Founders' Firelight Festival - 2000
"More coffee?" Luke asked, pleased that he had finally brought a smile to her face. I like being the one to make her smile.
"Yes please," Lorelai immediately replied. "Hey, tomorrow, if you have time, I'm planning on despising everyone who says 'Hey, how's it going?'"
"You're on," Luke said, looking up toward the diner's door, where a familiar face had just entered.
"Hey, how's it going?" Lorelai heard a woman say behind her. "Oh, now that's just too easy," she laughed but then stopped when she noticed the look on Luke's face.
"Rachel." Luke sounded surprised. Luke was surprised. He didn't know what else he was feeling, but surprise was definitely the number one emotion.
"Rachel? Your Rachel?" Lorelai asked Luke. The ex-girlfriend, she thought. Luke's Ava Gardner. And then, turning to finally get a look of Rachel, "You're Rachel?" Luke's Ava Gardner is as pretty as Ava Gardner, she thought.
"Yup. I'm Rachel."
And today just keeps getting better.
Founders' Firelight Festival - 1998
"And you're sure you can make it?" Lorelai said into her cell phone while headed toward the diner. "Because Rory is very excited to show off Stars Hollow to you..." And I don't want you to disappoint her again, Lorelai completed the unspoken thought in her head. Or disappoint me again for that matter.
"Okay, okay, so you'll be heading over from Hartford after 6, and you'll be here by 7 in time for the Festival..." Lorelai was still talking as she walked through the door to the diner where Luke was already pointing toward the "No Cell Phones" sign behind the counter. "Give my worst to Straub and Francine!" Lorelai ended the call cheerfully.
"Big day today?" Luke asked knowingly, pouring her a cup of coffee before she had to order one. He could always tell when Lorelai was anxious and she was definitely anxious about something today. She's also way more dressed up than usual, he thought frowning. That skirt isn't exactly weather appropriate.
"Oh you know. Founders' Festival. Isn't it always a big day?" Lorelai gave a nervous chuckle. How does he always know? Am I that obvious?
"It is at that," Luke said, figuring Lorelai would tell him what was on her mind when she was ready. Luke left to deliver food to a few of the other diner patrons, wiped down two tables, and then made a circuit around the diner with a coffee pot to refill cups, ending with Lorelai's.
"Only coffee today?"
"Just until Rory gets here," Lorelai said looking at her watch. "She should be here soon."
Luke nodded and pulled out a rag from his back pocket, wiping the counter in front of Lorelai.
"People can change, right Luke?" Lorelai said suddenly. "I mean, people grow up. Become responsible members of society. That happens, right?"
"Some people change, sure."
"I mean, I changed. I grew up. The second the stick turned pink I grew up," Lorelai asserted confidently and then looked thoughtful.
"But for some people maybe it's not a stick changing colors, or becoming a parent, or, I don't know, having a steady job and a 401K and a vehicle with four wheels that makes them grow up." She looked up again at Luke who simply nodded for her to continue.
"It could be anything. Maybe you can just wake up one morning and decide to evolve. Like just say 'today I'm going to have waffles for breakfast and, what the heck, start paying my bills on time!' Or, you know, 'I'll buy the shirt in blue, send flowers to my mom, and oh yeah keep my promises for once because, why not?' That could happen, right? There doesn't always need to be like a giant monolith falling from space to get people to finally grow up."
Lorelai was silent for a good minute before she got to the point.
"Rory's father is coming to visit today."
Ah, that explains it, Luke thought looking over at Lorelai, who was concentrating on tearing an empty sugar packet into about a thousand pieces. But all he said was "okay."
"He's never been here before," Lorelai continued, still not meeting Luke's gaze, too busy transforming another sugar packet into confetti. "And Rory is so happy, Luke. Over the moon, really." Her blue eyes finally met Luke's and he saw the worry behind them.
"Well," Luke said carefully, "That's good right?"
"It is..."
"But?"
"But... I'm just waiting for the inevitable. The other shoe to drop," she said with a sigh. And after a pause, "is it inevitable?"
"I don't know," Luke replied, not trusting himself to say anything more.
"Mom!" Rory exclaimed while rushing into the diner and throwing her arms around Lorelai's shoulders. "Isn't today just the best?"
Luke saw Lorelai force a big smile on her face before turning around to greet Rory. "It sure is kid."
"We need pancakes Luke!" Rory was too excited to notice the pile of torn sugar packets on the counter. And too excited to notice that her mom's smile didn't quite reach her eyes. "And eggs. Ooh and bacon."
"And coffee!" Lorelai added, holding out her mug.
"And muffins!" Rory laughed.
"And better eating habits," Luke responded gruffly while passing the order back to Caesar.
. . . . . . .
"So, I was thinking that we need to give Dad the full Stars Hollow experience when he gets here," Rory was explaining animatedly to Lorelai while they walked over to Sookie's for a pre-Festival cookie binge. "I figure we listen to the speech and then, when everyone is scrambling for matches, we do the tour. We need to get cake at Weston's, buy a book at Andrew's shop, get fries at Luke's, of course, and I figure we'll be back in plenty of time to see the bonfire lit."
"Sounds good sweets," Lorelai said, trying to seem enthusiastic. Try to be optimistic, Lorelai reminded herself. After all, he's already in Hartford. How hard will it be to make the half hour motorcycle ride here?
"You don't think Kirk will come through again this year do you? I mean, that had to be a fluke last year."
"Well, Kirk is nothing if not unpredictable."
"Right, but if they do light the fire on time, we won't be able to make the full circuit." Rory continued chattering away about everything she wanted to show her dad while he was visiting. "Do you think he'll spend the night? Of course he'll spend the night! We should pick up some movies for after the Festival. Maybe a fire theme? Ooh, Backdraft! Or is that too on the nose? We could do Chariots of Fire, but there isn't actually any fire in the movie, so maybe not..."
"Oh its Lane!" Rory suddenly interrupted her own monologue when she spotted her friend a block away.
"You need to go talk to her?" Lorelai asked.
"We just need to finalize our plans for Operation Space Oddity."
"Ah, bringing Bowie into the Kim household undetected?"
"Exactly."
"Okay, just meet me at Sookie's. Soon," Lorelai said firmly. "Or I will play the Runaways on repeat for so long you will never be able to listen to Cherry Bomb again!" Lorelai called the warning to Rory, as the girl ran down the street toward Lane.
Lorelai felt her phone vibrate in her pocket and she went to answer it while walking up Sookie's front steps.
"I'm really sorry Lor..." Christopher started. At least he tried to come up with a believable excuse this time, Lorelai thought as she listened to Christopher explain why he would be letting Rory down yet again. But still leaving me to break the news to Rory.
"Whose ready for cookies! Cookies for you! Cookies for me!" Sookie exclaimed in a sing-song voice while opening the front door. Then, noticing the look on Lorelai's face, she immediately switched over to concerned friend mode. "Oh honey. Are you okay? What happened?"
"Just crushed," Lorelai replied. "By a really big falling shoe."
. . . . . .
"Really, I'm okay mom," Rory insisted for the hundredth time at the Festival that night. "I just thought he would come this time. He sounded so sure about it."
"He's good at that. Sounding sincere."
"Well, I'm over it. It's the same thing over and over. No more expecting different results."
"Even when upset you have to quote Albert Einstein. My little genius spawn," Lorelai cooed and playfully stroked Rory's hair.
"More like paraphrase," Rory gave her mom a half smile.
"Hey, your dad loves you, you know?"
"I know."
"He just, doesn't know how to ... not ... not follow through."
"A triple negative?"
"Aww, kiddo. Look on the bright side. At least you have the world's hottest mom."
"That's the adjective we're going with?" Rory said giving her mom another wry smile.
"Most charming mom?"
"Umm..."
"Smartest mom?"
"Keep trying."
"I have it, youngest mom!"
"Close."
"Most immature mom?"
"Ding, ding, ding. We have a winner," Rory said, laughing as Lorelai placed her arm around Rory's shoulders and pulled her toward the diner for a quick cup of coffee before heading home.
. . . . . . .
Rory took a seat at the corner table while Lorelai made her way to the counter.
"Hi."
"Hey, I didn't expect to see you in here tonight."
"Yeah, well plans changed a bit."
"The, uh... inevitable?" Luke asked softly, so that Rory wouldn't be able to hear. But the girl seemed more interested in the festivities outside than the conversation her mom was having with the diner owner.
"I guess the saying is true. Death. Taxes. Christopher. It's all inevitable." Lorelai's voice also dropped lower. Just in case.
"So, they managed to light the fire this year without your help," Lorelai said, changing topics.
"I heard. How long did it take?"
"A full hour," Lorelai laughed.
"Someone finally find matches?"
"Actually the winning combination was gasoline and a flare gun from Gypsy's shop."
"Sounds like quite the production."
"Oh it was. All in all, it turned out to be a pretty good night."
"Is she holding up okay?" Luke asked, lowering his voice again, while nodding toward Rory.
"Well, I think she could use a particularly greasy plate of fries. But she'll be fine."
"She looks fine."
"Yeah. It almost makes it worse though. It means she expects to be let down by him now."
"And no one should have to expect that."
"Exactly."
"Are you holding up okay?"
"Always," Lorelai responded, sounding almost wistful. "I haven't expected any different for years now." But you did dress up for him today, a small voice in her head objected.
"Okay one greasy plate of fries, a cup of coffee, and a hot chocolate coming right up."
"Actually, make it two cups of coffee," Lorelai corrected.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I hope you plan on drinking both those cups."
"I just want to make tonight special for her. Even if it can't be special in the way she wanted it to be," Lorelai pleaded. Rory had been asking to drink coffee "just like mom" for years now.
"She's getting decaf."
"Half-caf," Lorelai countered.
"Half-caf with a lot of milk," Luke made his final offer. "And a cup of fruit on the side."
"Deal."
Lorelai smiled as she brought Rory over her very first cup of coffee. Just promise me you won't grow up too quickly kid.