6x07: My Stepfather to Be
It was the night of Rory's 21st birthday, and she was hosting a party at her grandmother's DAR club. Chatting with some older ladies, the birthday girl suddenly spotted a returning guest from across the way and excused herself. Luke now approached her.
"Hey, little tip: we have beer here!" Rory announced by means of greeting.
"Ah, the magic words. I was just heading over to the bar," Luke joked.
"Have you tried a Rory yet?" Rory inquired.
"Yes, I have. Not my kind of drink," Luke grimaced.
"Mine neither."
"Well, Lorelai will be glad to hear it," Luke offered up.
The name elicited a silent nod. Lorelai and Rory had not spoken to each other for months, ever since Rory had dropped out of Yale. The pain was still tangible, bitter, and Luke noticed.
"So, you two haven't talked yet?"
"Nope. Not yet," Rory bit her lip.
"Well, it was nice of you to invite her here. It means a lot," Luke said, taking up the duty of acting as intermediary messenger.
"I'm glad she came. I'm glad you both came!" Rory expressed as sincerely as she could.
"Oh! Uh, here….." Luke suddenly remembered, digging through his pockets. "I've got something for ya….. Birthday present." He handed Rory a tiny red velvet box.
"Really?"
"Yeah, I brought it just in case your mother didn't bring one, but she did. It's the one on the top of your….. present mountain over there, but since I already had it in my pocket…."
Rory hid a smile as Luke tried to brush away a touching gesture as if it was no big deal. Then she opened the box. It was a beautiful necklace. "Luke…."
"It was my mother's," Luke explained self-deprecatingly. "Liz can't wear it cuz her neck's too fat, but your neck looks….. you know…. Not fat. It was sitting around in my drawer, so I thought, 'Hey, give it to Rory!' You know, you're lucky, cuz Caesar's birthday's next month and…. I know he likes pearls."
Rory laughed through the whole amusing ramble. "Thank you!"
"You're welcome." Luke gave her a one-armed hug and a warm smile.
Just then, a lady approached the pair. "I saw a jewelry box and I couldn't help myself. What did ya get?" Rory showed her. "Oh! It's fantastic!"
"It's from Luke, my stepfather-to-be," Rory explained, indicating Luke.
"Well, you have exquisite taste, Luke. I'm Tweeny Halpern!"
"Tweeny works with me at the DAR," Rory filled in.
"What's the DAR?" Luke asked genuinely.
At this, Tweeny burst out laughing.