Day 13
6 days in Shutdown
Stars Hollow had always seemed sort of a disembodiment of the nation. Whatever problems the nation faced seemed fairly foreign to the small Connecticut town.
But at the emergence and rapid spread of a life-threatening outbreak, all towns, cities, and states bandied together to stave off that mushroom effect.
One month.
The governor mandated a one month shutdown of all nonessential businesses.
For a town as small as Stars Hollow, that resulted in 1-2 brick and mortars for every category. Most businesses endured the shutdown. Depended on the fair and expedited aid from Washington to stay afloat.
The men and women at the sheriff's office and medical clinic masked up and headed in daily. There was Doose's, Al's, Luke's, Joe's Pizza, SH Bank & Trust. Even the Dragonfly, but only on a case by case basis. It was there only for those who were at risk and therefore needed temporary refuge to protect their families.
With financial stress alleviated, Lorelai was only left to worry about the ongoing safety of her loved ones. Her parents had agreed to house 1 maid and her kid. The groundsmen remained employed. They staggered their duties and cut off contact to those in the home. Emily and Richard had the means to adjust to any scenario, stimulus unneeded. Lorelai only had to battle their stubbornness and disfavor for stagnation.
Rory was home from college. Books, more recently amended syllabi, and professors'/classmates' cell and home numbers all tucked away. As prepared as she could be for a new college experience. Just on the drive home from her dorm, she'd answered 2 calls from an ever panicked Paris before she stopped picking up the phone.
In the crapshack, she and her mother existed together but separate.
Lorelai occupied the top floor and she let Rory have free reign downstairs. They spoke at high volume, yelling conversations throughout the day. Rory thought it was a crazy and unnecessary precaution, but Lorelai wouldn't consider letting up.
Audrey's test results had come back positive. She'd still opted to get back home, despite Luke's immense dissatisfaction. She had alerted the airlines and canceled her flight. The next day, she arranged a rental and drove the long journey on her own.
From the moment she was out of his sight and on the road, Luke's cell phone got more use than he ever would have imagined. He called her every other hour for the first few days. Stretched it out to every 4 hours throughout the night.
She didn't mind. It was Luke, after all.
Thankfully, so far, nothing life-threatening had made its way into her particular case.
Everyone who'd been at the inn was tested. Everyone in the diner. Everyone who had so much as smiled at her from a distance that could be easily seen, was tested.
There were no positive cases, but Lorelai was determined to give it two solid weeks before coming in contact with her daughter.
With only 2 of them and a multi-story home, she found peace with her decision to remain in the home. This, instead of taking up one of the rooms at the Dragonfly which would have left Rory all alone.
For the most part, Lorelai stayed in her room. When she talked to Rory, she'd open her door, sit cross-legged on the floor against it, her mouth and body facing the expanse of her bedroom, as she put her vocal chords to the test. She wanted to be sure any airborne bacteria lived only in her living space.
Rory would bring her food, coffee, and clean laundry. She'd leave it on the stairs as instructed. Lorelai would slap on face coverings, hold her breath, and zoom down for retrieval. Whenever Lorelai had to leave or enter the house, she'd plan for it and be sure Rory was in the kitchen or her bedroom. She'd scurry past, face mask in place, breaths suspended.
Occasionally, she would have to brave the inn to tend to tasks here and there for their guest. So far, there was just one townsman. Mr. Penn was a bank employee who shared a home with his elderly parents. Much like Lorelai's chosen arrangement, his stay was simple precaution.
Rory always knew Lorelai had no limits when it came to her mama bear duties. But with all the recent events, she came to truly see the absurd lengths her mother would go to protect her and keep her safe.
Lorelai could sense her own Requiem for a Dream vibes. It was quite palpable. But it was there to stay. Still, she had opened up about it to her friends. Sookie gave her special brand of support. Luke's facial expression judged her newer facet of crazy, but his words contradicted it. He told her how he couldn't blame her. Anything for Rory.
They watched the news a lot, she and Rory. Much more than they did before their current end-of-days like reality. Rory mentioned how it all seemed so phantasmal, something that she'd read in a fiction section of the library. That led them to several conjured endings for the ordeal, each funnier than the last. None had deaths, of course. Just preposterous heroic figures that'd save the world and set things right. All of them donned in outfits with varying levels of tightness.
Their nights usually found Rory stretched on the couch, looking up and laughing. Lorelai stretched on the floor of her bedroom, looking up and laughing.
One thing they had both come to enjoy was sitting outside conversing with Babette and Morey. Or more accurately, just Babette. Morey was there only for emotional support and swag.
Rory would be on their porch, Babette and husband on theirs, and Lorelai would cop a squat in the grass near her parked jeep. They came to see that nothing spurred on the thirst for gossip and animated stories like a global pandemic.
Lorelai definitely had her circle. She was never truly alone.
Sookie had hers. She had Jackson and her baby at home, and she still had her kitchen at the Dragonfly. She'd occasionally run into Lorelai or a maid while at the inn. But mostly, the place was empty. In her kitchen, there was a staff of one. It was just her. She cooked for their one guest. Mr. Penn ate lavishly.
Things were different for Luke.
After Audrey left, Luke had closed and remained closed, pending negative results. Same day he got his, Lorelai got hers. He reopened, and sometime that day, Lorelai found her way to the diner.
His business had seen quite a change since the town shut down. All orders had to be called in. Lane handled those forwarded calls from Kim's Antiques. She emailed orders to Luke. With a laptop positioned near the register, he'd become more familiar with technology than he ever cared to be. But it was a peaceful and seamless system.
Pick up was an option, one customer in at a time. But he also had Caesar on delivery. The only thing you could get without preorder was a drink.
Everything was takeout.
Lorelai had texted her order to his cell and then immediately called his cell to be sure he'd gotten it. Had smiled thru his grumpy admonishment to stop texting him. She'd been texting him since Audrey had vowed to convert him. Figured she'd offer some help in the department.
Luke had gotten the text order the second it'd come thru. In just a few days time, that text ding had become as familiar to him as the one for an incoming call. He didn't let Lorelai know that, though. He'd simply told her he'd take a look and have her food ready in 15 minutes.
There, she took in his new setup and admired the meticulous care he took in ensuring proper handling of food and sanitation. She wasn't supposed to stay. Staying was, after all, against the new rules, but still, she slid onto a stool and stayed a bit.
She'd talked to him a couple times by phone before they got their respective results. Didn't delve too much into her very tangible fear, but it was clear Luke could sense it as he subtly sought to reassure her. She kept things brief. She made sure he'd call with any updates on Audrey.
But as she sat in the diner, she realized how much she had missed the diner, the dynamic…him. He was her "every day", and it was odd to be without it.
So yeah, she broke the rules and stayed a bit.
At least until a small line started forming at the door. Each new patron waited for the max occupancy of 1 to zero out before proceeding inside.
Lorelai had grabbed her food and made a goofy request for him to give her a ring if he felt lonely. He nodded as he went about his work, told her he'd be sure to do that. His tone made it clear that'd be the last thing on earth he'd do. She smiled behind her mask. Hated that she couldn't see the full extent of his expression due to the one on his face. She left the diner.
The next day, she was in and out. Fought the rebel in her and instead, followed the rules.
Same as today. In and out.
Luke passed over the order she'd texted in, and as she turned to go, he offered a little wave. "See ya." She returned the words, told him to stay safe. It wasn't until she was at the door that she processed his tiny hand gesture. It had felt dispirited. She wondered if she'd imagined that. She stopped and faced him.
He was looking at her casually. "What?"
She scanned the diner in suspicion. "How many people have been in here today?"
"I don't exactly count 'em, Lorelai."
She studied him. "Babette's only getting deliveries from Caesar. Same with Andrew. Even had to convince Rory to let me pick up dinner instead of letting Caesar bring it by."
He looked around at the empty diner. "Yeah. People are getting pretty lazy," he caviled.
"Yeah…" She continued her stare-down.
He frowned at her, but unfortunately, the mask shielded that. "Least they're still ordering, though," he added easily.
"Okay?" she chimed in with only more suspicion.
Luke crossed his arms. "What exactly is all this?"
"All what?"
"All this…leading…conversation. What are you not saying?"
Her eyes squinted. "What do youuu think I'm not saying?"
He pointed. "Get out."
She laughed, dropped all the suggestive speech. "You wanna come back to the house? Watch a movie or something?" she beckoned, unpretentious.
"That's a kind offer…"
She shrugged. "Well, I'm a kind person."
"Completely out of the blue but kind…" He paused there. As if giving her a chance to explain, but he continued on in no time. "I'm okay, though."
Her tone was more serious but still light. "You sure?"
He nodded, looked away. "Yep."
"Okay," she accepted. She backed toward the exit. "See you tomorrow."
He nodded again. And then she was gone.
Luke looked down to his shoes as all of the quiet returned. He wasn't quite used to it. He'd always enjoyed his solitude and the quiet after a long day. Those days usually consisted of constant chatter and clinging cutlery. Never a moment of peace until he retired to his apartment. And now, there was nothing but quiet. Nothing but peace.
And boy was it loud.
-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-
15 days in Shutdown
Rory wanted pizza. The craving was mild, but she insisted on supporting as many of the essential businesses as she could. So pizza ended up being the girls' lunchtime meal choice.
They got a large with everything, breadsticks, brownies, and pasta. Lorelai ate only one slice of pizza. She'd downed it so quickly that Rory knew she had to be hungry. As Rory sat on the sofa holding her 3rd slice of pizza, she looked up at her mom who was parked at the top of the staircase. Her elbows rested on her knees, and she stared ahead thoughtfully.
As Rory gaily roped in a particularly stubborn string of cheese, she pointed to the food spread at the pivot in the staircase, directing her mom's focus there. Of course, she could eat it all on her own. Wouldn't even be a challenge. But she certainly hadn't expected to be the only one chowing down. "Why aren't you eating? Plenty more."
Lorelai shook her head, no. "I'm done. All pizza'd out."
"Breadstick?"
Again, she shook her head. "Eat what you want, and we'll save the rest for breakfast."
"You said you were good with pizza," Rory followed as she held up her loaded slice. "Change your mind?"
Lorelai appeared distracted. "I'm good with whatever you're good with, My Love." She looked down at the spread again. "Just trying to stave the ol' appetite a bit. Gonna hit Luke's."
"We could've done Luke's if you wanted that again. For the…hundredth straight day..." she added with light mockery.
Lorelai smiled at her kid. "No, Joe's was a good choice. We'd been neglecting our Italian roots."
"We don't have Italian roots."
"Sure we do. It's bathed in marinara. Oregano. Yeast. A little salt…"
"That's the root of a pizza. Not a Gilmore."
"Same diff."
"Course." On cue, Rory took a big bite of that bedrock.
"Pizza's always a fine choice," Lorelai admitted. "But I think a burger will hit the spot a little better."
Rory shrugged. "Why not do both? When'd you become such a lightweight?"
"What can I say? Bathing suits' season coming up."
"Hm. And you think a burger will make for a kinder meet and greet?"
Lorelai scoffed. "If only. It'll just stake claim on the right thigh while the pizza hijacks the left. Only plants and chicken breast fiascos roll out that unfamiliar red carpet. So my fate's set."
"Exactly." She pointed again to the spread. "So, go crazy."
Lorelai's phone dinged and she picked it up from where it lay on the step beside her. "Got to admit, the aroma is doing a number on me over here. Would help if Luke hadn't skimped on my pancakes this morning. The lid on the take out container closed with no problem. If I've told him once, I've told him a thousand times, if I'm not having to drop it to the floor and sit on it like a suitcase, then it's not high enough. Keep. Stacking. But noooo..." She typed as she spoke.
Rory continued to eat as she watched her mom type away on her phone. "Luke?"
"Yeah." She glanced down to Rory on the 1st floor. "He said the boysenberry pie isn't moving today so he'll box it up for you and me."
"Score."
"Right?" She grinned. "I told him to remain vigilant, track migration on the coffee for the next 4 ½ to 6 minutes. If there's no movement on that, best to cut his losses and prepare transport with the pie."
"I support that irrationality one hundred percent."
"Figured you would."
Rory wiped her lips with a napkin, continued to munch her food as she studied her mom. "Luke's for dinner?"
Lorelai nodded while staring at her phone. "Yeah, probably." Luke never typed much. He'd only say what he needed to say and leave it at that. He'd typed 'Nice try' to her coffee suggestion. She knew he wouldn't say anything further, wouldn't extend conversation. It was surprising to her that he'd even typed that reply. She supposed the facial expressions that trailed her silliness in person were the same ones that trailed her silliness in text. As if he expected her to just intuit his reaction. She did. But it still didn't stop her from awaiting actual words across her phone screen.
"Hasn't been much variety in your diet lately. It's like a hazing. But instead of being forced to wear the same clothes day after day, you're Groundhog Day'ing the diner, " Rory pointed out.
Lorelai typed out a quick message. 'Audrey update?' before focusing on Rory. "You act like burgers haven't made up the biggest portion of our food pyramid since you could crawl. Why are you acting brand new down there?"
"Same Rory. Just polished things up a bit. Preparing for the open house."
"Very brothel-like."
"Just a viewing. I sit back and count the nibbles before I yank that dangling carrot away. Every now and then, I like to make my self-esteem blush and giggle."
"I stand corrected. Very risqué cabaret."
Rory smiled. "Burgers will never go out of style, Mom. But take a break. Have a breadstick."
Lorelai pulled herself to her feet with an exaggerated grunt. "Okay, maybe just one," she gave in. Her phone dinged with another message and she instantly reached down to retrieve it from the step. It held her attention as she made her way to the spread.
'She's still a little weak. But good. Said she caught a whiff of peppermint last nighy'. Fingers on keyboard, Lorelai took blind slow steps down the stairs. Before she got done with her, 'Smell's slowly coming back! That's good to hear.' reply, her phone dinged again. 'I meant night, not nighy'. She smiled wide enough to show teeth, truly tickled at his formal method of correction. She softly hit send on her reply. Stared at her phone as she fought the urge to bombard him with the strings of thoughts and quips that raced through her head like a triple crown victor.
"When'd Luke become a texter?" Rory asked as she put less focus on her mom and more focus on her savory slice.
"He's not. But Audrey and I are working on it." Lorelai reached the spread and knelt down before it. Another ding caused her attention to be redirected.
"Seems like a success to me," Rory commented.
'See you later?' Lorelai read. On her haunches, her reply was immediate. 'Sooner rather than later. I'm starving' she speed-texted.
'Okay,' he typed back.
Again, she stared at her phone. There'd been very little delay in his responses today, she noted.
More and more, townsmen were choosing to isolate and avoid public places. Luke wasn't hurting for business, though. He found himself serving up more burgers, fries, and pancake breakfasts than ever before. He cooked, fried, and boxed them up. Caesar remained the dutiful deliveryman. His salary during the pandemic paled in comparison to his tips. He entered the diner every 15-20 minutes eager and energetic, ready for the next batch. In and out. Quick "Back! What's next? Boyner, Knight, Matthews, Weisman? Cool. See you in a bit," and he was on his way again.
No, he wasn't hurting for business.
But save for Caesar running in and out all day, Luke's diner was taking on a pretty literal meaning. Occupancy of one.
Lorelai didn't truly know Luke's feelings on that. She wondered. But she didn't know. She followed her own feelings. She had Rory. But without Rory, she'd have Babette and Morey. And without her favorite nosy neighbors, she'd have Sookie. Though a bit more of a commute, her best gal pal was a tried and true shoulder and comrade.
But Luke didn't have family close. And he didn't socialize. There was Audrey, but she didn't live close either. Luke only had the diner.
An empty diner.
Lorelai had been visiting daily for lunch. That was nothing new, as it mostly mirrored her pre-pandemic routine. But in pre-mania days, if her schedule got hectic or Sookie's expert cooking got hold of her first, she'd skip the diner. No big deal. But not now.
There weren't many things competing for her time in present day. But even so, every day for lunch, she had been there. That mushroomed to breakfast in no time. Then, dinner was added to the docket. She was never late but often early.
She and Luke texted occasionally. Mainly, Lorelai texted. She kept it lighter than she did in person. Just simple things to keep him engaged. 'What's available?', 'What do you feel like making today?', 'What did Patty phone in?', 'What about Bootsy? I need ideas!', 'Any issues with shipment today?'.
Throughout some days, his replies would be delayed. 10 minutes, 20, maybe even 45. On those days, Lorelai would relax a bit more; spend more time with less distraction with her kid.
But when the replies were quicker, she took it as him staring at the walls, diner smothered in quiet. All she wanted to do on those days was get there and be there. She knew the rules and mostly respected them, so the visits were never long. But something was better than nothing.
Lorelai looked from her phone down to the food. She opened a box and retrieved a breadstick to satisfy Rory's persistence before standing.
"Gonna be hitting the books soon, right?" she asked Rory aloud.
"Yep. Food for fuel and then off to the races."
Lorelai nodded at that answer which she'd already anticipated. She took a bite of the breadstick and got an instant reminder of how hungry she really was. "I'll get out of your hair for a bit. Craving coffee and pie so going to hit Luke's for a little pre-dinner drop-in."
Rory sat on that just for a beat of silence. "Luke's kind of an introvert. A loner."
"What do you mean?"
"Just putting it out there. You seem to be worried about him." That was the first time she'd chosen to outright speak on her mom's surmounting efforts to see Luke during the lockdown. "But he's good. He's sort of built that way," she ended assuredly.
Lorelai glanced off, self-conscious. "Yeah, I know he's tough. Likes his space. That sort of thing. But he's a friend, ya know? Just want to check in with him." She shrugged as she met her eyes again. "And I want to support his business!" she ended with more vitality. "If I can get out of the house while doing that then that's a bonus."
"He's lucky to have ya," Rory asserted lightly, making a choice to give her mom a break.
Neither Luke nor Lorelai were involved with anyone. And in those times, it seemed their ships - with years-long passing tendencies - could possibly pull in and dock for a spell. Lorelai wasn't exactly opposed to the idea. That was easy to see. She adored Luke. Rory did too. So did the town. But Rory's nor the town's adoration came with the loaded stares and all that other stuff everyone, including the two people in question, pretended not to see.
During these times of possibility, Rory found herself testing the waters, wanting to see if there was a chance of conscious headway on her mother's part.
There never was.
She figured if it ever happened between her mom and Luke, it'd be a moment that would take Lorelai by complete surprise. Which was ridiculous, considering. But there was a touch of sweetness in that naiveté, Rory had to admit. Hollywood rom com material for sure.
Lorelai chomped away on her breadstick in a way that gave Rory further insight into her hunger level.
"Hey, grab the bop-it or a stack of cards before you go. See if you can accomplish the impossible."
She chuckled. "Are you suggesting I get Luke to not only break his coveted five-minute stay rule but also get him to, dare I say…take a goof-off break?"
"If anyone can do it, it'd be you. I think your chances are good since he's probably close to painting a face on a baseball or something over there," she ended in jest.
Lorelai saw the humor in that but not much. That actually touched a real concern of hers.
"Alright, Hon, I'm going to run up, grab some shoes, and head out. The cards were a good idea, by the way. I think I'll stick them in my bag and see how that goes."
"Alright. Tell him I said 'hi', and I'm gonna hold out luck that some of that pie will actually make it back here in a doggy bag."
"You'll definitely need that luck."
"Caesar's delivery is sounding better and better, lady."
She turned to go upstairs. With laughter in her words, she eased Rory's worries. "I've got you covered, Kiddo."
-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-
Lorelai was able to walk inside of the diner, no wait.
She wore a dark colored face mask with a large floral butterfly covering one side. She took notice of Luke. He was leaning over his laptop checking a couple emails that had just popped up. He wore a plain black face mask. "Hey," he greeted without looking up. He'd seen her when she'd pulled up in the jeep.
"Hey, Luke. How's everything?" she asked automatically as she closed the door and scanned the quiet space.
"Pretty good," he answered. He continued jotting down orders from the screen. "Finding that anything even resembling healthy is collecting dust in here. Figure of speech of course. Last thing I need is a health code violation," he intoned with an eye roll, causing Lorelai to smile as she claimed a stool. "Damn pandemic hits and everyone is just sitting around eating bread and grease and getting fat."
"Hey, best time for it. We can all use some happy. And food equals happy. I can certainly relate to that, end-of-the-world vibes unneeded."
"I can't relate to it at all. If anything, I've been watching what I eat even more. Pulled weights from my storage. Be nice not to end this madness a hundred pounds heavier."
"I guess. Thankfully, I'm okay. Some of us have been preparing our jaws and stomachs for this our entire lives."
"That air of pride is what's truly remarkable about that statement."
"Circa '68 as well. But if ever any diffidence, then chest out, head up, say it like ya mean it. Build it and they will come."
Luke let out a heavy sigh as he finished transferring the orders. Lorelai sat directly in front of him. He finally looked up at her, his brows furrowed in question. "You forgot to text your order."
"No, I didn't," she said easily.
He stared at her, her audacious words making him glare a bit. "You can at least pretend that you forgot, Lorelai. Leave me with a damn semblance of order."
His words and tone made her laugh. "Of course I respect your rules, Danes. I'm just here to get the pie you promised. And coffee, of course."
"Ah," he followed with understanding. He paused, looked at her problematically again. "So you're not eating? You said you were starving," he recalled.
She nodded. Kept looking into his very blue eyes. It was the only part of his face she could see with the mask. She didn't care for the masks in general. Made talking seem so impersonal. But with Luke, it seemed more of a love/hate relationship. Like with others, she preferred his full face. His expressions made up a big part of who he was, after all. And his eyes only told a portion of the tale. Unlike with others, though, his eyes held a unique fascination, and she found appreciation for the mask's architecture.
"Definitely starving. But I'm just letting it build up into a mighty hunger for dinner."
"Long as it makes sense to you, I guess."
"Doesn't make any sense to you?"
"You couldn't gather that from what I just said?" he dully asked.
"Not picking up what I'm putting down, huh?"
"It's definitely still on the ground. Right next to all the other stuff you drop down there with your verbal diarrhea."
She let out a breathy chuckle as she shook her head. "You really know how to match your word choice to the setting, don't you? Jeez, Luke. Bye-bye appetite."
He moved over to the pie plate and lifted the lid showing off the fresh fragrant pie with only 1 missing slice. "You were saying?" he proceeded leadingly.
"Box it up," she ordered playfully as if suddenly under the spell of something. "Noooow!"
He smiled. "Be sure to save Rory some," he told her as he reached under the counter for a container.
"So much pressure you guys are putting on me!" She reached in and took the box when he extended it. "I'll do what I can, dammit."
Luke snagged all of the order slips and headed into the kitchen. "How's everything going with her? Anymore hiccups with that whole distance learning situation?"
"Absolutely. It's a daily hassle. But she's getting thru it. It's taking a lot of patience on all sides. I don't even think the professors have personal lives anymore, just neverending conference and Skype calls. I'm pretty sure this pandemic is going to just petrify anyone even thinking of pursuing a career in education."
"And medicine," he added.
"Yep. I know things could be worse but…"
"Could be better too."
She nodded, thoughtful. "So very true," she said quietly. She stared off for a long moment. Things were bad, but there was improvement. They were only 2 weeks into the shutdown, but there had definitely been improvement. There was a flicker of light in that dark tunnel.
Sound of Luke's spatula brought her back. That familiar slap/knock dance across the griddle as he prepared an order of hash browns actually brought a smile to her face.
Luke broke the small amount of quiet with talk of some show he'd found on TV. ABC had aired a marathon for it a few days back, all episodes to date. He'd watched it. All caught up, he'd tuned in for its normal weekly airing for the first time yesterday.
His tone dripped with irreverence, as if the show had banged on the door of his life and was only let in so he could get some peace and quiet. He went into details about the oddity of the program and the plotlines that were all over the place.
His attitude suggested he hated the show and thought it was the dumbest thing in existence. But he called the characters by name: Jack, Kate, Sawyer, Locke...
"What's up with Locke? What's with that guy? He's weird as hell. I mean, they crashed there and he acts like that island was his original destination. Like he's home. Everyone else is terrified. Hell, I'd be terrified! Polar bears running around in the forest. Why the hell would a polar bear be in a tropical climate? What the hell kind of sense does that make? And what's really annoying is how they just dump all this stuff on us… none of it makes any sense… and then they just feed us the answers one grain at a time. Not even half a bowl, a tablespoon, no, just 'one grain for you, my little mindless flunky'."
Luke remained in the back as he prepared a total of 4 orders, all with numerous platters. And every single second of those extended minutes was filled with commentary and expression. For the first time in the history of their friendship, not a moment of that time featured a word from Lorelai.
He slid each container thru the order window one-by-one as he finished them up. Finally, he came out front to bag them for proper and safe transport.
"Sure it's a big secret, but I mean, can you blame her for not telling him? Not like she has a big voice in that marriage. One button too many undone and he flips out like she's some kid. The hell did he expect? Guy acts like a dictator." He stacked multiple containers in each bag, dropped in plastic-wear and napkins, and finished each bag up with a tight knot. Done, he grabbed a stapler and secured each order sheet to its proper bag, ranting all the while. "She has a lot of secrets, to be honest. Still trying to figure her out. Same with Jin. Hell, same with Kate. Well, everybody! That's the point. One stupid grain at a time. Hate that damn show," he muttered in conclusion.
He pushed all prepped bags off to the side. As he got ready to check the email again, he was caught off guard by Lorelai's intense focus on him. "What?"
The gentle smile that covered her lips was shielded by the mask. She hated that she hadn't been looking away when he'd looked at her. Maybe without the distraction of her gaze, he would have gone on talking some more, ranting some more, whatever. She had no desires to disturb that moment he'd created and felt so comfortable existing in.
She finally blinked, finally sought to reintroduce some neutrality.
It felt weird to speak.
"So, you like Lost," she revealed with warmth.
"No." His answer was immediate and stubborn.
She laughed. "I've been meaning to get into it. Just let me get caught up so I can become a proper soundboard for you."
"Oh, you haven't seen it? Thought you'd seen everything," he stated.
"I try to make sure my to-do list stays gainfully employed." She'd heard of the show. Before today, she'd had no plans to watch it. Now, there were definite plans to watch it.
He started transferring some new orders to the order slips. He wouldn't start actual preparation until Caesar arrived to pick up the batch he'd just completed.
"Be prepared for lots of confusion and frustration, all I've gotta say."
"It's definitely not all you have to say," Lorelai teased, in reference to his minutes-long tirade. "But I think you've given me a good idea of what I'm in for. I'm primed."
He nodded at that, kept scribbling. When done, he looked up to find Lorelai's eyes on him again. "Stop staring at me. It's creepy."
She rolled her eyes away, amused at his dispassionate gibe. But that eye roll only ended with her focusing on him again. Her fingers traced the pie box in front of her as she shared her thought. "I think it's awesome that you've found the joy of TV."
"Wouldn't go that far."
"But I know it's not really your thing, so if you're doing it because, I don't know, you're bored or you're finding yourself with too much time on your hands or…" She fought not to use that trigger word lonely which she knew was the quickest way to get him to tune her out, "or whatever the case may be, just know that Audrey isn't the only one willing to show up for you."
Her tone held a more serious note than he was used to, so he wasn't able to maintain that eye contact for too long. He shrugged passively as he looked away. "I know, Lorelai," he began. "Kirk has, uh…more than made his availability clear to me," he joked calmly. "I'm aware of my options."
She smiled, and it showed in her eyes. "Well, you have…Kirk's…number. Don't ever hesitate to use it."
He nodded. "I know. And I'm good. But thanks."
Lorelai followed that nod with one huge waggish one of her own. "Alright; now, I know you're about ready to kick me out of here given the precious rules," she sneered. "But since there's not much foot traffic, how about letting me bend that rule some? Just to like a 90 degree angle..." Before he could answer, she grabbed her bag, reached in, and happily pulled out a box of Bicycle playing cards. "I brought cards!" she announced.
Her squeaky glee brought Luke momentary amusement. "You've already exceeded time on that 'precious rule'," he mimicked. "Wanna stay, stay," he ratified with a cool wave of his hand before pointing to her firmly. "But if someone comes in, you gotta disappear."
She blinked hard and deliberately, looked around. Blinked hard again, looked around. "Nope, sorry, looks like my vanishing powers aren't working. Do you have a lamp shade I can maybe stand under?"
He went on talking, ignoring her. "Bathroom, out the back, doesn't matter. Just until the customer is gone. Don't need people thinking that the rules are lax."
"Got it. No putting my special privileges on display." She saw a familiar car pull up in front. "Does Caesar count in this?" she asked as she watched him hop out and rush toward the building.
"Nah, you're fine," Luke answered.
Caesar came inside adorned in a camouflage mask. He greeted them both. He was delighted to see Lorelai, took a moment to check in with her and be sure that everything was okay with her and members of her family. She did the same. He loaded the orders into his car on 2 trips and then he was gone again.
"Gonna get started on these," Luke said as he retrieved the next batch of order slips. "Coffee before I head back?" He regarded her with confusion. "Can't believe you've been here this long and I'm only now asking you this - that you've allowed this to be my first time asking," he clarified in surprise.
She nodded her answer. "Well each minute that passed was money off my tab. At this point, you owe me." He poured, and she accepted the cup with a low "thanks" before unhooking the mask from one ear to drink. His eyes happened upon her before he could resume journey, and he found himself rooted and focused on her face.
For many days, she'd been getting food and coffee to go only, so he'd gotten used to the mask.
When it came to Lorelai, Luke never stared. He was always very careful about that. But currently, he was staring. He couldn't seem to correct that before she took notice. So when she did finally look up - those bright blue eyes landing on his - he got the full razzle-dazzle.
"What?" The question was soft and didn't seem like much of a question at all. That earned its own distraction, but he didn't allow it to linger. As his gaze shifted to a more normal regard of her, he offered explanation. His insouciant tone completed the return to normal.
"Almost forgot you have a real face."
She smiled, looked off for a second as she decided what to do with that. "I'd like to say new and improved, but it's just the same ol' one from the showroom floor. What do you think?"
"Gets the job done, I suppose," he answered, glib. At that, he continued on back.
Lorelai stared after him and then lowered her eyes to the box of cards when he was out of view. She took a blind sip of coffee and then a deep breath before grabbing the cards to shuffle. "So what are you up for?" she called out to Luke. "Some gin? Old maid? Go Fish?"
"How about none of the above."
"Got another game in mind? Little slap jack, maybe?"
"No, just a general pass on the cards. Not that slow in here today so no point."
"I've been here for 20 minutes and you haven't had a single customer, dude," she teased.
"Yeah, they're all coming in email form instead," he said easily. There followed an embellished and goofy note of understanding counter-side. Luke went on. "Door to door service is hard to pass up, I guess." He poked his head thru the window as he held up two of the quickly made cold platters. "This one's a pick up." He set it down and went back to finish up the others.
"Whose is it?"
"No one you know."
"How do you know who I know? I know everybody! Full disclosure, I'm assistant director of this Truman Show."
"It's Pattie's."
Lorelai's look of disbelief was only given to the wall since Luke was out of sight. "Patty? You don't think I know Patty?" she deadpanned.
"Pattie's new in town. Pre-pandemic, she'd only been in here a handful of times, usually before the sun came up. Lives out near the Milner estate. Quiet older lady that hasn't even hit Patty and Babette's radar yet. So yeah, I feel confident that you don't know her," he ended pertly.
Unyielding, she replied, "Well, now I'm all caught up! Just tell me what color hair she has and whether or not she wears glasses and that Guess Who victor title will be mine, all mine."
Luke continued work on each platter, making great time. It was never a problem. His record was 22 platters all piled into just 6 orders, and all were completed and ready to hand off to Caesar by the time he'd gotten back from his 20 minute run. That was yesterday.
Most customers just wanted burgers and fries.
Lorelai saw a mint Deville pull in front of the diner, an older lady behind the wheel. Luke was still in the back but was just about done with his final platter.
"Pattie squared is here," she called out. She scooped up her pie and the scattered cards from her game of Baker's Dozen, shouldered her handbag, and grabbed her near-empty cup of coffee. Hopping from the stool, she hurried toward the back. "I feel like a hooker screwing some loser whose wife just came home early," she muttered in amusement.
She hadn't actually decided where her hiding spot would be. So she stopped near the end of the counter and hit several spins, uncertain of which direction to head.
Finally, facing the counter, she took in the employee-only space. Her attention snapped up to Pattie climbing from her car. With a shrug, she moved forward and chose to just lower herself behind the counter. Back toward the counter, she crossed her legs under her thighs and looked all around at the odd view of the diner. She'd seen that view before, only 1 time years ago. She and Luke had crouched down there, a little ways down from where she sat now. And he'd shared a memory of his father with her. She leaned forward to try to get a peek at that non-spruced spot.
Luke's sudden presence startled her, the noise of his steps causing her attention to fly to him. He stopped in his tracks and looked down at her with so much confusion. He looked freakishly tall from her floor position, and she ended up giggling. "Fee-fi-fo-fum; there's a Gilmore in my midst! Where'd you come from?!" she mocked in a low-pitched singsong voice. She giggled some more, truly amused.
Temporarily distracted by the unmasked laughing face he'd gone too many days without seeing, it took a second longer for Luke to respond.
"What the hell are you doing?"
She pointed a thumb over toward the diner's windows. Luke looked over, saw Pattie coming. He looked back down to Lorelai. "And this is your idea of disappearing?"
She shrugged helplessly. "I had nowhere else to go," she appealed.
"You had everywhere else to go…" he disputed.
"Seemed a good idea at the time. Plus, from back here, I get to keep a watch on things, make sure you don't try to pocket any cash." She casually lifted her mug from the floor and sipped. "Back to work, mister."
As if on cue, the diner bell welcomed Pattie.
"Afternoon!" she called.
Luke shook his head at Lorelai's growing grin before just continuing on to the other end of the counter. "Hey, Pattie. Was just about to bag your order up."
"Ah, feels good to get out of the house. Decided to grab a sandwich instead of cooking."
"Yeah. Take a break from slaving over the stove. Nothing wrong with that. Leave it to the people gettin' paid to do it's my motto."
"You sure about that, Luke? I gained 3 pounds my first 2 weeks in town thanks to those homemade buttermilk pancakes of yours. There's definitely love in your griddle."
He smiled big behind his mask. "Glad you think so."
"What, you don't cook? Outside of this place, I mean."
"I cook," he said simply.
"Thought so." She pulled her wallet from her purse. "If it weren't for the beer in the fridge, my late husband wouldn't have even known his way to the kitchen."
"Widowed huh? Sorry for your loss."
"Oh, he's not dead." She extended a ten dollar bill to him. Raised her eyes at him in her thick expensive frames. "Just dead to me," she made plain.
Luke chuckled. "Gotcha."
"You married?"
"Nah."
"Girlfriend?"
He tendered her payment as he shook his head, leery. "Why do I suddenly feel like I'm on the Dating Game?"
"Maybe you should be!" she blazoned. "No man in my life has ever cooked. Especially not one who looks like you..." She shook her head as memories of past mistakes loomed. She collected the change he offered her.
"Well," he started on a deep breath as he pushed her packaged lunch over to her, "If you ever want one who will, you know where to find me."
She laughed at that. "Alright, Luke. See you later. And stay safe."
"Same, Pattie."
The diner bell announced her exit. Only then did Lorelai speak.
"Jeez, Luke. Get a room," she stated.
Luke looked over at her on the floor. "What are you talking about?"
She moved her arms and hands animatedly as she spoke. "If you want me, you know where to find me," she teased.
"Didn't say that and definitely didn't say it like that," he said with an eye roll.
"Yes, you did."
"No, I didn't."
"Yes, you did."
"No. I did not."
She shrugged, drank the last of her coffee before lowering the mug and leaning her head back against the counter shelf. She stared over at him for a moment. "Why don't you have a girlfriend?" she asked unexpectedly.
He looked over at her suddenly, brows furrowed. "Excuse me?"
She shrugged again. "You cook. Apparently." News to her. "And you…look like that," she said with a quick gesture to him, "according to Pattie squared. Whatever 'that' means," she added dismissively as if she didn't have her own opinions on the topic. "So. Why don't you have a girlfriend?"
His tone was annoyed when he spoke. "You say that like you're swimming in guys or something."
"I don't swim in guys. Guys swim in me," she followed without missing a beat.
Luke reared back. She held up a finger. "No idea where I was going with that, but that came out so wrong. Little witcup."
"The hell's a witcup?"
"Hiccup. But with wit. Witcup."
"That's stupid."
"Don't change the subject. Whyyyyy don't you have a girlfriend?" she asked again.
He rolled his eyes away. Folded his arms and turned to walk languidly toward the huge windows that faced the street. Since the lockdown, not as many citizens strolled along those streets anymore. They were out there, just in fewer numbers. Luke counted nine. Before things got crazy and foreign, he would not have even attempted a head count. It would've been like trying to count bees around a honeycomb.
Luke turned away from the window and stopped near the register. He leaned his head to the side and cracked his neck before looking over at Lorelai again. There were more beats of silence as he seemed in no rush to satisfy her new look of impatience.
"Women are work. You're proof of that," he answered calmly.
She smiled. She still hadn't put her mask back on. "Total 9-5 over here, can't argue that. But I'd like to think I pay well."
"Not surprising that you think that," he said in a lighthearted tone. As her smile went bigger, he almost winked at her. Had to catch himself. He cleared his throat, looked down. Of course, she knew he was kidding with his words; she knew not to take them to heart. Luke knew she didn't need a wink to tell her that. The wink felt intimate. He was grateful he'd caught himself.
"Bachelor life too appealing, huh?"
"Not half as appealing as the end of this conversation."
"Hey, gotta look out for you. Audrey's orders."
"Audrey told you to look out for me?"
She thought back to her parting words. She'd called Luke 'precious cargo', partly in jest but mostly in surety. She'd said how he deserves the best, how another Nicole wouldn't have her playing so nice. But how single-Luke was a distraction.
"In so many words," she came to share.
The computer sounded as an email came in. Luke turned toward it. "Forget those words," he followed easily. "You, Audrey, and Pattie squared can all find new business. And get out of mine."
"New business during the pandemic is a recipe for disaster." She prepared herself to stand.
Luke had only glanced toward the door. "Stay down there. Customer coming in."
Lorelai relaxed back on the floor. "Thought you just had one pick-up."
"Did. He better just want a drink."
"Who is it?"
"One guess. He's wearing what looks like a damn Hazmat suit." Two more orders had come in and Luke's focus was on his order pad.
"Tell Kirk hi for me."
"And invite conversation?"
She chuckled. "Guess I'll catch him later."
"Good idea."
The bell sounded. "Hey Luke!" he yelled from the doorway. "Hot chocolate and pie, please!"
"Does that door look like a speaker at a drive-thru to you? Come in!"
"Have you disinfected in the past 30 minutes?"
Luke couldn't help but roll his eyes down to Lorelai. He found her silently laughing. "Sadist," he muttered.
"What'd you say?!"
"Close my damn door! I'll be out in a minute," he submitted.
The door closed and Lorelai's hushed laughter spilled out instantly.
Part 2/4
