been wearing in her classes earlier with her, since the weather was too warm for two layers this afternoon.
She'd been avoiding thinking about where they were going the entire day, knowing she'd think herself crazy if she dwelled on it. She also knew this was making Logan nervous as well and this time she really felt she needed to be the strong one for him.
But now as she made her way downstairs, she was definitely feeling the nerves in the pit of her stomach too. Shira, while not half as intimidating these days, she was still Shira, the mother-in-law-to-be. Deep down Rory still wanted that acceptance - that she was good enough for Logan in her eyes, even if she knew it to be just wishful thinking and she'd probably never hear her say anything of the sort. She was probably still the woman who'd broken up Logan's marriage, even if that wasn't directly the real cause.
Logan was on the phone as she arrived, having gotten out of the car to talk, and walked around the car as he saw her to open her the car door and give her a small kiss, his phone still in his ear. He didn't always do it - but especially lately he was definitely in a care-taking mode. But it was cute, and even now it made Rory smile.
"Yeah, I'll talk to my sister and I'll get back to you," Logan replied, finishing up the call, and got into the car. He was already getting business calls related to the HPG, even if he'd only really given them a finger.
"Hey," Rory finally said, getting his full attention and reached over to kiss him again, the casual kiss earlier having not been enough.
"Hey," he exhaled and smiled back at her. "You good?" he asked, as he'd begun to ask now more and more, healtwize, worrying each time she was feeling tired or achy, even though there wasn't a whole lot of that yet.
"Yeah, ready when you are," Rory said.
With Maddie Medley's 'Buzz' in the background they drove to the outskirt of town, approaching the gated neighbourhood that had once been home for Logan, but that didn't really feel that anymore, one villa larger and more grand than the other, passing them by. There was one owned by managing partner of the well-known retail chain, one that Logan knew to be involved in the World Wrestling Entertainement business, a few owned by famous plastic surgeons, another by a retired Broadway actor with whom it was all very hush-hush, and one currently being built by a founder of a famous investment company. While the community was the crown jewel of the area, Logan could definitely sense the neighbourhood aging. It was no longer the place where young people drove around in spots cars chasing girls or the hottest party, but rather about people going out for a round of golf or still-life painting classes at the country club. The golf cart at the driveway of one of the houses was proof of that.
"It looks so different in daylight," Rory commented, as Logan drove up the driveway towards the house. "You know, you never really spoke much about what it was actually like to live here," she noted.
"Because I preferred to do as little living in here as possible," Logan commented, jokingly. "But yeah, I guess I haven't," he commented, not wanting to brush her off. He didn't mind talking about it anymore, but now was not the time.
Living there had had its moments, certainly, even if the pricy art and marble hadn't mattered to him that much back in the day. If there was anything he regretted in regards to this place, it was that there hadn't been too much time that him and Honor had spent there together when they hadn't been on each-other's toes. It had always been at a time when it had been about one being a nuisance to the other, or an embarrassment, or the other just being too cool for the other. The age gap had not made it easy until they'd both been in their teens and then, genuinely having missed each other, they'd begun to hang out more and more when they were home for holidays, being each-other's subparties, allies. He was so glad, relieved, they'd grown into what they were now.
Soon enough they stood there, a little awkwardly, the dark metal gates feeling a littel threatening, waiting for someone to open the door for them.
The door was opened by a maid - a personal touch to greet one's son was clearly too much to ask.
"Mr. Huntzberger, " the maid nodded and invited them in, but didn't refer to Rory by name.
"Hi, Doris," Logan said, having come a long way, and the casalness of his words made Rory smile. They'd once talked or debated rather, on this topic - whether one should maintain that distance between people who worked for one or not, including whether being on first name basis was a good or a bad thing. Neither had won the debate at that time, the debate having taken a course for something a little more intimate, but Logan had adapted a number of things from her arguments into reality over the years nonetheless.
The foyer was even more grand in the daylight than Rory remembered, and she wasn't even quite sure what had changed. Something certainly had - curtains perhaps or something in those stained glass ceiling panels. Flowers maybe?
"Hi," Rory said to the maid, humbly, handing over her fairly casual jacket, following Logan's lead. Even he'd dressed up for this a little, wearing a pair of navy chinos and a light blue dress shirt. Coming to his mother, into this setting, still came with a set of rules and Rory couldn't help but to feel sorry for him having had that kind of a childhood environment. Surely, she knew it wasn't all like that but as she'd herself been to a fair share of society homes, she'd seen even for example at the Springsteen's where the adult kids worn matching outfits, and she could understand how even the relaxed times came with a set of rules. She came from a very different home, thankfully.
"Mrs. Huntzberger will be with you in minute," Doris said as she led the two into the sitting room. The Valesquez was no longer there, having been replaced by what looked a scene from Venice by Monet or one of the other impressionalists, and there had been definitely some updating going on, some of the colors being a little lighter than Rory remembered.
"Can I offer you something to drink?" Doris offered.
"Thank you, Doris, I'm good - Rory?" Logan said, taking a seat on the couch. Rory joined him.
"A glass of water would be lovely, thank you," Rory said, feeling a little parched.
She could sense Logan's nervousness, his leg even bouncing on the spot as they sat there, waiting. Rory noticed it, and Rory kneaded gently his lower thigh and knee for a moment as they were left alone, assuringly, hoping he'd relax. As a response the bouncing stopped and he took her hand in his.
The sound of her mother's heels clinking against the marble floor announced her arrival.
"Logan, Rory - hi," Shira greeted, her smile plastered onto her face.
Logan rose, and gave her mother a quick, rather cold, cheek peck, barely touching her, while Rory remained seated and nodded, not being too eager to follow his lead. But thankfully, Shira didn't seem to consider it anything to be corrected. Rory didn't need her to like her, not really, she just needed her to treat her future grandchild with the same respect she treated Honor's kids.
"So, how are you?" Logan asked, as he returned to his seat, next to Rory, who was just accepting her glass of water from Doris. Rory could tell Logan was trying, and she was proud of him for it.
Shira whispered something to Doris, most likely ordering something for herself to drink before responding.
"I'm alright," she replied, and continued to explain something about what one of her girlfriends was up to and how she'd just recently been to Manhattan to watch some ballet. All Rory really could think at this - was how lonely Shira must've been. While writing about her grandmother, she'd wondered about this for a while now - that for some strange reason it was the women who lived longer than the men, at least in her experience, or the women simply had the loneliest lives during the last decades of their lives, and it honestly was quite sad.
"We actually came here for a reason today," Logan began after a brief moment of silence, during which her mother had been brought a drink of some sort, sangria verde or something similar - a single cucumber slice in her colorless lightly bubbly drink.
"So, what is it? The wedding's still on, I hope," she replied, surprisingly. But she didn't sound particularily worried.
"Yes, the wedding is still on," Logan replied. "And right around the end of October we're expecting an addition to our family," he said, the sentence pouring out of him naturally.
"Isn't that nice? Congratulations," Shira said, smilingly, raising her glass a little before taking a sip.
"Thank you," Rory pitched in, having remained fairly silent until now. She still didn't quite know how to be around her.
"Have you been feeling okay, Rory?" Shira asked, surprising Rory again.
"Pretty well, some light nausea. I've been lucky so far," she replied, leaving out the sensitive breast and the bleeding scare.
"With Honor I was nauseous all the time, I couldn't get out of the house for weeks," Shira shared.
"And with Logan?" Rory asked, feeling genuinely curious. Logan had had, both back in the old days and in these past few months had the possibility to hear all sorts of stories from Lorelai she'd never volunteered to tell him, embarrassing ones, silly ones… you know baby pictures and all, but it had never really been the same situation vice versa.
"It was better, but he was a real kicker. I couldn't sleep for months on end even before I gave birth to him," Shira opened up, laughing lightly. It was sometimes easy to forget that Shira had actually carried both of her children, most likely thought about them, maybe even sang to them, and all that even before they were born. It was only later the nannies had become involved, and the way she was perceived by the society had taken over. And she had had Honor when she had been pretty young, if Rory did her math right - early twenties even.
Logan didn't really know what to think, this was not the sort of conversation he'd expected. He'd walled up his defences, ready to defend Rory, their unborn child and himself - but there didn't seem to be an attack coming. But it wasn't easy to relax fully.
"How did your little girl, Emily, take it?" Shira asked, genuinely sounding concerned.
"She's a little sceptical," Rory confessed, feeling strange hearing someone refer to Em as Emily, even at school she mostly went by Em just like she'd always gone by Rory instead of Lorelai.
"Honor was very jealous at first. She was always such a needy child. Very expressive too," Shira described, and Rory could totally imagine that. "She started pretending she was sick so I'd stay home more and attend to her, she wanted all kinds of attention. It was exhausting," she added, rolling her eyes. But it didn't sound like a bad mother speaking, but a genuine struggle at the time. Rory knew what that could be like.
"Well, I guess it's a good thing to know they grew out of it," Rory said, glancing at Logan.
"I suppose so," Logan exhaled, finally feeling the nerves in his stomach relax as he leaned back in the couch, allowing the conversation to flow.
AN: Just thank you to all of those who have continued reading this for all this time, it's been a while - I'm beginning to realize. Reviews are very welcome still :)
