Chapther two: A saving angel

"Rory.. Could you come here for a sec?"
Lorelai is sitting on a couch holding phone on her hand.

"What's going on mom?", Rory asks.
She sits next to Lorelai.
"I got a call from Yale today", Lorelai says and takes a look at Rory's face.

"Oh..", Rory grins and turns her face away from Lorelai.

"Why didn't you tell me that they want you write a speech for the ceremony they're having this weekend?", Lorelai asks.

"Because.. I didn't want to bring it up", Rory whisperes.

"Okay.. Honey, I understand. But tell me,why they are asking you to do that?",

Lorelai asks then.

Rory looks at her mother confused. This much Lorelai haven't spoken in week.

"Err.. they are asking few other old students to come there and talk about their lives after Yale.. And they thought that it would be appropriate to ask me talk about what happened", Rory answeres then. She takes a quick look at Lorelai's eyes.

"Why aren't you doing it?"

"What?"

"Why aren't you doing it?", Lorelai repeats.

"'Cause I haven't even talked about it with you.. it feels wrong to write a speech about it and share it with half-strangers",Rory whisperes.

"Rory.. I can't face what happened yet. But when I can, we will talk about it. And I'm not saying you should face it either but writing that speech, sharing it, could maybe help you..I know you are unhappy, and you really have reason for it, but I hate seeing you like it ", Lorelai says. Her voice is a low whisper.

Lorelai takes Rory's hand on hers.

The place is quiet for a couple minutes. Rory is staring at the floor.

"But don't do it for me. If you really feel like you can't do it, then don't. But I'm really, really okay with you doing it", Lorelai says then.

"You really think I should do it?", Rory asks.

"Yes I really do, sweetie", Lorelai answeres and hugs Rory.

Rory is sitting behind the stage in Yale's anniversary ceremony.

She's holding few papers, her speech, on her hands.

Lorelai didn't come. Though Rory totally understands it, it still feels weird.

Rory looks at the clock. It's her time.

She gets up and walks to the stage.

Death is always a sad thing.
But when it comes short of "out of nowhere", suddenly, it's not just sad.
It's a shock. "

"I lost my stepdad last week.
I knew him since I was little girl.

And I watched as him and my mom wrote story together.
First they were just .. coffee-needing women and man-who-has-coffee.
Step by step they became best friends.
And it lead for something more.
And everybody who knew them then, knew that it was right. It was meant to be.
But something went wrong. Just like in relationships sometimes happens.
Still,through all the bad times, mistakes and tears, they got married.
They found each other again. And this time, they were stonger than ever."

"What I'm meaning to tell is, that through this all Luke was always there for me.
No matter where he and my mom stood.
He was there on my birthdays, he was there when I graduate high school and when I started Yale.
And I thought that he would always be there for me when I need him..
One day, he just was gone. But not by his own choice.
By some elses choice. Some one who has to make this kind of decisions."

"My mom said me that I should do this.
That this will help me face the pain I'm running away from.
And she was right. Facing these things, saying his name again, it helps. Somehow."

"My mom is doing the same thing. Avoiding the paing. Running away from it.
She just has so much more to run away from.
And I think it's wrong. After all my mom has been through, she shouldn't have to deal with something like this.
She's not even crying. She is just goes to the work and comes home.
She's like robot. She has her routines.
The worst thing is looking at her eyes. There's dark shadows all over them.

It hurts to say it like this, but they're not beautiful anymore. They're unhappy. Tired.

"All this takes our minds away from the good things.
The good memories we should be thinking of.
All the good Luke gave to us.
And we both know that he wouldn't want us to be like this. Be robots as I said.
He wants us to smile again, be happy and move on.
Because he knows that in our hearts, he has a place.
And we will never forget him.
'Cause he was more than a stepdad, husband or a best friend.
He was a our saving angel."

"In Yale I really grew up and I have no glue how I could survive this,
if I wasn't part of this amazing school.

Thank you."

Without any other words she leaves the stage.
She takes her jacket and sits in the halway.
Her head is mess right now.
She closes her eyes and burys her head on her hands.

"It was amazing.."
Rory raises her head. "Mom? You came?"
"Yes.. And I don't regret it", Lorelai says and wraps her arms around Rory.

For a few minutes, they don't say a thing.

Carefully Rory takes a deep look in her mother's eyes.
"I never told him that I love him", Rory says. Tears are falling into her cheeks.
"Oh honey.. He knew it."
Few seconds later tears are falling into Lorelai's face too.

Mom holding her daughter in quiet hallway.
"I miss him..", she whisperes.
"Me too, mom."