Author's Note: WOW! I am absolutely flooded by all of your responses! I can't thank you guys enough. I guess people are interested in the story of Gigi Hayden, after all. ;) There should be one more chapter after this. Your reviews have been really helpful in helping me figure out how I'm going to end it. Apologies that there's been a little bit of a wait for me to get this up...I'm actually visiting Boston now, so I thought it would be appropriate to post this in what I like to call "the city of Christopher" (believe me, I've been making jokes about it all day).
This chapter here gives us some insight into Gigi's last encounter with Lorelai that, though not dramatic by our stands, had a big effect on the then five-year-old girl. We'll also get a chance to see her mixed feelings about Lorelai over the years; hopefully, I did a good job explaining that why, even though Gigi's feelings are not rational, she has them. I am also planning on including Gigi's flashback scene where she sees Lorelai again in my other fic, "There's A Will" (I want to say it's about four chapters away). As you can see by my constant using of Lucy and Will, I'm not exactly very original, so apologies in advance for recycling. It will, however, be in Lorelai's POV, and will go in a completely different direction than Gigi's POV.
Also, a few of you were taken by Will's reaction to Gigi, upon realizing who she was, so I admit: I probably made it more of a big deal than I should have. I simply see him as an insightful little boy who's mature and insightful for his age (actually, a lot like me at that age) and that he's probably heard stories about how Gigi is his mom's ex-husband's kid, and that Lucy, in contrast, is more fun living and "live in the moment" (and younger), so that she doesn't connect that Gigi is the daughter of her mom's ex-husband (and Rory's father). Like his dad, Will is fiercely protective of his family (though in a cute, little boy way!), and he already can kind of understand the awkwardness of his mom seeing her ex-husband's kid again. I imagine I would have been protective of my mom if I had met her ex-husband at the same age. Also, if you've read "Blue Eyes and Coffee," which this fic is a companion to, Will has already met another one of his mom's exes earlier in the year (Max), and so he already has an idea of how awkward the "ex's" situation is (you don't see Will and Lucy finding out that Max is any more of than Rory's old teacher in "Blue Eyes and Coffee," but let's just presume their parents told them eventually). I might got into Will's reaction more, but chances are, I won't. So, I'm sorry if I mislead you into thinking Will knows something more than he does.
Anyway, without further ado, I hope you enjoy!
The first five years of Gigi Hayden's life had been filled with more chaos than most kids'. Even in the months before Gigi's birth, there had been drama. Drama between her father's obligation between the girlfriend he'd impregnated and his first love, who he also shared a daughter with, and drama between her mother's dedication to her career and the daughter she hadn't planned on having. Gigi coming too early had only been the icing on the cake. Though Sherry was outwardly sweet and perky, Gigi had never gone a single day without being distinctly aware of what a disappointment she was to her mother. From coming out early to occasionally mispronouncing French words, Gigi knew that she had made her mother's life infinitely more complicated-and that Sherry did not like that, one bit.
Of course, after Gigi was born, things just got worse. Her father was gone all the time for work, and her mother, finally unable to deal with Gigi, took off to Paris when her daughter was less than two-years-old. A spoiled Gigi went through countless nannies, and just when Gigi was beginning to become disciplined, he married his old flame and first daughter's mother, Lorelai Gilmore. This was the part of the story Gigi tried hard to forget.
Whenever she thought of Lorelai Gilmore, she remembered an encounter about a year after the infamous divorce. It was shortly before they moved back to Boston, and Gigi and her grandmother had been sitting down to dinner at the Hartford Cheesecake Factory. Though Francine Hayden absolutely despised chains, Gigi had had her heart set on a piece of peanut butter cup cheesecake, and after a lecture from her son (though he had been bad at standing up to his father, Christopher was a little better at standing up to her mother), Francine had relented and taken her. It helped that though nowhere as bad as they had been a few years ago, Gigi's tantrums had returned since the divorce.
Gigi had been coloring on her menu, as her grandmother continued to survey the restaurant with disapproval, when she suddenly looked up and noticed the trio of people waiting to be seated at the cash register. Without a single hesitation (it can be said that just as Lucy had inherited her mother's outgoing nature, Gigi had also inherited her father's impulsiveness), Gigi jumped up and approached them. "Lorelai!"
To say Lorelai had been surprised to see Gigi would have been an understatement, but at that moment, the only thing Gigi was concentrating on was the reappearance of her former stepmother. As she flung her arms around Lorelai, Gigi, in the same way she would at thirteen, became aware of three distinct things: one, from her table, her grandmother was eyeing her with disgust. Two, the two people Lorelai was with were a girl, about fourteen or fifteen, and a man, who was wearing a blue backwards baseball cap. Three, Lorelai's stomach had doubled in size since Gigi had last seen her.
Gigi fixated her attention on Lorelai's stomach first. Having not yet learned that it was impolite to say everything that came to mind, she spoke without thinking. "You're fatter," she said matter-of-factly.
Lorelai chuckled. By now, Francine Hayden had also noticed the size of Lorelai's stomach and was gaping at her. "You know, Gigi, now might be the chance to introduce you to some friends of mine," Lorelai said, motioning to the two people standing besides her. "This is April, my stepdaughter…and this is Luke, my-my husband." She took a deep breath, seeking out Luke. "Luke, April, this is…"
"I know who she is, Lorelai," Luke said, in an unreadable tone. "Her father didn't completely keep her in hiding, you know."
"Right." Lorelai let out her breath. "Anyway, Gigi, the reason I've gained weight is because Luke and I are having a baby. I'm sure you already know this, but pregnant women grow babies inside them until they come out, after nine months of staying in their mommy's stomachs. This little boy-it's a boy that we're having-is going to be Rory's brother."
Gigi took a few minutes to take this in. Lorelai, married to someone who wasn't her father? Lorelai, having a baby? It simply could not be true! "If Rory is this baby's brother, and I'm her sister, then is the baby my brother too?" she said, clinging to the hope that she might still be connected to the baby somehow.
"Oh, sweetie…" Lorelai sighed and touched Gigi's shoulder. "No, this baby is just related to Rory. You and Rory are half-sisters because you both have the same dad, and Rory and this baby are going to be half-siblings because of me. You're not technically related."
The girl spoke up, in what she plainly thought was a helpful tone. Gigi just thought it was condescending and obnoxious. She hated it when older people acted like they were so much smarter. "In some ways, this baby is going to be related to me in the same way Rory is to you. I'm going to this baby's half-sister, because we both have the same father, just like you and Rory do."
Gigi glared at the girl. "I was Lorelai's stepdaughter first," she informed her.
The girl squirmed. "Well, I'm sure that's true, but…"
"Georgia Hayden!" squawked her grandmother. A tight expression formed on Lorelai's face. When a stubborn Gigi ignored her, Francine stood up and walked towards them. Without looking at Luke, Lorelai, or April, Francine put her hands on her shoulder. "Gigi, come with me. Now."
A helpless Gigi could only wave as her grandmother forced her to sit back in her chair. Once Lorelai, Luke, and April had been shown their table in another area of the restaurant, Francine began to speak. Though she was muttering under her breath, Gigi could still hear her very clearly. "Only a year after the divorce with my son, and that Lorelai shows up pregnant. Pregnant! I'm surprised the gossip didn't reach me about this one. God knows, it's a good thing that Lorelai is finally out of Christopher's life. She's always been bad news, and she's just gotten worse as time's gone on."
"Grandma, what are you talking about?" said Gigi, looking up from her coloring. Her grandmother pursed her lips.
Looking Gigi right in the eye, she said, "Georgia Hayden, you must promise never to speak to Lorelai if you see her again. She's a harlot, and I refuse to let her teach anything to my granddaughter."
"A harlot?" Gigi repeated. While she did not know the meaning of the words, she deduced from her grandmother's tone that "a harlot" was something bad.
"A very bad woman," said Francine, without taking her eyes off of Gigi. Gigi frowned.
"But I like Lorelai. She's nice."
"Georgia Hayden, you will do as I say, and that isn't debatable."
While ordinarily, Gigi had no trouble talking back to get what she wanted, something about the intensity of her grandmother's gaze told her that arguing wasn't such a good idea. "I promise," she said quietly.
Over the years, Lorelai Gilmore's name had continued to be mentioned from time-to-time. Whenever Gigi or her father brought up Rory, Francine would always make a disparaging remark about how she hoped Rory wasn't following the path of her mother (she seemed to forget that Rory was her granddaughter, too). Whenever the topic of premarital sex or babies born out of wedlock was discussed, Lorelai Gilmore was also mentioned (once again, Francine seemed to forget that Lorelai hadn't been the only one responsible for a baby who was born out of wedlock). Though Gigi had not known what a "harlot" meant at five, by the time she was older, she had a good grasp on what the word meant.
Her mother had mentioned Lorelai sometimes, too. Though this was more infrequent, whenever the subject of Lorelai did come up, Sherry always mused her own thoughts about Christopher and Lorelai's relationship. "They were perfect for each other," she had said to Gigi on more than one occasion. "Your father was an idiot for letting her go. He's always had feelings for Lorelai, and it's clear he always will." Though Gigi, parroting her grandmother's words, had protested that it was Lorelai who broke up with her father and that he was better off without Lorelai in his life, Sherry only shook her head. With a click on her tongue, she had pushed aside Gigi's observations in the same way she pushed away all of Gigi's other remarks.
The one person who never mentioned Lorelai was Gigi's father. Even when they visited Rory and he asked how her mother was doing, it seemed to take all of his strength to ask that simple question. Though Rory answered him, she never offered much information beyond a simple "She's good." Though Gigi knew Rory had two other half siblings, she had never even known their names or the youngest child's gender-or, at least, she had not remembered on purpose.
In her deepest of hearts, Gigi knew that her grandmother was wrong. Though she had been less than four-years-old at the time, Gigi still remembered Lorelai and her father's marriage and courtship remarkably well. Those six months had been filled with so much confusion. For one thing, Gigi could still remember how nervous she had been to see her mother, after two years without any contact with her. She could also remember her confusion at being thrust into a new town and household upon coming back from France, then being forced back into yet another home less than two months later.
But despite all of the pain and confusion, she had had Lorelai. Lorelai had tried her best to explain about Sherry in a way a three-and-a-half-year-old would understand. Despite Gigi's tantrum the first time Lorelai had babysat her, Gigi soon found herself warming up to Lorelai's presence. Lorelai had brushed her hair and watched movies with her. Lorelai had been fun to be around.
As a little girl used to nannies more concerned with money than their client, Gigi had never met anyone like Lorelai. Lorelai was a real mother, something Gigi had never had before-and, in a sense, would never have, even with Sherry. Lorelai was genuine. She let Gigi be herself, but she didn't let her go without discipline, either. She was real.
Still, after Gigi found herself at her grandmother's old home in Hartford, one fact stuck out in her mind: Lorelai had never bothered to say goodbye.
Gigi certainly wasn't one for analyzing herself. She preferred keeping her more vulnerable emotions at a distance, and whenever she felt sad or angry, she concentrating on socializing or throwing herself into her studies. Her classmates saw her as outgoing, popular, funny, and often cynical, and Gigi relished that facade. They didn't know the real reason her mother lived all in the way in Paris and why Gigi lived with her father and not her mother, and for that, Gigi was grateful. She had not even told her best friend, Natasha, the extent of the truth. She doubted she ever would. Truths were often more painful to admit.
Still, if Gigi had analyzed herself, she would have come to the conclusion that part of the reason she believed her grandmother's accusations about Lorelai was because it soothed her own pain that in divorcing her father, Lorelai had abandoned Gigi. She had also inadvertently placed some of her anger at her mother on Lorelai. Though Gigi was fully aware that her mother had missed two years of her life, she had never come face-to-face with the extent of that anger, either. It was easier to transfer her feelings about abandonment on Lorelai than to admit how crappy of a mom Sherry really was.
Nevertheless, Gigi had not come to these realizations herself. She was almost fourteen-years-old, and teenagers did not undergo psychosis on themselves. Instead, they gossiped about boys and shopped-which was exactly what Gigi planned to do as soon as her father reappeared.
Gigi continued to stare at Will. His eyes were locked onto hers, widened with more surprise and depth than she had expected from an eight-year-old. Her heart was still racing. She had expected lots of things in her trip to New York, but she had not expected this.
Lucy, meanwhile, was staring at them. "What?" she said. "What?"
Will tore his gaze away from Gigi. "Luce, you remember how Rory has another sister? Besides you and April, I mean?"
"Yeah." Lucy's scrunched up her eyebrows, confused. "So…?"
"Well…" Will, clearly at a loss for what to say, pointed at Gigi. "I think," he added.
Lucy, who plainly had not heard Will's last statement, gaped at Gigi. "You're Rory's other sister?" she said in surprise. When Gigi nodded, she grinned. "Oh, that's so cool! Rory's talked about you, but I've never met you! That even means we're kinda related! You're Rory's sister, and I'm Rory's sister, so we're kinda both sisters too."
"No," said Gigi with more volume than she'd intended, "we're not." Will and Lucy both stepped back at these words, and even Gigi was startled by the bitterness of her tone. In a slightly calmer voice, she said, "Rory and I are related through my dad, and since my dad's not your dad, we're not related, either. We're not sisters," she said again, firmer. "We're not."
Sensing that Gigi was on the verge of tears, Lucy touched her arm, but Gigi shrugged her off. Without looking at either of the kids, she said, "Do you think you'll be okay standing here while you wait for your mom, for just a few minutes? I'm-I'm really sorry, and tell your mom that I know I suck for doing this, but there's something…there's something I need to do. My dad's outside, and I-I need to talk to him."
Frowning, Will asked, "Do you need us to carry your presents, if your dad's outside, so you don't get into trouble for shoplifting or whatever?"
She half handed, half thrust Will the Bratz doll and train package. "Yes. Thank you. I'll be only a few minutes."
Without returning the half-hearted wave that Lucy gave her, Gigi rushed out of the store. A few minutes later, she was hit by the blast of December air, upon coming face-to-face with the cold outside. Her father stood to the side of the store, still talking, seemingly oblivious to the harshness of the weather.
Normally, Gigi would have paid attention to the "Wait" signals her dad was sending her, but today was different. She glared at her father. "God, do you have any idea how long you left me there? You said it was going to be a short call! Not that I know why I listened to you. I mean, all you ever do is break promises, so why the hell should this time be any different?"
Christopher cleared his throat and spoke to the person on the phone. "Excuse me, Jim. I'll be just a minute." Covering the phone with his hand, he fixed his attention on Gigi. "Georgia Hayden, I've already reminded you today about language! You have no right to bust in on me at an important work call, and I'm not going to have you speaking me to me like that. Don't even think about saying one word against Bradley and Brie this trip, because that's exactly who you sound like."
"Well, I can't help it if you're never there for me!" Gigi retorted, as her father continued to hold the phone like a limp fish. "Something happened to me when you were gone, and you don't even care! You don't care how you've screwed up my life, or that I was the most miserable three-year-old ever, or how I ran into Lucy and Will and Lorelai-"
"Wait. Lorelai? You saw Lorelai?" Her father was now giving her his full attention. "Gigi, you saw Lorelai? Just now?"
Gigi swallowed. "Well, yes, but I-"
Christopher put his phone back to his ear. "Hey, Jim? Listen, something just came up, and I have to go now. Yeah, yeah, I'll talk to you later. If we don't have a chance to talk before then, Merry Christmas." He put the phone in his pocket and turned back to Gigi. Gigi had never seen her father look so serious before. "Gigi, tell me what happened. Now."
Stunned by the attention her father was giving her, Gigi attempted to explain. She didn't normally ramble, but she felt herself shrinking under the intensity of her father's gaze. "Well, after you left, I-I was approached by this woman, who wanted me to look after her two kids while she tried to sneak their presents to the cash register. I didn't know it was Lorelai, and she didn't seem to realize I was me, either-I mean, I told her my name, but obviously, I'm not the only Gigi out there-but I agreed, and I started talking to the kids-Will and Lucy, they're actually really sweet-and they mentioned they had an older sister, Rory. So I realized why Lorelai looked familiar, and I put two-and-two together, and then I came here." She somehow found it necessarily to add, "I didn't know it was Lorelai until then, Dad. I promise."
Her father seemed to have calmed down by this explanation. He nodded, taking this in. In a quieter voice, he asked, "So, Luke wasn't there?"
Gigi blinked. "Who's Luke?"
Christopher ran his hand through his hair. "Luke is, uh, Rory's stepdad. The kids' father."
"You mean Lorelai's husband?"
Looking away, her dad nodded. Though she knew that this did not make sense from what Lorelai, Will, and Lucy had told her, Gigi nonetheless found herself remembering her grandmother's analysis of Lorelai. "But how do you know she's still married to him? She could be divorced by now."
Christopher forced out a laugh. "She's still married, kid. Rory might not mention her mom much, but I know that for a fact."
"But-Grandma said Lorelai's a harlot, and-"
Christopher looked up. In a voice filled with more finality and discipline than Gigi was used to hearing from him, he said, "Gigi, Lorelai is not a harlot. I don't care what your grandmother has told you, but I will not have you using that word around her or Rory-or me, for that matter. Lorelai is not a harlot, and I never want to hear that word from your mouth again."
Looking at her father, Gigi was hit by a new possibility. True, her grandmother was not known for being rational, but it was the only explanation to the missing piece of the puzzle that she could think of. In a very soft voice, she asked, "When you were married, did Lorelai cheat on you?"
Her dad stared at her. "Where did you get that idea?"
Gigi shrugged. "Well, I think it's weird Grandma's still fixated on the fact that Lorelai got pregnant with Lorelai at sixteen, and I know what 'harlot' means. Plus, she got together with her husband so soon after you and she got divorced, so I don't know, I just thought-"
Her father cut her off. "Lorelai didn't cheat on me, Gigi. God knows, I almost wish she had, but she didn't cheat on me. What she did do wasn't a lot better, but cheating would have been a lot worse."
"What did she do to you?" Gigi asked, frowning.
She almost lost it when her father just shrugged. Still, she forced herself to be calm. "Dad, my whole life I've watched you squirm whenever Rory mentions her mom. I know you aren't the king of relationships, but you were married to Mom for two years; you wouldn't just back out after less than two months. Any minute now, I'm going to have to go back inside, face Lorelai, and collect the gifts for Brie and Bradley that her son is holding for me, and if you want Brie and Bradley to have Christmas gifts, I'll need to be prepared. Now tell me what happened. If she didn't cheat, what happened? Why do you wish she had?"
It took a few minutes for her father to answer. He placed his hand on her shoulder before he spoke. "Before Lorelai and I got married, she was engaged to Luke."
"And…?" said Gigi, taking this.
He sighed and looked off into the distance. She had never seen such a vulnerable, somber expression on her father's face before. "And, even after their failed engagement, she was never all the way there with me. She didn't love me. She loved Luke. For God knows what reason, she chose the flannel wearing diner owner over me, and if there's one thing I know about Lorelai, it's that she wouldn't have made that decision-not just to marry him, but to have a family with him-if she thought things wouldn't work out in the long run. She's still married to Luke, Gigi. That isn't going to change."
For the past seven years of her life, Gigi had often wondered about her reaction when she saw Lorelai Gilmore again. She was torn between imagining that she would yell at Lorelai for everything she had done to her or simply ignoring Lorelai, as per her grandmother's suggestion. The last thing she had wanted was for news to get back to her grandmother that she had ignored her advice, but she had also intended to give Lorelai a piece of her mind.
She had always assumed their meeting would take place at Rory's wedding. She knew her older sister was the only thing that would bring two sides of the family together, and since her father had last seen Lorelai at Rory's Yale graduation, it only seemed natural that he would next see her at Rory's wedding.
Still, fate had had other plans. Though Rory was currently in a serious relationship, and it was likely a marriage was not far away, fate had brought Christopher and Lorelai together not at their daughter's wedding, but at Fao Schwarz.
Lorelai, Will, and Lucy were waiting for them at the front of the store when Gigi and Christopher came back inside, Gigi's gifts still clutched in Will's hands. Now, Lorelai was also carrying two bags, which presumably held Lucy and Will's Christmas presents, and Lucy was also carrying a smaller bag and was cradling the stuffed dog in her hands. Gigi could still barely believe she had come face-to-face with Lorelai-indeed, without even realizing who she was at the time-after all these years.
Gigi watched the expressions on her dad's and Lorelai's faces as they began to approach them. Lorelai had begun to tense and blinked rapidly, but her father's expression was very different. Though he was trying to hide his true feelings, Gigi could read the depth of the pain on his face.
Finally, they approached them. Lorelai and Christopher each took a long while before speaking.
"Chris," Lorelai said very softly.
"Lor," her dad said in return.
Lorelai turned her attention back to Gigi, who tensed under her gaze. "God, Gigi, I can't believe I didn't recognize you. You look so different from the last time I saw you. Which, of course, makes sense, seeing as you were younger than Lucy at the time, but still, I can't believe it. How are you doing? Have the last however many years being treating you okay?"
"I'm fine," said Gigi in a lifeless tone.
Lorelai flinched, but did not comment. Stepping forward, Will handed the Bratz packet and train set to Gigi. "Here are your gifts," he said.
"Oh, are those what you picked out for Brie and Bradley?" Christopher said, looking at the packages in Gigi's hands. She nodded.
"Your girlfriend's kids?" Lorelai said, no doubt remembering what Gigi had told her. Christopher straightened.
"Oh, yeah, her name is Jane. She lives here in New York City, but I've been able to see her whenever I travel to New York for business. That's what we're doing now, actually. Jane invited us to spend the holidays with her." After sending Gigi a warning look, he added, "She's been really good to Gigi."
Lorelai nodded. Will had begun to look at his shoes, and Lucy had begun to play with her stuffed dog, both sensing the awkwardness. Gigi, for her own part, had taken out her cell phone and was texting Natasha back to inform her that she hadn't made it to Bloomingdale's yet. She glanced back up to see her dad scrutinize the expression on Lorelai's face, then quickly looked back at her phone.
"So, are you visiting Rory, too? She didn't mention you guys were in town."
"Um, no. I was thinking of it, but she said something about you guys being here, and-well, I didn't want to intrude."
"Oh." After hitting the "Send" button, Gigi looked up to see Chris avoiding Lorelai's gaze. "Well, you know, after spending Christmas with your girlfriend, I'm sure Rory wouldn't mind if you spent Christmas with her, too. We're just going to be hanging around Rory's apartment and watching movies, nothing special. I know Rory's really missed you and Gigi, so it would mean a lot to her."
"Thanks, Lor, but I don't think it would really be a good idea."
Lorelai's shoulders slumped. "Well. I'll ask Rory, just in case you change your mind."
She had noticed that her father had been making a conscious effort to avoid mentioning Lorelai's husband, but this effort proved to be in vein when Lorelai's phone began blasting Jimmy Buffet's "Cheeseburger in Paradise." Forcing a smile, Lorelai picked up the phone, ignoring the way her daughter had begun to motion to her stuffed dog.
"Hey, babe. Yeah, we're almost out of here…uh-huh, I managed to get everything under wraps…no, I'm okay. I'll tell you about it in more detail later, but we might as well call this year 'Lucy Instills Meeting With Mother's Exes,' cause that's seriously what 2016 is starting to feel like. No, not Max again…Guess…. Lu-uke, I only dated him that one time…! Darn, I can't even believe you remember Paul's name. God, I can barely remember his name…no, not Alex; God, do you make a habit of remembering all my ex's names? I mean, I know you were pining after me and all, but this is seriously getting creepy."
"Tell Luke hi from me," Christopher said in a lifeless voice. Flushing, Lorelai fixated her attention back on the phone.
"I guess you heard that…? Yeah, yeah, it was really weird. I asked this girl to look after Lucy and Will while I took care of you-know-what, and what do you know, it turned out to be Gigi. She's so old now; it's so weird. Anyway, I'm sure we'll be talking about this later, but I just wanted to tell you now because...Really?…thanks, you're the best, babe. I'll call you again when we're on the Subway, and then maybe we can plan what we're doing for dinner…yeah, yeah, I'll make sure Lucy and Will are safe…" She looked up to see Lucy, who was continuing to motion wildly. "Wait a second, I think Lucy wants to talk to you…hmm, marking your territory, are you? Well, lucky for you, I love you, too."
Lucy grabbed the phone from her mother. Her face lit up when she heard her father's voice. Gigi was startled by the depth of the excitement on Lucy's face. She was pretty sure she had never looked so excited at the prospect of talking to her dad. Most of the times she and her dad spoke on the phone, it had been because he was away on business, not because she genuinely missed him after only a short time apart. As she continued to watch Lucy, she felt a surge of emptiness filling her heart.
Lucy spoke in a tone that was unnecessarily loud for the phone. "Daddy? Oh, Daddy, you'll never guess what I got for my early Christmas present! A stuffed dog! Mommy and I talked it over, and we decided to name her Susannah Hoffs, cause Paul Anka is named after a singer, so it makes sense that this dog is too…No, Susannah Hoffs, from the Bangles …Daddy!"
"Luke's not a big Bangles fan?" said Christopher, listening in to the conversation.
Lorelai sighed. "No. He hates the Offspring, though, so he ranks." She flinched. "Oh, I'm sorry-that wasn't a direct dig at you. Reflex. God, I suck."
"That's okay," said Christopher, though Gigi was not sure she believed him. "Was I imaging it, though, or was your ring tone for him a Jimmy Buffet song?"
Lorelai blushed. "Um, Jimmy Buffet sings about cheeseburgers, and I love the cheeseburgers Luke makes, so…yes?"
For the first time that day, her dad broke into a wide smile. "Oh my God. You're the wife of a Parrot head. Say it isn't so."
Still blushing, Lorelai glared at him. Gigi continued to watch, stunned by the ease of their banter. "Shush you. I'm teaching my children to respect their father."
Christopher ignored this. "Lorelai Victoria Gilmore, wife of a Parrot head. God, I can't believe this. Well, I shouldn't be surprised." He smirked. "After all, you're already his chick."
Lorelai forced a smile, and even Will and Lucy, who had ended the call with her father, blinked at him. Gigi just rolled her eyes. After almost fourteen years, she was used to her father's corny comments.
"His chick, right," said Lorelai, with a clearly forced laugh. "Good one."
"Actually, all female birds are called hens," Will said, and they all looked at him. "All baby birds are called chicks, too…I think, anyway."
Lorelai stared at him. "One and only son of mine, how do you know that?"
Will shrugged. "Google. And maybe April, I can't remember."
"Ooh, then that means Will and me are Daddy's and your chicks!" Lucy said, chapping her hands together.
Lorelai smiled at her youngest. "If you talk to Babette and Miss Patty and hear about their old code name for your father and me, you were our chicks long before we extended this metaphor, but sure. I guess this makes things official."
Her father chose to ignore this comment. "Okay, the hen of a Parrot head then," he said, looking embarrassed that he had been outsmarted by an eight-year-old. Gigi had to smile, thinking about how different Will was from Bradley. "Lorelai Victoria Gilmore, the hen of a Parrot head…and uh, right." He motioned to Lucy and Will. "You two are their chicks." Lucy beamed, and Christopher turned back to Lorelai. "Who would have known that when we first listened to that song at ten, you would someday become a Parrot head's wife? I can't believe you picked a Parrot head over me."
Although Gigi knew her father hadn't meant this the wrong way, these words had come out more bitter than he'd attended. "Chris," Lorelai said softly. She approached him and reached out to pat him on his arm. Just before her hand made contact with it, Christopher jerked his arm away.
"God, I'm sorry, Lor," he said, flinching. "I didn't mean it the way it sounded. That was completely uncalled for. Gigi and I need to pay for the present anyway, and I'll-well, I guess we'll probably see each other around sometime."
"Wait, Chris." She blocked him before he could make his way to the cash register. Gigi realized she was holding her breath. "Chris, about what you heard me tell Luke-I'm sorry. You just have to understand, you were a thorn in our relationship for so long, and I didn't want Luke to hear about our meeting from Lucy or Will. Obviously, nothing's happened, and Luke would have known that too, but it was something I had to tell him." She studied his face. "You-you forgive me?"
Her father sighed. "I could never not forgive you, Lor," he said, and Lorelai nodded, biting her lip.
Gigi felt her father tugging her arm towards the cash register. "Come on, Gigi." Looking towards Lorelai's and the kids' direction, Christopher plastered a smile onto his face. It struck Gigi just how many forced smiles Lorelai and her father had been giving each other. After clearing his throat, he said, "Gigi and I need to be on our way. We still have to pay for the presents, and I promised Gigi we'd go shopping before we meet up with my girlfriend and her kids for dinner later."
Lorelai flushed. "Oh, of-of course." She stepped away, granting Gigi and Christopher an accessible path towards the cash register. "Gigi, Chris, it was so great to see both of you…Gigi, really think about seeing the Gigi movie; I'm sure your dad would love to see it with you."
"I will," said Gigi very quietly.
Lorelai studied her face and sighed. "Good. You won't regret it."
"Bye, Lor," Chris said. He glanced again at the kids before adding, "Make sure your mom doesn't too anything too crazy." The two kids raised their hands in waves, and Gigi, too overwhelmed to say anything else, waved back.
She continued to watch Lorelai and the kids as her father paid for the gifts. Lucy had noticed a display of rubber duck reindeer on the way out and was nudging her mom to look at them. Though Lorelai was trying to fixate her attention on the reindeer, Gigi could see how spooked Lorelai looked. Her dad, for his own part, kept glancing back back at in the direction of Lorelai, then turning back towards the register before Lorelai could notice.
Just before Lorelai and the kids left, Will stepped closer to their mother. After Lucy saw what Will was doing, she stepped closer too. Gigi found herself thinking of It's Complicated, a Meryl Streep movie she had seen on television a few weeks ago. Though Gigi had turned the movie on towards the ending and had been confused by some of the events as a result, one scene had stood out in particular. In the scene, Meryl Streep's character's children had huddled up in bed together, after finding out particularly confusing news about their divorced parents. One was engaged, the other had just graduated college, and the other was still in college, but they were still as close as they had been as little kids. After Meryl Streep's character had explained things to them, she and the oldest daughter's fiancé had joined them in snuggling in bed. It had been a perfect family scene, and Gigi had found herself wishing that she had grown up with siblings.
She found herself filled with similar feelings now. Though Lucy and Will were plainly too young to understand the depth of what their mother was feeling, they put their arms around their mother with distinct tenderness. Lorelai, smiling at her youngest children, hugged them back just as fiercely, unmistakable maternal tenderness shining in her blue eyes.
Gigi had to look down, so that a tear would not escape. Her own mother had never looked at her like this, and Gigi never had comforted her in the same way, either. Nor, she reflected silently, would Lorelai Gilmore (or whatever her name was now-knowing her father, he had probably ignored her married name) ever comfort her Gigi in the same way she had when Gigi was a child. It was time to face the truth: Lorelai Gilmore was really gone.