Chapter 137
"We're so sorry to see you go again. We had been hoping you'd join us at the DAR," one of Emily Gilmore's friends said, as they'd circled Rory in the early hours of her graduation party.
A few weeks had passed quickly, studying for exams and getting her results, giving Rory little time to think about anything else beyond house hunting from a distance. Logan had done a quick little trip to Palo Alto again, signing his contract, and looking over a couple of places for future reference. Things were looking promising on that front.
This party wasn't quite the event Rory had envisioned when she'd first heard that Logan was throwing her a party. Honestly, she'd hoped for something a little bit more alternative, thinking of his Life and Death Brigade Times. But apparently her grandmother hadn't taken 'no' for an answer. And maybe they were just too old for that?
"So much. You were a breath of fresh air whenever you were around her parties," another woman chimed.
"We want to start a little outreach program," another woman said.
"You wouldn't believe your generation's apathy when it comes to such things as the preservation of this nation's history," the first woman added. Rory knew their names, but at this moment she wouldn't have dared to say which was which with 100% accuracy.
"Oh, really. Yeah, that's a shame," Rory replied, wondering what was delaying Logan's arrival.
"We were thinking of renting out a roller rink," the second woman said.
"I'm sorry, ladies," Logan said, causing Rory to smile broadly, as he came to her rescue. "Mind if I steal my gorgeous wife away for a minute? Some rather urgent business," he said.
Rory was thrilled to see him, feeling like she hadn't seen him nearly enough in the past few weeks, considering she'd split her time between the library and the apartment. And Logan still had a bunch of loose ends to tie up and new ones to set up.
"Of course not," one of the women chimed, clearly loving the pairing of the two of them.
"We'll talk later," another one said.
"Excuse me," Rory said, taking Logan's hand and following him across the gorgeously decorated ballroom.
"Oh, you really are my shining, armored knight, you know that?" Rory teased.
"I saw you dying," Logan replied.
"Took you a while to get here," Rory commented.
"And I did want to tell you something rather urgent. The house is ours," Logan explained, having spent the morning on the phone.
"We got the house?!" Rory exclaimed. She knew this wasn't a first for them, but each time a new place was a promise for a fresh start and new opportunities.
It was not some huge mansion they were talking about. Just three bedrooms, one of them just barely big enough for two desks on Guinda Street within walking distance from the heart of Palo Alto, Logan having not only factored in school districts but also Stanford University even if he hadn't explicitly pointed those things out for her, not wanting to add any pressure. The place was a white-colored Spanish-style home with beautiful arched doorways, coved ceilings, lots of cute little niches and natural light. The kitchen was a bit over the top for Rory, but Logan had his standards. But there was a small backyard with a deck, and plenty of room for them to plant that avocado tree. It looked positively dreamy in the photographs to Rory who'd yet to see it in person.
"We did," Logan said, stopping Rory in her path. "And you look beautiful," he said, pulling her close.
"Oh," Rory chimed and stretched out her neck to kiss him.
"Hey, kiddo," Christopher arrived, followed by Lorelai. Luke was around here somewhere, even if this wasn't really his scene. This place screamed Emily Gilmore, even if the menu and the music had a touch of Logan Huntzberger.
"Hey," Rory and Logan replied almost in unison, being caught mid-kiss.
Christopher kissed Rory on the cheek to greet her.
"Hey, it's good to see you," Christopher shook Logan's hand.
"Good to see you too," Logan replied, skipping the 'sir', feeling relaxed enough around him by now.
"So, are you getting excited?" Christopher inquired from Rory.
The server then showed up, and served every one of them a glass of Dom. Rory accepted a glass just like everyone did. It was not like she believed she could possibly be pregnant yet. Sure, there had been plenty of theoretical opportunity, her and Logan could hardly keep their hands off of each other. But coming off the pill with her period being less predictable together with her stressful finals, she'd believed it to be a less than ideal physical state for her body to even be able to conceive just like that. They'd factored the possibility of kids into their house-hunting, but Rory hadn't particularly spelled it out for Logan that she was off the pill, half assuming he might get her tiny complaints about her period being hard to predict, cramps and a few odd pimples on her back were a result from that. Either way, he'd never let her doubt that he was in on the plan, and both of them while with slightly different understandings of the timeline of things, were looking forward to starting a family, assuming things like that always took a little while.
"Yeah," Rory replied, adding - "I can't believe it's tomorrow."
"Ladies and gentlemen," Richard began, drawing everyone's attention to him and Emily, who were standing by the piano. "First, let me thank you," he continued to thank everyone for coming and introduce the process of writing this speech they'd tried to write.
However, a speech was not what Rory got.
"Maestro, please," Richard urged, gesturing at the man behind the piano.
"Please excuse us. We're not singers," Emily said, causing Rory, Logan and Lorelai all to exchange glances of wonder of what was to come. This promised to be interesting to say the least.
"Never let them see you sweat, dear," Richard said to Emily.
The music began, and Emily and Richard both held out a sheet of paper with what seemed to be lyrics.
"You're the top. You have graduated," Richard sang, not entirely off beat.
"You're the top. Your grandparents are elated," Emily sang.
"Newspaper editor phi beta kappa, wow," Richard added.
"You're a revelation, a huge sensation," Emily continued.
"You should take a bow," Richard sang, theatrically.
"You are done," Emily continued more lightly. "No more school for you," she added, gesturing with her index finger.
"There is nothing now that you can't do!" Richard emphasized.
"You'll make us proud; we'll sing it loud," Emily exclaimed.
"It's true, 'cause now Rory, you're a bulldog through and through!" The two sang in unison, finishing the song within forte.
Everyone applauded, and Rory was over the moon, borderline crying, from how happy she was to have graduated. She still struggled with self-worth and the definition of success, but she couldn't deny that her college transcript would always say that she'd graduated in the top 10% of her class. That was not a bad outcome. And the rest - the rest were just small mistakes on the way, which she was eager to correct within the next few years.
"Please stop," Emily requested, not being used to performing like this.
"Oh, thank you. Thank you," Rory said as she walked up to her grandparents. Even if the second part of her schooling had been paid for by her dad and some by Logan, regardless of her objections, she knew she would've never made it that far without her grandparents' financial assistance.
Rory hugged them. "Wow, thank you for that," she added.
"We meant every word of that song," Emily assured.
"We certainly did, even the ones we sang off-key," Richard joked. "We are so proud of you," he confirmed.
"Oh, thank you so much," Rory said. "You know that none of this would be possible without your help. You all should know that… that there's no way I could be a bulldog through and through if it weren't for these two. So, thank you so much, grandma and grandpa," she added, knowing her dad and Logan would never feel left out if she said something like that.
"Congratulations, Rory," Richard said once more, and clinked their champagne classes with hers.
"To you!" Emily said.
"Cheers!" Lorelai encouraged the audience.
"And I believe it is my turn," Logan said, wanting Rory to stay right where she was. She was the guest of honor after all.
"Not you too," Rory chimed, not being used to all this attention.
"If I could, I'd also like to say a few words about my wife, who has made my life incredible for what must be the past almost three years," Logan began, drawing everyone's attention to himself. He was very close to the truth, while the details of their first interaction were still being kept hidden from some people. Same went for their actual wedding date. But it was fun having their own little secrets, knowing that these little secrets actually made them know how much stronger they were.
"You're the smartest, most studious and the most fascinating person I've ever met. You're resilient, adaptable, you excel in everything you put your mind into. I am so proud of you. And I don't have a doubt in my mind that moving forward you'll conquer many many new heights, and I hope to be by your side to see you do it, cheering you on. I owe you so much and I am lucky to be your husband. Congratulations, Rory!" Logan said, pulling her close for a kiss.
"Aw, thanks, Logan," Rory said.
The party began to transform into something more exciting once the elder guest had begun to scatter, and were replaced by their friends, including Colin, Finn and Robert. Also, Lane managed to drop by for an hour or so, announcing the good news about Zach going on tour with another band.
As her pre-graduation party had gone well into the night, leaving her exhausted and a little hung over, Rory had valued the actual graduation day a lot less than she'd pictured, mostly feeling like she could use another five hours of sleep. But it had been the best bash she could dream off, one of the highlights being Robert and Finn trying to do the tango at 3 AM, with a rose between Finn's teeth, leaving everyone laughing until their stomach's ached.
Rory walked to accept her diploma behind Paris, the Geller-Gilmore combo seeming to be unbeatable whenever alphabetized. It no longer felt like the finish line, it felt like the formality, and that she was already done with this part of her life. And strangely enough, the safety of the hallow halls of Yale, was no longer what she needed. There were photos and rounds of congratulations, but Rory's mind was already elsewhere.
It was the last Friday Night Dinner before their departure, their apartment already mostly packed into boxes.
"So, Emily, Richard - are you planning on renting that place in Nantucket again this year?" Logan inquired politely at the dinner table, while Rory had excused herself to take a phone call.
"We were actually considering Cape Cod," Emily replied, loving this topic.
"I'm sorry," Rory returned, apologizing for the phone call. She knew how much her grandmother hated her taking calls during dinner.
"That's quite alright," Emily said, but everyone knew she minded it a little.
Rory struggled to hold back on the smile on her lips.
"That must've been some good news you got here, kid?" Lorelai asked.
"Um, I guess," Rory said, glancing briefly at Logan.
"Well, I was meaning to discuss it with Logan and I haven't given a response yet, obviously. But I actually got offered a job," Rory explained.
"You did?" Logan exclaimed, touching her shoulder. He sounded incredibly proud.
The others at the table gasped.
"I really need to discuss this with Logan. But it's a pretty insane opportunity. I'd have to leave in like three days… but obviously I can't leave in three days," Rory blabbered.
"What? Leave where?" Logan urged her to elaborate. It wasn't perfect that they were having this discussion in front of everyone, but there was no point in hiding this either.
"What's the job, honey?" Lorelai inquired.
"Well, that was Hugo Gray. I told you about him, right?" Rory began.
"Who's this Hugo Gray?" Richard begged to be reminded
"He runs an online magazine. Rory's been writing pieces for him," Logan shared.
"So, he mentioned that the reporter that was covering the Barack Obama campaign for him dropped out because his fiancé got a job in Dubai, so they're moving," Rory explained.
"Wow," Lorelai exclaimed.
"Then, Hugo asked me if that was something I'd be interested in, I said I might be, and he told me more about it and apparently, I would be on the campaign trail with the other reporters. The planes, the buses, the whole deal," Rory continued. It was evident from the look on her face, that this opportunity excited her. It seemed very fitting too, combining both her political expertise and her skill of writing. And for once, even the boss in question wouldn't be a complete jerk.
"And I mean, it's only an online magazine. I wouldn't be staying where "The Wall Street Journal" people stay at night, but I would be traveling with them. I'd be filing stories from the road right up until the convention," Rory discussed.
"Um, and so - have you talked about salary yet?" Richard asked.
"Yeah, it's next to nothing, but all the meals and travel and hotels would be covered, so, I wouldn't have that many expenses," Rory added.
"Well, that's fine. You're just starting out," Richard added.
"It's a cool opportunity. But obviously I'm not sure if this is something I could even really consider. I mean, we're just moving to California. I'd have to talk this over with Logan," Rory said, carefully looking at Logan.
She worried, maybe her excitement telling this to everyone, might've already given him the idea that she wanted to do this, but when really, she was very much divided.