Rory's own personal Moby Dick
"Why again aren't we taking a plane?" Rory complained, carrying her bag to the jeep in a bad mood because of the alarm clock that buzzed at 7 am and deprived her of more hours of sleep. The final preparations for the trip to Nantucket started early because Luke insisted they should be on the road at 8 o'clock sharp. The young Gilmore girl considered skipping shower or breakfast to lay in bed a little more, but both were needed for her dignity. Especially when Emily Gilmore was waiting at the end of the journey.
"Luke is afraid of planes," Lorelai replied in the same level of crankiness as her daughter, heading back to the house to get one more bag.
"I'm not afraid of planes," Luke protested from the porch. "I used to fly to see April when Anna moved to New Mexico."
"And you always got nervous and all sweaty days before, repeating how those metal things were heavy and not made to fly."
"Now everything makes sense." Rory butted in. "It's the only reasonable explanation for someone to rip us out of bed so early and willingly get stuck in a car with us for five hours."
"I'm not scared of flying!" The man scoffed, following the girls to the living room. "It is for Bennie's safety. The air is compressed in those things. It is probably not good for the baby."
"According to my doctor, there's no risk before 34 weeks," Rory smiled at Luke and patted his arm, lowering her voice furtively to speak again with the diner owner. "But your secret is safe with us, big guy."
Five minutes before the departure time, the car was already packed. Luke was so glad to be on schedule he even let it pass how the girls apparently were carrying their entire wardrobe in the limited space of the jeep. It didn't seem like they forgot anything. Still, Lorelai showed up outside with one more bag.
"I think we should have rented a yellow VW bus and embraced the Little Miss Sunshine vibe. We are only three people, but we're clearly dysfunctional and in need of the extra room," Rory mocked.
"Perhaps then I'd get to compete in a beauty pageant and dance Superfreak on stage," Lorelai clicked her tongue. "Anyhow, this is special for you."
An expression of puzzlement crossed Rory's face. Her mother carried on.
"You, pregnant lady, certainly is not considering your tummy might not be that much tolerant of roadhouse food right now. So I arranged some delicious and very healthy snacks, sandwiches and beverages, just in case those Buffalo chicken wings don't look good. I also packed some nausea medication because if you are planning to read that book I saw you grab in a moving car, well, let's just say you'll definitely need it."
"Aww..."
Before Rory could say something mushy, Lorelai resumed.
"... And I also put some emergency adult diapers in there." She added with a playful grin on her face and pulled the package out of the bag.
"You're messing with me, right? Because I freaked out last night watching Elizabeth Banks wet her pants in What to expect when you're expecting..." Rory responded with irritation.
"Am I?" Lorelai tilted her head. "That scene was a real demonstration of how your bladder can't be trusted at the moment. Oh boy, I wish I had a warning like that."
"I'm only starting the second trimester. There isn't a full baby in here yet to press my bladder. I think I can manage."
"For all the books you read about pregnancy, you should know there's more blood flowing inside you. You are already peeing for two. Plus, it's 200 miles on the road and we don't know if the bathrooms are in a good shape. We could run into some filthy outlaw motorcycle gang toilets along our journey, missy. Hasn't backpacking through Europe taught you anything? It's better safe than sorry. Believe me: peeing your clothes is way more embarrassing than the diapers. And explaining you peed yourself to grandma is probably worse than the nightmare you speak naked in front of an audience full of Trump supporters."
"You won't shut up and get it in the car unless I take the diapers, huh?"
"I won't shut up if you pee your pants," Lorelai smirked.
Rory reluctantly snatched the bag and the diapers from her mother's hands. "All right. I'll take them just in case."
"Smart choice."
They entered the jeep and closed the doors. Luke was already on the driver's seat waiting to start the engine, but Lorelai stopped him before he could turn the ignition key.
"Wait a minute. We can't leave without doing the whole ritual. It is an official Gilmore road trip, mister."
"And you've never been initialized, Luke. In ten years, you still a pledge." Rory remarked.
"I've been on the road with you before... Did you forget I drove a damned old Yale mattress back and forth from New Haven?"
"Nuh-uh... That doesn't count. I wasn't in the same car at the time," the girl retorted.
"Okay, would you two go on with it already?" Luke grumbled impatiently.
"Grinch alert! Uh-oh..."
"Then, people of Whoville, we better start our playlist check with boring Steely Dan because I think we'll need this to survive Mr. Danes' bad mood," Lorelai joshed.
"Check!" Rory shouted from the backseat.
"Telma & Louise soundtrack?" Her mother proceeded.
"Check!"
"Great songs from that disturbing movie where Patrick Swaize and Wesley Snipes played drag queens driving around a fancy convertible cadillac?"
"Check!"
"If it's disturbing, why did you waste time watching it?" Luke fired back.
"Hello?! America's heartthrob Patrick Swaize and butch Wesley Snipes with make-up on, wearing wigs and parading in heels. The minute I put my eyes on the movie poster I knew it'd be an underrated cult classic someday. Now, shush! You are disturbing our sistem."
Luke shook his head in frustration. "Sorry!"
"Music from The Blue Brothers?"
"1980 and 2000 version, check!"
"Pop-tarts, jellybeans, red vines, chocolate kisses, potato chips?"
"You shouldn't eat all this junk, Rory. It's not good for you or Bennie," Luke interrupted again.
"All check," Rory ignored Luke to give her mother a thumbs up and then turned to the man. "Just for your information, I'm not eating any of that. There's an entire pregnancy approved stuff in my bag. I have my own dark chocolate and sugar free fruity gummy bears."
"I'm glad all the talk about healthy eating habits finally came through," Luke paused with a joyful mouth shrug. "Now can I start the car or is there some kind of secret handshake or crazy dance we need to do before we go?"
"Just a chant to the gods of the road..." Rory quipped.
"... You'll need to shout from the top of your lungs, placing one hand on the steering wheel and the other on your chest," Lorelai added.
"Okay. That's it. We are moving," Luke fastened his seat belt.
"You pushed too far, we almost had him at the chanting," Rory chided her mother.
"Damn it! So close..."
"Next time, remember to include Highway to Hell on the playlist." The man teased.
"See?! It worked. You are 100% gilmored already, contributing to the soundtrack and nailing the theme 'songs related to road trips'," Lorelai winked at her husband.
At last, Luke started the car and the engine sound was enough to finish the nonsense bantering. The jeep moved back down the driveway and it was just getting some speed when Lorelai started to talk again. This time about something serious.
"Now that you have an answer from Logan, are you going to full disclosure the baby daddy's identity with your grandma?"
"Errr... I don't know yet." Rory knitted her brows and crossed her arms.
"Do you think Logan is not going to keep his end of the bargain?" Lorelai inquired.
"In fact, this has nothing to do with him. I just have no idea how grandma is going to react. The old grandma was easier to read. She was like the classic Godzilla movie. You always knew it'd emerge from the sea, wreck Tokyo and be defeated. But in the new version, Godzilla kind of saves the day and kills evil monsters. It's unpredictable. And that's Emily 2.0. It kind of scares me a little. I don't know if she will call Mitchum and Shira to try to force a marriage for the sake of my honor, isolate herself in Tibet because she's disappointed at me or just give the baby a membership for the Whale Museum and demand visits every summer."
"So It's a good thing Luke's secret fear of planes gave us time to strategize."
"I'm not afraid of planes! Jeez! I don't know why I bother," Luke blurted and exhaled. "You know what? From now on, I'll keep my eyes on the road and just drive."
"No clever comeback? How am I going to impersonate Miss Daisy on this trip?" Lorelai pouted and then looked at Rory again. "As I was saying... We have a five hour drive, with plenty of pee stops, to discuss every possible scenario. I think we can come up with a plan to neutralize grandma-zila."
"Someone is pretty carried away with the monster analogy, huh?!"
"Don't even get me started on the jokes about mom and Moby Dick that've been sitting inside my head since she gave me the address in Nantucket."
-o-
Rory didn't use the diapers, but the future mom found herself thinking of the possibility after they passed Providence. The sanitary conditions of the restrooms were truly questionable and she made a mental note to ask Luke to take another route on the way back home to avoid problems.
Many stops later, the car finally hit the shore of Massachusetts. The travel schedule worked perfectly and they got on board the next ferry to Nantucket. As soon as the boat moved away from the mainland to cross the little piece of Atlantic Ocean, Rory took some time to stretch her legs and clear her mind outside the jeep.
The girl was all talked out, but there was no verdict yet about what she was going to say to Emily Gilmore. So, even though the wind was freezing cold, she went to the open deck to observe the sea. The rhythmic motion of the water was surprisingly relaxing.
Rory let her thoughts get lost and her head went straight to a happy place: books. Even though the girl was basically just surrounded by water in every direction, she was thrilled to be now at the very same place that inspired one of the greatest novels of American literature. Moby Dick, my first Melville.
The silent recognition instantly brought Rory back to the time she read the story for the first time. She remembered her last day in Stars Hollow High. The same day she met a guy from Chicago that confessed how intrigued he was by a girl who could concentrate so hard in a book. Until today, it was difficult not smiling at that moment.
"What's with that happy face?" Lorelai said, after watching her daughter for a second.
"Oh, nothing. Just a nice memory," Rory waived and changed the subject. "So, honestly, do I truly don't look pregnant in these clothes? It is my last chance to put something else."
The girl made sure to wear a comfortable chunky oversized sweater with warm black leggings to hide the 15-week bump that was hard evidence of her latest condition. But she still had doubts if it would be enough to divert her grandmother's inquisitive eyes.
"Mission accomplished. Every pregnancy trace is covered and the outfit is actually very stylish with these boots," her mother reassured. "Are you considering not telling her?"
"No. I have to let the cat out of the bag. It is just a precaution. I don't want my baby belly to be the very first thing she sees when she opens the door."
"Good thinking. Delay the interrogation," Lorelai nodded. "This gives you a chance to read the room, connect with your audience and choose the right words to deliver a kick-ass inspirational speech."
"And, just in case I can't think of something original, I googled and memorized Baby's monologue from Dirty Dancing. I only have to change Harvard for Yale."
"Well, if you are going to use a movie quote, I'd say it's the best choice. After all, nobody puts Baby in the corner!"
Mother and daughter hugged and stayed quiet for the rest of the ride, contemplating the ocean together. They soon spotted the Brant Point Lighthouse, a sign the ferry was approaching the island and it was time to go back to the car to finish their journey.
Rory sank in the backseat and spaced out for the rest of the drive, wondering if Capitain Arab felt as much intimidated by that giant white whale as she was now by thinking of what would be Emily Gilmore's reaction to her current single mother status. The girl was so absorbed that she jumped when the car stopped in front of her grandmother's new address.
Call me Ishmael and pass me a harpoon, because It's time to face my own personal Moby Dick, she thought.
From the outside, the Nantucket house wasn't as luxurious and imponent as the Hartford mansion. But it still was a sophisticated building to match the status of Emily Gilmore. Luke, Lorelai and Rory reached the door and rang the bell. A distant voice said something from within, but it was impossible to understand. So they decided to stay put and wait. Suddenly, Emily opened the door herself.
"What are you doing there like three statues? Didn't you hear me saying 'Come in'?"
"Nope. Kryptonite affected our super hearing powers, mom." Lorelai snarked.
"Why on Earth did you take so long? You said you were leaving the house at 8 am sharp," the senior Gilmore replied.
"We did, grandma, but we came on wheels." Rory intervened.
"What were you thinking? It's a five hour drive... with decent transportation. No surprise you are late," Emily glanced at the jeep with disdain. "It's almost three pm and my entire timetable is ruined. I already ordered Berta to take away the food and clear the table. We are not barbarians who eat lunch when the sun is coming down."
"I believe we have more than one hour of sunlight left. But don't worry. We had a big breakfast and we ate a bunch of stuff in the car too. We'll skip lunch and wait for proper tea time or dinner. We"ll be back on the program shortly, ma'am." Lorelai jeered.
"Is this some kind of joke, Lorelai? Are you in a midlife crisis, inspired by some hippie from a pop TV show to live adventurously in a stinky motorhome?"
Luke stepped in and took one for the team to finish the debacle. "It is my fault, Mrs. Gilmore... I insisted we drive because I'm scared of flying," he finished with a defeated half smile.
"You don't say." Emily gave the man her typical judgemental stare. "Under this old school American lumberjack stereotype... This explains why you never took the opportunity to expand your business beyond Connecticut with the franchise, or accepted my honeymoon in Europe gift."
"New zipcode, same Emily. And we didn't even pass the doorway," Lorelai whispered to Rory, who gave her mother a nudge in the ribs and a disapproving look.
"You have something to share, Lorelai?"
"Just pointing how the weather in Nantucket is great this time of the year, especially with such a warming welcome."
By that comment, Emily paused for a second and softened her expression. She stepped aside, indicating them to come in. "Make yourself at home," she led the way to the living room and continued with a gentle tone. "You arrived so late that I can't entertain you right now. I'll be out for a few hours. I have a previous appointment at the museum and it is not polite to cancel in such a short notice."
To Emily's surprise, Rory offered to tag along. "No problem, grandma. If you don't mind, I'd love to go with you."
"Me too. I really want to observe Emily Ahab in her element." Lorelai claimed.
-o-
The Whale Museum was only 15 minutes away from the house on foot. So the girls joined Emily in her afternoon strode to the place. It was difficult to imagine the senior Gilmore selling the house in Hartford, let alone picture her happy on a bucolic island and distant from the social calendar. Yet, she seemed perfectly fine in her new feathers.
Rory was curious to ask everything about the outburst at the DAR and Emily's recent found passion for children storytelling. Lorelai was also interested in learning more about her fresh low-key life. But they felt it was not the right time to talk. Especially because Emily looked totally relaxed and content, enjoying the view during the walk. So, except for some remarks about Nantucket's tourist attractions, the walk was silent.
At the museum, the girls obediently gathered with a bunch of people and did the complete tour throughout the building. By the end of the visit, the adults headed to the gift shop. But the Gilmore's followed the kids to watch Emily's story time. Rory made her mother promise to hold the jokes from now on and keep it quiet.
The senior Gilmore filled the room with an enthusiastic voice to describe the perils of whale hunting and instantly every child was hooked by Nantucket history. Whilst the little ones hold their breaths in excitement watching the lady with a harpoon, Rory was impressed by her feisty attitude.
No one would guess Emily lost her life partner a year ago and had all her plans turned upside down. The woman didn't flinch once. Her strength in the face of unexpected circumstances was certainly inspiring for Rory, who has been dealing with a lot of changes. The young Gilmore realized both Emily and Lorelai were not easily broken. Despite all the differences, strength was a feature they shared. She only wondered if the same trait also ran in her blood. Or accidently jumped a generation.
"Isn't she great? If it was a musical, I bet all the kids would be singing the chorus of I'm still standing and doing some crazy choreography around grandma," Rory muttered to her mother, sitting in the back of the room.
"She would probably twist Elton John's arm to sing himself and bring his piano." Lorelai responded in a whisper.
"Come on... I know she still likes to have her say in everything, but aren't you a bit proud? It's a big change."
"Of course I am. This is huge for her," Lorelai agreed and then narrowed her blue eyes at Rory. "But I know where you're going with it... You can't put the pressure on her to react the way you want about the baby. Because one minute we look at her and see a person who had this awesome breakthrough, but the next she acts like she always does. I guess it's part of the grief and everything she's going through. Just don't get your hopes too high. Lower your expectations for THE TALK, or things can go sour in a blink."
Before Rory could object, a blond boy looked back with an annoyed face. "Shhhh..." The reprehension sound was enough to stop the chatting. It was better to be snubbed by an innocent 7-year-old than to attract Emily's wrath in public.
The presentation didn't last much longer. But, the minute Emily finished the story, a vibrant crowd of kids surrounded her to ask questions. Some interested in more facts about whales, others trying to convince the woman to lend the harpoon for just a second. She was handling it with good humour and the girls didn't want to rush her.
So Lorelai and Rory decided to wait in the museum coffee shop. It was also a great excuse because they were starving. Apparently, all the food consumed during the trip wasn't enough to match the girls' appetite. By the time Emily broke away from her admirers, mother and daughter were in the middle of their sandwiches.
"I guess I would find you two here, spoiling your appetite before dinner." Emily said playfully and joined the girls, drawing the attention of two little boys sitting at the next table. As they waved and smiled at her, she saluted them back cheerfully.
"Hey, look at you! More popular than the whole cast of Sesame Street. I'm this close of asking your autograph to sell on Ebay," Lorelai teased.
"Oh, please! Kids are easily impressionable. It's all about the harpoon," Emily chuckled with false modesty. "A chubby boy told me I look badass with it. I'm not even sure what it means..."
"It means you have a fandom and they think you're cool," Lorelai replied and smiled at her mother, truly proud.
"Yeah! What you're doing here is incredible, grandma." Rory stressed. "But I need to ask... Don't you miss the old life, the meetings, social events, dinner parties?"
"The one thing I miss is Richard." Her eyes revealed a bit of sadness for a glimpse and she looked down to catch some air. After a short pause, she continued with her chin up. "All that stuff made no sense without your grandfather. I embraced it eagerly after we got married, to prove Trix I was good enough for the Gilmore family," she suddenly recovered the usual determined voice. "But not even the old hag is here now for me to keep doing that. Everything seemed pointless and it was bringing me no joy".
"Praise be Marie Kondo, hallelujah!" Lorelai hailed, lifting her hands in a reverence gesture.
Rory ignored her mother altogether. "After all you had to deal with recently, grandma... I'm glad to see you back in the saddle. Even though I've gotta say it is a brand new horse you're riding, lady."
"You know what's funny? When you were living with us, ages ago, I found Richard terrified you would end up having my old life. He never admitted aloud, of course. But I knew it was true. I got so angry..."
"I remember that... I had to talk you out of buying a plane." Lorelai noted, having one more sip of her coffee.
"Time sharing a plane," Emily corrected displeasingly, raising one eyebrow to Lorelai. "Anyway, the idea of dropping everything crossed my mind. Can you imagine? The Gilmore's out of the social circle. It would be the talk of the club for weeks. It would teach the man a lesson... Maybe the thought got stuck in my brain somewhere. And now that the universe pulled the rug from under my feet. Why not a complete makeover?"
"Life... Unexpected change of plans..." Rory chuckled. "I know what you mean."
"Oh! You have news... Is this about the book? Did you find a new job? Are you moving somewhere exotic?"
"Yes and no..."
"I'm not following..."
"Rory, why we don't wait until we're back in the house?" Lorelai pleaded, but it was not enough to stop her daughter.
"Actually, grandma, I..." The girl stammered. "I'm having a baby."
The senior Gilmore gaped, waiting for an explanation. "Excuse me? How is that even possible?" Her eyes going from Rory to Lorelai.
"Well, you know about the birds and the bees... It's basic small talk for second graders," Lorelai tried to smooth the situation.
"She doesn't have an address. She is not in a stable relationship." Emily started to raise her voice.
"Technically, you don't really have to be IN a relationship to get pregnant or raise a child, for that matter." Rory replied.
Just like that, Emily 2.0 went full classic Emily Gilmore. "So you're never getting married?"
"That's not what I am saying at all. I just said I am not marrying the father."
"Why the hell not?"
"Ugh!" The young Gilmore stood up, ready to leave. "Because I don't even know his name."
"What?" Emily wrinkled her forehead, appalled.
"Rory..." Lorelai tried to interfere again, with no success.
"He was wearing a mask. I didn't even ask." Rory snapped.
"You had sex with a man you didn't see the face? Oh my god! We should have called the rabbi and the mormom missionary too. Only the priest was not enough to put some sense in your head. This is your fault, Lorelai! You gave her no boundaries. I told you it was wrong for this girl to live rootless, with belongings spread in boxes, jumping from one place to another. She ended up at a brothel in Amsterdam and carrying the child of some punk. Like those boys from the strange town she brought to dinner when she was young."
Oh, the irony. Lorelai thought to herself. Little did she know...
"You are impossible!" Rory grabbed her purse and rushed out the museum cafeteria.
Emily got up in a clear mission to follow the girl and continue the yelling competition. But Lorelai stopped her before she could move.
"Back to your corner, Mike Tyson. You can throw some more punches next round. But let me tell you. She'll knock you out like the reincarnation of Muhammad Ali. Rory is no longer that girl you could shape into whatever you wished. She is not going to bend to please you. And I'm glad she's not doing it anymore."
"I never did such a thing," her mother rebuted.
"Come on, cut the crap."
"Watch your mouth, Lorelai."
"Uh. I'm sorry. You can curse and point fingers at the Daughters of American Revolution, but no one is allowed to call you on your bullshit, right?"
"Are we going to start a fight with me too and storm out just like your daughter did?"
"No. I don't wanna fight you..." Lorelai stated in a calmer tone. "You'd probably trick me into group therapy again and then just bail," she looked at her mother and they exchanged a pacific nod. "Consider me a double agent. I'm here providing you some valuable information, so you can make your next move and prevent World War Three. Because I don't believe you want to be on the wrong side of the Berlin wall and be cut off from your grandkid's life. Do you?"
"No..." Emily agreed. "So what do you suggest?"
"Let her walk it off. She knows where to find us later."
-o-
After the disaster at the museum, Rory decided to take a walk by the beach to relax. It was too cold to take her shoes off, but the sound of the waves was sufficient to sooth her nerves. The girl stood there, just watching the sea, until the sun came down.
When Rory felt it was time to go back to the house, she texted Lorelai asking her mother to leave the front door unlocked. God bless technology. This way she could sneak out to the backyard and avoid further confrontation. She ignored the distant voices in the kitchen and went straight outside. After dinner, Lorelai found her daughter sitting on a bench, wrapped in a blanket.
"Everytime you pull the change bodies card and jump in a fight with your grandparents, I start looking around for signs of the Apocalypse. Trump already won the last election, so I think the four horsemen must arrive at any time." She joined the girl under the blanket.
"You warned me. I should have listened." Rory sighed. "I think I acted under the influence of Anne with an E."
"Yeah, I was wondering if maybe we took a wrong turn and ended in some small island far far away in Canada, instead of Massachusetts."
"It's not like I was expecting she'd be cool about the whole thing, you know? Only a little more understanding."
"I get it. You were sidetracked by her inspiring turnaround. But, the thing is, this new life has nothing to do with the expectations she has or had for you. That's the message I was trying to pass before that boy rudely interrupted us."
"When you put it like that... Her reaction, it makes sense."
"Even I was surprised by the news, Rory."
"But you didn't freak out."
"I've been on both sides of this situation. It's easier to understand." Lorelai shrugged. "But the wookie daddy... Dick move, sister. I thought her head was going to explode. I almost forgot he is not the father and had a meltdown myself, with The Imperial March on repeat inside my head."
"To be fair, I didn't ID the mask to her." Rory bit her lip.
After a pause, they both burst into laughter and some of the tension from earlier was gone. The girls were still trying to catch their breath and hold it together, when Emily was spotted heading their way.
"Great white whale at three o'clock," Lorelai alerted. "Do you want me to stay and act as a buffer?"
"No, I can handle it."
Lorelai winked at the girl and got on her feet, walking back to the house. Rory was alone again when Emily arrived. The good mood from before dissipated in the awkward silence between them.
"We do have some things in common," her grandmother finally spoke, not making eye contact. "You found my favorite place in the house. During the day, the view is amazing."
"I can imagine," the girl replied, staring at the dark horizon.
"May I join you?"
"Of course." She turned to observe her grandmother's moves.
"Then let's start over," Emily sat next to the girl, still looking ahead. "You're pregnant and not planning to get married."
"Yeah."
She abruptly locked eyes with Rory. "At least, tell me you know who the father is."
"Yes, I do. Sorry," the girl winced. "I lost my grip back there. These crazy hormones don't help."
"Please, don't say it is that punk who showed up for dinner with an black eye."
"Grandma..." Rory exhaled. "It is Logan... Huntzberger"
"I see..." Emily furrowed her eyebrows and gazed with surprise at Rory, waiting for the girl to proceed.
"Anyway, I want this baby to be a Gilmore. I don't want ties with the Huntzberger family. The only thing I am asking Logan is to be a present father, different from my dad. And he seems to be on board."
"I guess all of this is pretty modern."
"I know it is a different arrangement from what you are used to. But, after the extreme makeover you did, can you try to be a little open minded about this?
"I am just saying, a child needs a mother and a father."
"This kid will have both, but they are not a couple." She paused to lay emphasis on the words. "And you need to respect that."
It was impossible to ignore the conflict in Emily's eyes. She was infamous for meddling in the past. The habit almost cost Luke and Lorelai's relationship once. Even so, she gave a firm nod to reassure her grandaughter.
"Richard and I... We've failed you." Emily blurted out of the blue.
The confession was totally unexpected and Rory didn't know what to say in order to comfort the senior Gilmore. Truth is she never thought like that. So, the girl did her best to make it clear. "All you two did was shower me with opportunities. I was just not wise enough to make good decisions."
"But we were always trying to mold you. We pushed and pushed you into the direction we thought was better, but never realized you could become an older version of wild teenage Lorelai," her grandmother continued.
It would be so easy to agree and just blame it all on her grandparents. But it was time to Rory admit no one forced her down the path she took. There were always choices. She could have said "no" many times. The decisions were hers - for better or for worse.
"Gradma, I'm capable of making mistakes on my own."
The words were honest enough to end the debate. So Rory reached for Emily's hand in silence and the peace was finally restored at the Gilmore clan - at least for now.
A/N: How to write Emily Gilmore in character when she had that surprising (amazing) arc in the revival? I think she became much more complex now. She threw some formalities to the wind, but not completely. I used Lorelai to put some light into it. Anyway, how to predict Emily's reaction after learning about Rory's pregnancy? What do you think she is going to do with the information?
I have a confession to make: I don't know what the hell I was thinking when I decided to write Emily's chapter right after the one with Logan. It took me a while to finish because my brain was already drained by the last one. Things will flow better from now on. This was an important milestone to make the story move forward and I promise to address now Rory's next career moves.
* I was dying to explore the interaction Luke-Rory-Lorelai (I hope I got it right). Watching them under the same roof was one of my favorite things in the revival, especially because the girls love to tease him (LOL)
** Some people may find Lorelai a bit over the top with the diapers, but I think she wouldn't resist the joke. I'll never forget how much she teased Rory about the cotillion. Tell me what you think.
*** Sorry for the comments about Trump. I was just trying to keep the characters true, not to make any political statement.
**** If anyone is curious about Baby's speech in Dirty Dancing, let me know in the review