Crap Shack – Fall 2011
"Lorelai?" Luke called as he entered their home through the front door.
"Up here!" she shouted from their bedroom upstairs.
"You're not packed yet?" he yelled rolling his eyes in frustration.
"Almost!" she yelled from their bedroom.
Luke threw the mail he was carrying on the desk in the foyer, took off his jacket and hung it on the stair banister, and made his way upstairs. He stopped and leaned against the doorway of their bedroom to take in the sight of his girl. She was beautiful all the time. But occasionally the true extent of that beauty would completely take his breath away. This was one of those times.
He smiled and chuckled, watching her struggle with the zipper of her suitcase.
"You really need that much stuff for two nights in New York?" Luke sighed and rolled his eyes playfully but maintaining his smile, "I thought you and Sookie were planning to do some shopping before Michele and what's his faces' wedding anyway."
"Frederick. His name is Frederick. And Luke, I know we've had this conversation before. You know how important it is to have the proper shoes to go along with the proper outfit. Helps accentuate my legs. Which, I believe, I've heard you say are one of your favorite aspects of my being," Lorelai said with a raised eyebrow.
Luke moved towards her and wrapped his arms around her waist while Lorelai's arms wrapped around his neck as they stared into each other's eyes. "I'm gonna miss you," Luke whispered as he began pecking slow kisses to her lips and cheeks.
"Mmmm…likewise," Lorelai whimpered enjoying the trail of kisses that Luke was now running down her neck. Thoroughly loving this moment but knowing Sookie was due to arrive to pick her up soon, Lorelai whispered with a sly smile on her lips, "Luke, don't start something you can't finish."
"Ugh…I know," he whined pulling away but resting his forehead on hers. He closed his eyes for a moment and after a beat opened them. Lorelai saw both concern and love in his eyes.
"Please be careful. Please call me. And please keep your phone charged," Luke said softly.
"I will…promise. And same goes for you," Lorelai said seriously, "Be careful tonight up at the cabin. I'll try calling but I know your cell reception at the cabin is shotty at best. Are you taking April with you?"
"Yea, she said she needs to 'unplug' for a night," Luke rolled his eyes in mock annoyance even though he was happy April had decided to join him on this overnight trip to winterize the old family fishing cabin.
"Her roommate is driving her crazy and I think they may have had a little argument this week. I'm pretty sure that's the reason she's comming home this weekend," he said shrugging his shoulders as he and Lorelai stepped away from their embrace.
Lorelai's attention turned back to her suitcase.
Luke was thrilled to have April back in New England for college. Ever since he helped move her into her dorm room on her very first day at MIT a few weeks ago, she started referring to Stars Hollow and to Luke and Lorelai's house as 'home". Prior to MIT, she had always referred to New Mexico as her home.
Although Luke had partial custody of April, the distance between them always made him feel like a part-time dad. Anna was a stickler when it came to the custody agreement and refused to veer too far away from the court mandated custody schedule. Per the custody agreement, Luke had April one month over the summer, either Christmas or Thanksgiving – Anna's choice, and for a week in the spring during her spring break. Now that April was 18 and officially an adult, the custody agreement had expired. April could now choose where and with whom she spent her time. So now, as a grown college student, it pleased him that she started calling Stars Hollow her home whenever her college friends asked.
Lorelai grinned as she finally succeeded in zipping the suitcase, "Teen girls living together in small shoe box sized dorm rooms sure is an interesting type of social experiment that is not for the faint of heart," Lorelai laughed and tilted her head to the side, "Well, I'm sure you two will have fun roughing it tonight," Lorelai smiled warmly at Luke as he picked up her now zipped suitcase off the bed, "Where is she now?"
"She should be here any minute," Luke sighed extending the handle on the suitcase. "She told me this week that she wants to go to Germany with some exchange program over spring break."
Lorelai came to a sudden stop when he told her of April's plans. Luke immediately noticed Lorelai's shift in mood.
"What?" Luke said slightly defensively.
"Well, that would be a great experience for her, Luke, but where is the money going to come from?" Lorelai asked hesitantly, "I mean, she only got a partial scholarship…you had to make up the difference. You took care of all her books, fees and supplies…"
"Your point?" Luke cut in with an edge to his voice.
"You bought her a car, Luke! I mean, can't Anna help with some of it at least? Or maybe ask April to get a job to help with her day-to-day expenses? You're not Daddy Warbucks for God's sake! Part of parenting is saying 'no' sometimes," Lorelai cried out, throwing her hands up questioning him.
Luke shot her a look of anger and frustration that told her that she was pushing him too far, "Anna doesn't have that kind of money and I'd rather April only focus on her studies rather than a part time, minimum wage job."
"Maybe I could help for once," Lorelai said lowering her voice, "I mean she's practically my step…"
"Lorelai…enough!" he yelled. "April is mine…I don't need your help!"
Lorelai froze in stunned shock. Her eyes wide with hurt and pain that she hadn't felt in years.
Realizing his temper got the best of him, Luke looked up at the ceiling for a second. "Lorelai, look…I'm sorry. I just.." His apology was cut short by a honking car outside that he presumed was Sookie and his eyes drifted over to the window.
He looked back at Lorelai who was staring him down. He saw the anger and hurt in her eyes. He knew he messed up.
Lorelai frowned, shook her head, and whispered, "Deja-freaking-vu," as she breezed past him to the hallway and down the stairs.
Luke followed, close on her heels, struggling to carry her suitcase down the steps.
"Lorelai, wait…," Luke desperately called to her.
As they reached the bottom of the stairs, April came barreling through the front door.
"Sookie is honking outside!" April shouted before she rounded the corner of the foyer and ran smack into Lorelai.
"Whoa…April! Hey, kid!" a frenzied Lorelai greeted April with a big hug. "Hate to hug and run but I can't keep Sook waiting too long."
April grinned at Lorelai, "Understood. Tell Michele I said congratulations. I'm so happy New York legalized gay marriage. I wish the rest of the country would catch up so we all may live in the 21st century," she rattled.
Luke groaned and rolled his eyes at April's spiel.
"It's about civil liberties and breaking free from a fascist state, Dad," April said snidely while rolling her eyes right back at him.
Luke sighed at April as he grabbed his jacket from the banister. He then looked apologetically at Lorelai and said softly nodding to the suitcase, "So I'll get this loaded in Sookie's van. I'll be right back, ok?"
Lorelai's turned to him with a menacing glare in her eyes. She rolled her eyes and huffed "Whatever," to him as she took off into the kitchen and started feverishly rummaging through the cupboards until she found a half-eaten package of Oreos. "Yes! Sustenance," Lorelai exclaimed in victory.
April watched Lorelai transfer the remaining Oreos into a zip-lock bag and then shove the plastic bag into her already overstuffed purse. April smiled in amusement and chuckled, "Your stomach is a complete scientific mystery. Maybe I'll focus my thesis on the mystery that is Lorelai Gilmore's unique digestive system," she laughed.
"Yea, Yea, yea…," Lorelai said shaking her head, "…it's called the Lorelai Paradox, and trust me this is better than dealing with a hangry Lorelai Gilmore. Just ask your dad," she laughed as Luke entered the kitchen.
"Ask me what?" he said smiling at his two girls.
Lorelai ignored his question. "April, have a good time with your dad tonight. Keep an eye on him for me, ok?" she said and gave April a final hug, "I got to go," she said making her way to the foyer with Luke again following close on her heels.
He reached out with his hand and grabbed her elbow to stop her.
"Lorelai, hold up…please," he pleaded, "Look, I'm really sorry about what happened upstairs."
Lorelai turned to face him and smiled that fake squinty-eyed smile that didn't reach her eyes. He knew this smile. He hated this smile. It always told him that she was pretending to be happy.
"We're fine. I gotta go," she said curtly.
Luke sighed in defeat, "Ok. Be careful," he said softly placing a gentle kiss on her lips. He cocked his head and bowed his eyes to meet hers. "I love you, Lorelai," he said firmly hoping she understood he was truly sorry for upsetting her earlier.
In her eyes, Luke could still see just a hint of the hurt he caused her all those years ago. It had been over four years since they got back together.
They'd forgiven each other long ago for the pain and trauma they caused each other. They moved on from that horrible part of their past. It was ancient history. But some fragments remained buried deep inside both of them and, from time to time, those ghosts from the past would rear their ugly head.
"I love you too, Luke," she sighed solemnly, "I have to go."
Luke gave her a final peck on her cheek before she turned to make her way out the front door. He watched as she climbed into Sookie's minivan, and he waved to them as they pulled out of the driveway.
Luke took a deep breath and closed the door. As he turned to head back to the kitchen and saw April leaning against the archway watching him with concern.
"Everything okay?" she asked her father with a touch of worry in her voice.
"Everything's fine," he answered shortly not meeting her eyes.
"Okay…," she replied not believing him.
"I'm gonna go finish packing up the truck. We'll head out in about 15 minutes. Is your bag in your car?" Luke asked but not waiting for a reply as he made his way out the front door obviously distracted.
Luke's Truck – En Route to Luke's Fishing Cabin
Luke and April sat side by side in Luke's old pickup as they began the 2 hour drive up to his dad's old fishing cabin. They rode in uncomfortable silence since the old radio tends to be a little staticky and usually only picks up country music stations.
April could tell her dad was upset about something. She knew that she had walked in on something between him and Lorelai and he had been cagey since Lorelai left.
April loved Lorelai even if she didn't understand any of Lorelai's jokes. Humor wasn't exactly April's forte. But Lorelai was fun, caring, and effervescent. Even her forever grumpy father would light up in his own Luke-ish way whenever Lorelai entered the room. April could always see it when the corners of his lips would curl upward ever so slightly whenever Lorelai was near him. He loved Lorelai deeply and it was blatantly obvious. Even April, who was not great with emotions, could see…Lorelai made him happy.
Even though her dad and Lorelai weren't married, she had thought of Lorelai as her stepmom for years now. She even introduced Lorelai as her stepmom to her college roommate because it was far easier than explaining the whole situation that was Luke and Lorelai.
She loved her dad and Lorelai together. They both always seemed happy even when they were bickering. That's why it took her by surprise when she walked into their tension-filled home this morning.
"So, Dad…how's Rory doing? She's still in New York, right?" April asked, finally deciding to break the uncomfortable silence. She figured Rory was a safe topic.
"Yea…she's doing good, I guess. Freelancing. She's trying to get an interview with Conde Nast. She's looking into renting an apartment in Queens, but Lorelai said that she's been spending a lot of time in London with a new friend…Cece, Bebe, Dede…I don't know, something like that. She's meeting up with Lorelai and Sookie this weekend for the wedding," Luke replied keeping his gaze on the road.
"Oh. That's great. I miss Rory. It's been a while since I've seen her," April replied nodding her head.
Several minutes pass in silence. April feeling uncomfortable and Luke distracted.
"Is she coming home for Thanksgiving?" April asked desperately trying to open some line of communication.
Luke snapped out of his daze shaking his head. "Who?" he asked quickly, briefly turning his face to April then right back to the road.
"Uh…Rory," April looked to him concerned and confused.
"Oh…umm…Rory…uh, yea I think so. I think she's coming home," Luke replied clearly distracted and lost in his thought.
Several more minutes passed.
April had enough of this. The last time she had seen him so lost in thought and distracted was a few months after she had come into her father's life. This dazed and distracted look of his started in late spring when she began hearing rumors from the local diner patrons that her dad and Lorelai had broken up.
Her dad never spoke about Lorelai much when April first came into his life 6 years ago. One day, she overheard Miss Patty and Babette refer to Lorelai as her dad's fiancé. Having a scientific mind, April had deduced that the fiancé was the woman who, weeks earlier, had come bursting into the diner while she was filling saltshakers for the first time. Lorelai looked like a deer caught in headlights when April told her that her father was the owner of the diner.
Even at the young age of 12, April knew her father had not told Lorelai, his fiancé, of his daughter's existence.
All the townies would talk and tell stories about Lorelai. She heard that Lorelai's coffee addiction was legendary. She heard all about how Lorelai would sew all the costumes for the school plays. She heard how Lorelai would make everyone laugh and eat her weight in junk food during town meetings. She heard that Lorelai and her dad had been friends for many years before they had starting dating. Babette even told her that her father had pinned for Lorelai for almost a decade before he and Lorelai finally got together.
When April finally got up the nerve to ask her father who Lorelai was, he told her bluntly that she owned the Dragonfly Inn and that she was his fiancé. He was so short with his answer that she didn't press him any further.
On her next few visits to the diner, April asked several times when she could meet Lorelai. She was always told that she'd met Lorelai 'when the time was right'. And since no definitive time was ever set, April started to think that Lorelai hated her. She understood. It must have been quite a shock to find out your fiancé has a surprise 12-year-old kid. Even a 12-year-old kid could understand that.
So, when Lorelai showed up to her 13th birthday party at the diner, April couldn't believe she was just now meeting this woman! Lorelai was warm and fun and exciting and made that party the most memorable of her entire childhood. She still has old middle school friends who tell her that party was one of best parties they had ever attended.
After the greatest birthday party ever, Lorelai disappeared, and her dad got sad. Very sad. He put on a good act. He took her to town meetings, built giant bonfires, took her to swim practice. He tried his best to act like he was fine. But April could tell otherwise by how he tossed and turned all night long and by the dazed and distracted look that would appear on his face during quiet times.
It was the same damn dazed and distracted look that sat on his face right now!
April had had enough of it.
"Dad…what's going on between you and Lorelai? Somethings off. Even I can tell," April frankly asked.
Taken aback by his daughter's bluntness, "I…uh…we…umm…no…nothing. Nothing's wrong. We're fine," Luke stammered while his grip noticeably tightened on the steering wheel.
"Come on, Dad. Obviously, something's wrong. You have that look," she said matter-of-factly.
"What look?" Luke asked sharply, switching his focus back and forth between the road and his daughter.
"The look. You have a look when something is really bothering you. Its like a dazed and distracted look. You look…I don't know…lost, I guess," April tried desperately to explain.
"Really," Luke replied perturbed, "Then I guess I must be dazed and distracted and…what was it…lost," he said and nodding his head at her, "…all the time, huh?"
Adamantly shaking her head, "No!" April snapped back feeling her anxiety building.
April took a deep breath and settled herself. "No, Dad. I never see you with that look," April sighed and calmly turned towards her dad, "The only time I've ever seen that look on you was the year you and Lorelai broke up."
Silence enveloped the cab of the old green truck.
"I saw that look a lot that year, Dad," April said softly.
Luke let out a long-drawn-out sigh, "April, this is nothing like that," he said shaking his head. "It was just a disagreement…a misunderstanding. Your old man said something stupid, and our emotions got the better of us. You just happened to catch the tail end of it, and I apologize for that. It's just still fresh in my mind, I guess." Luke turned his head quickly to face April and gave her a small reassuring smile before returning his eyes to the road.
"Lorelai and I are fine," he said firmly and believing it. They had been through so much worse than this. Looking back at the entire story of Luke and Lorelai, this misunderstanding was by comparison a very slight hiccup.
Luke continued, "We will talk when she gets home on Sunday. And we will be fine. Please don't worry yourself about that," he said with confidence as he continued to drive the country road towards the cabin.
"Okay," April nodded back at him with a small smile.
Trying to lift her father's sullen mood, April decided to try another approach.
"Hey Dad…can I ask you a question?"
"You can always ask," he volleyed back.
"How did you and Lorelai meet?" she asked with a giant grin on her face.
Luke chuckled, "Lorelai hasn't told you this already?"
"Nope. Guess it just never really came up. I assumed that you met at the diner seeing that Lorelai is a caffeine junkie," April said still grinning.
Luke sighed as the corner of his lip began to turn up slightly. "Okay, well, it was at Luke's. It was at lunch, and it was a very busy day. The place was packed and this person…Lorelai," he said with a grin as he rolled his eyes at her name, "…comes tearing into the place in a caffeine frenzy demanding coffee," Luke recollected warmly as April listened intently, "I was with a customer, and she kept interrupting begging for coffee. Then she started following me around, talking a mile a minute, saying God knows what. I finally told her to sit down and shut up, that I'd get to her when I got to her," he said rattling off the story.
April laughed with her eyebrows raised, "Knowing Lorelai, I'm sure she took that really well," April said sarcastically.
Luke shook his head, "Of course she didn't," he snorted in response debating whether to continue the story.
April noticed Luke's pause in the story. "Is that it?" she prodded.
Luke sighed, "No…no its not," he peaked over to April and shook his head, "I can't believe I'm telling you this."
April raised an eyebrow and gave him a curious stare. "Ugh…please don't tell me if it's something dirty," she said as she wrinkled her nose in disgust.
Luke snorted, "No, nothing like that," he continued, "So, anyway, Lorelai proceeded to ask me when my birthday was and when I finally gave in and told her she opened a newspaper to the horoscope section, wrote something down, tore it out, and handed it to me. So, I get looking at it and under Scorpio it says 'You will meet an annoying woman today. Give her coffee and she'll go away.' So I gave her coffee," he finished shrugging his shoulders.
"But she didn't go away," April added with a smile.
Luke smiled and shook his head, "She told me to keep it. Put it in my wallet and it would bring me good luck." he said as he shifted himself forward, reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet while continuing to keep his eyes on the road. He tossed the wallet on April's lap. "Right side, back pocket," he said as April opened the wallet. "Careful, please…it's getting a little flimsy," he ordered.
April gently pulled out a fragile, faded piece of paper and inspected it thoroughly. "No way! You kept this? You kept this all that time in your wallet?" she asked disbelieving what she was hearing.
"15 years," he replied simply and confidently.
"Did she know you kept it?"
Luke half smiled, "I told her about it 8 years later on our first official date," he said proudly.
"Huh, love at first sight," she replied.
Luke shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know if that's what I would have called it back then. All I knew at the time was that I had just met this fast-talking, beautiful but really annoying, caffeine addict and I really wanted to get to know her better," he said glancing over at his daughter with a warm smile.
"And you kept this through the breakup?" April asked apprehensively.
Luke sighed and paused for a long moment. "I never stopped loving her," he said firmly.
April smiled dreamily, "Awww, it's the perfect love story," she mocked playfully as she returned the horoscope to his wallet and tossed the wallet up on the truck dash.
Luke snorted, "Lorelai and I are very far from perfect."
April chuckled a little and then a calm silence filled the cab of the truck. Luke continued to focus on the road while she gazed out the window debating whether to ask him the one question that she always wanted to know the answer.
Her dad had never been quite as open and transparent about his relationship with Lorelai before. At least not when it came to his feelings toward Lorelai. So, she decided that this was her shot. This was her best opportunity to get the answer to the one question that had always plagued her. It was now or never.
Turning her body to look at her father, April whispered, "Was is because of me?"
Luke, concentrating on the sedan ahead of him, shook his head slightly and squinted his eyes in confusion, "Was what because of you?"
April took a deep breath and let it out. She turned her head to the road in front of them, so as not to see his face, and she asked, "Did you and Lorelai break up because of me?"
Luke's breath caught in his chest. There it was. The question that he had been dreading for the last 5 years. He knew it would come up at some point and he was honestly shocked that it hadn't come up before this.
Spotting a small gas station just up ahead in the distance, Luke put his turn signal on and pulled off the road and into a parking spot towards the side of the building. He threw the truck in park and killed the engine.
Luke turned to April and placed his hand on her shoulder, and he answered the question the exact way he had rehearsed it over and over for the last 5 years.
"Our…Lorelai and my…breakup was not because of you. You had nothing to do with it. You were just a kid trying to win a science fair," he answered mechanically. The practice paid off and his execution of it at go-time went exactly as he had planned.
April nodded her head and looked down at her lap. "If I wasn't the reason you broke up, why didn't you introduce us sooner?" April asked slowly as she continued to spill what had been going on in her mind for the last 5 years, "It felt like she didn't want to meet me, and I couldn't understand why since you two were supposed to be getting married."
Now, completely off-script, Luke was flustered and unsure how to proceed. This was unchartered territory for him. The only person whom he spoke to freely about this part of his life was Lorelai.
He took a good long look at the young woman sitting next to him. He had only known his daughter for 6 years and she's already grown up and in college. It just wasn't fair. What Anna did to him was cruel and unfair and April deserved to know his side of the story.
Luke sighed and decided to tell his adult daughter the truth. Rory knew the truth, so he thought that it was only fair that April knew as well considering she was now a young adult. Maybe it could serve as a cautionary tale for her. Maybe she won't make the same mistakes.
So, Luke began telling his story. Well, a slightly sanitized version of the story. She didn't need to know about Ultimatium Night, as Lorelai had dubbed it. Ultimatium Night discussions were to be between him and Lorelai only. No one else needed to know the details of that awful night. The night that both he and Lorelai made the biggest mistakes of their lives. Luke didn't go after her. Even after she laid all her cards on the table. He hesitated and because of that Lorelai went to someone who wouldn't…Christopher. Going after Lorelai should never had been an afterthought.
Luke closed his eyes for a second then opened them wide and began. "April, let me start by saying that I'm so happy that you found me. I loved you immediately when I found out I was your father. Don't you ever doubt that. I love you and I love being your dad. I wouldn't change that for the world," he said firmly looking in her blue eyes.
April nodded in understanding.
"As you can probably imagine, learning of your existence was quite a shock. And once that initial shock subsided a little, I realized that I had missed out on 12 whole years of your life. You were almost a teenager for God's sake. Your mom kept this huge secret. She kept me from you for 12 years. She never had any intention of ever involving me in your life," Luke bowed his head as his emotions began to take the wheel.
"April, I got to tell you, I don't think I will ever forgive your mom for that. But that's between me and her," he frowned, "If you hadn't found me, I still wouldn't have a clue that you exist."
He continued, "When you first showed up at the diner wearing that ridiculous bike helmet, Lorelai and I had been engaged for about 6 months at that point. And during that time, she and Rory were estranged," Luke recalled and noticed the look of shock on April's face.
"You didn't know that?" he asked.
"No. I've never heard about that," April replied shaking her head, "What happened?"
"That's Lorelai or Rory's story…not my place to tell," he nodded, "But that estrangement was very emotional for Lorelai, and I tried my best to be as supportive as possible for her during that time. We held off on setting a wedding date, because Lorelai wanted to wait until things were better with Rory. So, instead of planning a wedding, we moved forward with our plans for our future by renovating the house and expanding our bedroom, we even talked about having a couple kids and plants" he chuckled as he recalled, "We were busy making plans."
"Right around the time the renovation was finished, that was about the time you showed up. I put off telling Lorelai because I needed to wrap my own head around it first. I just couldn't understand why your mom didn't tell me. I kept thinking that there had to be another reason. Some good reason. Something besides the fact that I had mentioned to her on a few occasions that I didn't like kids. I just kept thinking that there had to be some really good reason why she didn't think I could learn to be a good dad. A good reason for why she would think that I wouldn't want to know my own kid!" he huffed as his anger rose.
Luke grabbed the steering wheel and his grip on it was so tight that his knuckles were white. "April, that secret your mom kept, it was a shot to my manhood. And I kept thinking, if this ex-girlfriend of mine from a dozen years ago didn't think enough of me to tell me that I have a kid, why would Lorelai ever consider me good enough to be a father to her child," he said with watery eyes.
Choked up, Luke continued, "Lorelai….you know how I feel about Lorelai, April. I love her more than life itself. Lorelai calls us soulmates," he snorted, "and you know I don't believe in all that fate crap…"
"Yet you keep a horoscope in your wallet," April interjected with a sly smile.
"Ah, jeez. I knew I should have left that part out," Luke said rolling his eyes.
"Anyway…soulmates…even though I don't really believe in that stuff…it's how I feel in here about Lorelai," he said pointing to his heart. "She's it for me. She's my one…in all her caffeinated glory," he said smiling. "So, because I had all these insecurities about myself and I was terrified of losing Lorelai, I made a terrible judgement call and decided to wait to tell Lorelai until you and I had the chance to get to know each other little bit better. I wanted to show Lorelai that I was a good dad and not a deadbeat like Rory's dad. I wanted her to see that I would be a good dad to our kids too. I wanted to make sure Lorelai didn't see me fail at being a dad," he said closing his eyes and looking up at the roof of the truck.
"It was a stupid decision and I know that now. And if I could go back in time and change it I would in a heartbeat. It was unfair to Lorelai. And I didn't realize until after the breakup, through months of self-reflection, that I had done to Lorelai on a much smaller scale, what your mom had done to me. Kept you a secret."
April nodded her head in understanding. They sat in silence for a moment and April used this time to collect her thoughts. She had never seen her father this emotional before. She placed a hand on his arm and gave it a warm pat. "It's okay if you want to stop talking about this. I know it's…heavy," she sighed sympathetically.
"Nah, its time you know the story. Rory knows, you should too," Luke replied.
"So, Rory came back home and re-enrolled at Yale around Thanksgiving and Lorelai was finally happy again. She and Sookie began planning the wedding. We had a date and a venue, hell even a carousel. The whole time my secret kept snowballing and I just didn't want to bring her back down because she had been sad for such a long time. So, the secret just seemed to get bigger and bigger until the day Lorelai walked in the diner and saw you," he said shamefully bowing his head down to look at his lap. "It was the absolute worst way for her to find out, but I was relieved it happened that way because I was too much of a coward to tell her myself," he admitted to her.
"Wow," April whispered, "I remember that day so clearly. I knew something big had just happened, but I didn't know, yet, what exactly that was. I kinda pieced it together eventually," April confessed looking down at her hands.
"Did she flip out on you while you were having that conversation outside the diner? I remember you taking her outside and when you came back in, you had that look on your face. The same one that you had earlier today," April recalled.
Luke snorted and shook his head, "No…she didn't flip out even though she had every right to. She was in a little bit of shock. She was very hurt that I had waited 2 months to tell her. She had questions that she wanted answers to. But she never raised her voice. She was…well, she was understanding and supportive and empathetic," Luke choked out, "She was amazing about it, and I continued to be a selfish, insecure, jerk to the girl that I planned to spend the rest of my life with. I insisted that I didn't need Lorelai's help with anything. I was determined to do this all on my own…to man up and show the world that I could figure out this parenting thing all by myself."
"But I was totally overwhelmed, and Lorelai thought she was helping by offering to postpone the wedding, even though she really didn't want to postpone. And, like an idiot, I jumped as fast as I could at the offer and it broke Lorelai's heart. She never really told me how much postponing hurt her. I don't think she really thought that I would take her up on that offer and we never got around to setting another date. Well, I never brought up the topic of setting another date."
Luke turned to look at April who was intently listening, "You know, that's our dark day…June 3rd. That was supposed to be the date of our wedding. June 3rd, 2006. Now its the day we spend mourning what could have been. So, we kind of check-out on that day. We always spend the day together, by ourselves. Usually, we take the boat out for the day just to get away from everything."
April nodded her head in understanding.
After a minute, April pressed further. "So, okay, here's another thing I never understood. After Lorelai found out about me, I never saw her again until months later at my birthday party. Why did I never meet her? I figured that Lorelai would be the first person in your life that you would introduce me to…not the last. I had met all of Stars Hollow by that point. I kept hearing stories about Lorelai from Lane and Kirk and Patty about how Lorelai hangs out at the diner all the time, but she was never there when I was there. I thought she hated me," April said staring back at her father.
Luke's threw his head back against the headrest, put his hand over his eyes, and signed deeply, "Oh, April…Lorelai wanted nothing more than to meet you and to figure out, with me, how you would fit into our lives. You have to believe that. Please believe that," he turned his head toward her as she nodded.
"Your mom didn't want you to meet Lorelai until we were married and at the time, I did not have any parental rights. I was terrified that, if I made just one wrong move, your mom would take you away from me just as you and I were really starting to bond."
April threw her hands up in frustration, "Why would she say that? She had boyfriends throughout the years that she introduced me to. Guys that she let me hang out with," April clapped back.
Luke shrugged, "You'll have to ask your mother, yourself, why she set that stipulation. I think she thought that she was protecting you. Maybe she felt like she was losing control over you, and she thought that my love life was the one thing she could control. Maybe she felt like you were slipping away from her and that I would take you away from her," Luke sighed in frustration, "I don't know, but, whatever it was, that marriage stipulation put even more strain on me and Lorelai's already strained relationship.
Luke glanced over at his daughter and saw the frustration in her eyes. "April, I should have fought for my legal rights to be your parent and an active part in your life from the very beginning. That's on me," he stated adamantly pointing to his chest.
He looked over at his daughter who was taking all this information in as the pieces of the puzzle were starting to come together for her.
"But it wasn't all your mom's fault. I intentionally kept Lorelai and you apart and in the process," Luke said shamefully, "I pushed her away from myself. I postponed the wedding…canceled the wedding really, I never moved into Lorelai's house…even though we remodeled it to make it our house, and I blatantly ignored how she was feeling about the situation. Even though she never came out and told me in a direct way…I should have known. I always knew before how she was feeling or when something was wrong. We were always so in tune with each other before I got distracted."
April looked at her father in complete confusion, "Why did you intentionally keep us apart? That's illogical, Dad."
"Well, I told you how insecure I was at the time, right?" Luke asked and April nodded in response, "And…well…you know Lorelai. She's dynamic, and exciting, and…well, she's a force of nature. It's one of my favorite aspects about her. It's what initially attracted me to her. It's a big reason why I fell in love with her. And I was afraid that you'd fall in love with her too and forget all about me," Luke confessed honestly.
"Dad! That's stupid! That doesn't make any sense at all," April cried, "I love Lorelai, but you're my dad! The only one I'll ever have. How could you even think like that?"
Luke wiped his face with his hand and adjusted his hat. He looked back at April with sincerity, "Sweetie, I don't know. My head was a mess at the time. I did a lot of stupid things back then," he sighed heavily as he continued, "And in the meantime, Lorelai was silently falling apart," Luke was desperately fighting back tears and he used the back of his hand to wipe away any moisture that may have appeared. "She should have told me how she was feeling…that I was making her feel unwanted and unloved. She said that she was afraid to push me on the subject. She was afraid that I'd bolt if she pushed too hard…and given our history, she had every reason to think that way."
"And you know, honestly, looking back…hindsight…I'm not even sure I would have listened to her had she told me. She tried talking to me in her round about, Lorelai kind of way, but I was too stuck in my own head to see much of anything at the time and Lorelai knew it. She knows me better than I know myself," he said with a sad smile.
Luke continued, "April, I spent 8 years wanting and waiting for this woman. 8 years wishing that one day she'd see me as more than just the guy who poured her coffee. And then I finally got her…the woman of my dreams. And it was amazing. But then, when we were faced with the first major hurdle in our engagement, I went and screwed everything up in less than 6 months," Luke's voice was cracking, and he was doing everything he could to keep from breaking down.
"I made her feel unloved, April," he cried as a tear trickled out of the corner of his eye, "And now, 5 years later, I still haven't completely forgiven myself for that."
April wiped tears from her eyes and cried, "I'm so sorry, Dad."
"Hey now," Luke said reaching over to put his arm around April's shoulder, "This wasn't your fault. None of it. It was the stupid way I handled everything."
Both Luke and April sat in silence for several minutes consoling each other.
Ready to finish this heartbreaking story, April asked, "So, what was the final straw that broke the camel's back?"
"Your birthday party," Luke replied frankly.
"What? The party was great. What happened with the party?"
"Well, if you remember, the party didn't start out great," Luke replied.
Searching her memory, April confessed, "Yea, your right, it was kinda lame until Lorelai got there."
Luke nodded his head, "Yep, she wanted to help but I insisted that I didn't need her help. I wanted to do it all on my own. And once I noticed that I was failing miserably, I called Lorelai and begged her to come and save my ass. I was desperate and she saved the day, and I got all the credit for the party."
"Do you remember that book and gift card that I got you?" he asked and saw that April nodded yes, "Yea, that wasn't me...that was all Lorelai. I picked out a toiletry kit with cats on it," he said with a self-deprecating snort, "Lorelai knew that gift that I had bought you was going to bomb. So, she exchanged the gifts…and I took the credit for it," Luke shrugged.
"The next day your mom went ballistic on me because Lorelai was at the party and she didn't know Lorelai would be there," Luke huffed as he pinched the bridge on his nose with his fingers, "I got all the credit and Lorelai took all the blame…and I was ok with that, I didn't stick up for my fiancé…the only woman that I ever truly loved. And Lorelai knew it immediately…she knew I was out," he confessed shamefully.
"She began really spiraling after that. We ended up saying and doing some terrible things to each other. And then it was over…just like that," Luke said blinking back tears.
Silence crept through the cab of Luke's truck. It hurt April to watch her dad retell his story. He was always so strong and steady…like an old oak tree. She always knew that the breakup was painful for him. She could tell, even back then, that he was sad. But now she understood the full extent to which losing Lorelai affected him. It shook him to his core.
During the period when her mom was needed in New Mexico to care for her grandmother, April was left in her father's care for several weeks. Their father-daughter bond really blossomed during those weeks and she enjoyed having that time with him.
However, she heard whispers from the diner patrons about Lorelai marrying Rory's dad. She couldn't wrap her head around it. It seemed too soon to be hopping into a marriage so quickly following their breakup. April had encouraged her dad to go out and try dating again. She even tried playing matchmaker by trying to set him up with one of her teachers and her swim coach. But she could tell, even back then, that his heart hadn't had enough time to heal. So, how was it that Lorelai was able to jump into a marriage so soon after the breakup with her dad.
So, April decided to ask.
"Hey, dad?" April whispered.
"Hmmm…"
"Why did Lorelai marry Rory's dad so soon after you and her had broken up?" she asked quietly.
"Now that's a great question!" Luke snorted and adjusted his cap, "I don't know April, I've never liked the guy. I guess it was a rebound relationship…even though it makes zero sense for your rebound to be your kid's father," he said with frustration in his eyes.
"Look, they had a long-complicated history together. He had been pinning for her much longer than even I had. He's an opportunistic ass and he took advantage of her when she was at her lowest. I think, for her at the time, it helped dull the pain of our breakup a little. She just didn't want to feel the pain anymore. But even Lorelai herself would be the first to tell you that it was a big mistake…it was nothing more than a 90-day mistake. So, I've just chalked it up to yet another one of those stupid decisions that we both made."
"But I can't give entirely answer your question…it's Lorelai's story to tell," Luke said honestly, "But I can tell you that it broke whatever was left of my heart. It shattered me. When I found out she married him, it finally hit me…I had thrown away everything that I had ever wanted. It forced me to acknowledge all the mistakes that I had made and the hurt that I had caused her."
"I think, until then, a part of me still held out hope that we would eventually figure things out in due time…you know…once things weren't quite so raw. But when I saw her wearing that gold wedding band, it was like the knife was twisting. I was supposed to marry her. It was supposed to be me," he said with raised voice and pointing to his chest.
April turned her body to directly face her dad, "But you guys fixed it…it's all better now, right?"
Luke's face immediately softened, "Yea, it's better. Against all odds, we made it, and we are damn lucky. Most couples don't get another chance. Lorelai and I are much better than we ever were before. We're solid and committed permanently to each other. We're better at communicating. But it wasn't easy to get to this point. It took a lot of talking, comforting, apologizing, yelling, promises, accusations, and a whole lot of love," he said rattling off the list, "Those first few weeks after we got back together were an emotional rollercoaster. I woke up every morning wondering what the hell was going to hit me next. But neither of us gave up and we fought like hell for us."
After a beat, he continued, "April, it takes a lot of character and humility to repair a failed relationship. You only do it if you truly love someone and can't bear to live your life without them. Otherwise, it's much easier to move on with your life…you know, find someone else," he sighed and paused, "It was the hardest thing that I've ever done in my entire life, but it was, hands down, absolutely worth it. And now we appreciate each other so much more because of it," he said with pride written all over his face.
"That was the summer I went to science camp in New York. I remember!" April recalled with a grin on her face, "You and Lorelai picked me up from camp in August and we stayed in Lorelai's house for the first time. Well, I guess it was your house too at that point," she said reminiscing, "Huh, that was a great visit."
"You were just happy to have a walled-in bedroom," he smirked.
April chuckled and remembered, "Didn't you guys end up taking that boat trip that I bailed on because of camp?"
"We sure did. It gave us the time we needed to talk and piece our relationship back together without all the Stars Hollow nutcases butting into our business," he laughed, "On that boat we sorted through our past, we rebuilt the trust between us, and we recommitted to one another," Luke grinned and April could see a twinkle in his eyes, "It was the best summer of my life."
April smiled and buried her face in her father's chest as Luke held her close. "I just like seeing you happy, Dad. I don't ever want you to be sad again," she cried as happy tears rolled down her cheeks.
"Not gonna happen, kid. We won't ever let it get that bad again," Luke said as pulled back and looked at April with pride, "You know, it was you who got me through that year. I'd hate to think of what kind of person I would have become if I didn't have you to get me through those 10 months. At least until Lorelai started coming to the diner again. So, thank you, Sweetie," he said sincerely.
April nodded her head in response and sat trying to compose herself. She had never seen this side of her father before. So honest and emotional. She doubted anyone else besides Lorelai had ever seen this side of Luke Danes before. She was proud of her dad. She was proud of the beautiful relationship that he and Lorelai managed to create out of the wreckage of their making. She was proud to be this man's daughter and she was proud to call Lorelai her almost-stepmom.
Luke started the ignition of the truck and patted April's knee, "Alright kid, that's about enough emotional drama for about a decade. You ok?" he asked while backing the truck out of the parking space and pulling back on the road.
"Yea. I'm good. Thank you for telling me," she said softly.
"It was time. And I'm very sorry you've gone all these years thinking it was your fault," he said firmly, "I probably should have talked to you about it sooner. I guess I was waiting for you to ask, waiting for you to be ready. I knew it would eventually come up," Luke exhaled loudly, "And man, am I glad that's finally over. Geez, it's been hanging over my head for 5 years now."
April nodded, "I'm sure," she smiled, "You can always talk to me, ya know? I mean, I'm not really great with emotions, but I can be a pretty good listener if you ever need one."
"Thanks kid, I'll remember that," he replied with a pleased smile and a wink.
They continued driving until they took a turn down a dirt road near a crystal-clear lake. They were about 5 minutes away from the cabin and April couldn't wait to get out and stretch her legs. The drive had been long and emotionally draining. But April did have one more question that she just couldn't resist asking. She knew the entire town of Stars Hollow harassed both her dad and Lorelai mercilessly about this topic. April, herself, had even asked her dad this particular question several times before but received the same answer that everyone else got, no matter who asked him.
"Hey, Dad…one more question," April grinned.
"What," he responded nonchalantly.
"Why aren't you and Lorelai married now?" she asked as her eyes shot over towards him.
"None of your business," he growled.
The exact answer he gives to everyone that asks.
April rolled her eyes and snorted, "Oh, come on, Dad. That's the same answer you would give Kirk."
"April…," he groaned.
"I mean really, Dad, what's the big deal? You were engaged before. You've lived together for 4 years now. You both are happy," April sighed, "Why won't you just pop the question?"
Luke pulled the truck up to the cabin and threw the truck in park. He turned to fully look at his adult daughter. In his eyes she would always be that little curly-haired, glasses wearing 12-year-old that burst into his diner with a ridiculous bike helmet and yanked his hair out of his head. He smiled at her and said simply, "Lorelai's not ready," as he turned quickly to open the truck door and jump out.
April raced out of the truck and called out, "Wait, Dad…," as she ran around to the back of the truck where Luke was lowering the tailgate to begin unpacking their supplies. "Why isn't Lorelai ready?" she asked genuinely.
Luke sighed, "Lorelai has these…I don't know…negative feelings about marriage since the breakup and her divorce. She says she likes where we are now and she's happy," he shrugged.
"What about you?" she asked with her brow furled.
Luke snorted and pointed to his chest, "Me? Hell, I'd marry her today if she told me she was ready. I even have the ring," he said proudly with a cocky smirk.
"So, you're just gonna wait?" she questioned.
"Yup," he answered flatly as he gathered a cooler and his duffel bag and made his way to unlock the front door of the small wooden cabin nestled amongst the tall maple trees.
April grabbed her duffle and jogged to keep up with her dad, "And you're ok with waiting?"
Luke grasped the door handle and turned to look at her. He paused for a beat to gather his thoughts before he started, "April, I have waited on Lorelai Gilmore to be ready for 15 years. I wouldn't know it any other way," he said smiling. He gave April a wink and pushed open the door of the cabin as April followed him inside.
Luke's Cabin
The rest of their day was fairly subdued. April sat in the outdoor hammock and read a book while Luke worked to replace the weather stripping around the windows and doors of the cabin. When the sun began to set, Luke and April retired to the cabin.
Luke cooked some chicken breasts in the oven and chopped some veggies for a garden salad for dinner. April searched through Lorelai's small collection of DVDs that she kept at the at the cabin for when she felt the need for a movie night. She got excited when she found a DVD box set of the original 1960's Outer Limits series and, April decided, that would be their entertainment for the evening.
While eating dinner, they discussed their Thanksgiving plans and April's courses at MIT. Luke told April about Taylor's latest hair-brained idea for the Fall Festival that he will undoubtedly go to because Lorelai will drag him there. Then April brought up her spring break plans of going to Germany. Luke saw it as his opportunity to broach the topic.
"How much will this trip cost?" Luke asked swallowing a bite of chicken.
April kept her eyes on her plate and replied "About $1200. It includes flight, hotel and most meals."
Luke raised his head to look directly at her. "April, maybe you should ask your mom to cover that. We're kind of tapped out right now…MIT aint cheap," he sighed but continued, "And, you know, if your mom won't pay for it, maybe you could hold off on it for another year. You could pick up some shifts at the diner on your weekends and breaks. Maybe save up some money and we can reevaluate next year," he finished confidently.
"Ok," April replied with a little disappointment in her voice, "I'll see what mom says."
They continued eating in silence for a few minutes.
Finally, breaking the silence Luke asked, "So, did you decide on a movie to watch?"
April chuckled, "Yes, I did! Where did that Outer Limits box set come from? I've never seen it before," she said with excitement.
"Ah, you like that? Huh," he said shaking his head with a sly grin.
It sometimes shocked him the things that he and his daughter had in common.
"Lorelai got that for me for my birthday last year. I must have left it here over the summer. The original episodes are so underrated, and I always liked that…," Luke began to ramble, but April cut him off.
"I prefer Outer Limits to Twilight Zone. Outer Limits has a greater emphasis on the science fiction aspect where Twilight Zone always had the supernatural emphasis," April said as she watched her dad laugh.
When April finished what was on her plate she took all of their dirty dishes to the sink and began to wash them as Luke went to take a shower. Once the plates and silverware were settled on the drying rack, April's phone buzzed with an incoming message. She dried her hands and picked up her phone to see 2 text messages from Lorelai. The first message was Lorelai asking April if the cell reception was decent so she could chat with Luke later. The second message was an attempted selfie of Lorelai, Rory and Sookie in Rockefeller Center. April smiled at the goofy picture of the girls and knew that her dad would want to see it. She waited until she heard the shower turn off in the bathroom before calling to him.
"Hey, Dad!," April yelled not waiting for a reply, "Lorelai just sent a picture of the three of them at Rockefeller Center."
Luke unlocked and opened the bathroom door with damp hair and dressed in a tan long sleeved thermal and a pair of grey sweatpants. He walked over to the easy chair that April was sitting in with her cell phone.
"Why does she always text you instead of me?" he asked as April handed him the phone so he could see the silly selfie.
"Because, number one, I actually text her back. Number two, the picture quality on your phone is terrible. Number three, I swear Fred Flintstone used that same exact phone back in Bedrock," April mocked.
She noticed the small smile from the corner of his lips appear as soon as he saw the picture. That same small smile he always wore whenever he saw Lorelai.
"Reception isn't too bad out…I got 2 bars out on the porch," she explained, "You should try calling her out there."
"Thanks," Luke said as he handed her phone back and he started to make his way into the kitchen.
"Oh, and Dad…I almost forgot…" April called to him.
"What," he said as he turned to look back at her.
"Tell her you're sorry and make sure she knows you love her," April said softly with a knowing smile.
"Always," he said with a soft smile and a wink.
"And get a new phone!" April yelled jokingly as he made his way back into the kitchen.
Luke grabbed his phone, threw on his jacket, and stepped out into the chilly fall night. He looked at his ancient cell phone that all the girls mercilessly mock him for and pressed 1 to speed dial Lorelai.
"Hey," Lorelai answered on the third ring.
"Hey beautiful," he greeted her with the deep voice that he saves only for her.
"Wow! Whatcha wearing, handsome?" she volleyed.
"Nothing but the baseball cap," he said continuing to play the game.
"Oh…well, now that I have a very nice mental picture…how about a little dirty talk tonight?" she bantered back.
He blushed, "You're insane. Totally crazy. You know that, right?" he laughed.
"Totally crazy for you, babe," she said.
After a brief pause, Luke sighed "I miss you. I hate sleeping without you."
"Aww…I miss you too, hun," Lorelai said sweetly.
Luke signed longingly, "Remember our first night back together…the night after Rory's going away party?" he asked.
"Of course I do! You told me that you never wanted to spend another night alone," she recalled lovingly.
Luke smiled warmly, "You made it your mission to see how many consecutive nights we could make it without one of us having to sleep somewhere else."
Lorelai chuckled, "561 days…just over a year and a half," she recalled, "The streak was broken when I got stuck in Hartford and had to ride out that snowstorm at my parents. You were worried about me driving with all that snow and ice on the road and I told you that it was way icier in my parents' house than the roads could ever be," she laughed.
"We talked for hours on the phone that night," Luke recalled, "I missed you so much…it felt like I was missing a limb or something. It just didn't feel right being in our bed without you next to me."
"At least you had Paul Anka," Lorelai joked.
Luke smiled and snorted, "Not the same thing."
Lorelai exhaled deeply, "Luke…not that I don't love it, but what's up with all the sap tonight? Are you ok?" she asked with concern in her voice.
"Yea, I'm ok, but I owe you an apology about this morning. I know you love April and only want to help," he sighed, "Sometimes I still get a little insecure about the whole provider-thing with April and my comment wasn't fair to you. I'm sorry," he said softly.
Lorelai exhaled, "S'okay," she replied, "It's not really my place to be making suggestions when it comes to April's finances."
"No, it is your place, Lorelai. For all intents and purposes, you're April's stepmom. She loves you and you love her, and we all just want the very best for each other," Luke said firmly, "Rory and April are our girls, not just yours or mine."
"Ok," Lorelai said softly, "Thank you."
"No need to thank me. It's how it always should have been," he paused and then continued, "So, I talked to April tonight about Germany. She told me its $1200 and pretty much all inclusive."
"Ahhh…okay," Lorelai said.
"I told her that we just paid her tuition and that we are a little tapped out at the moment," he said while pacing the front porch, "I told her, that if she wanted to go this spring, she would need to ask her mother for the money. Otherwise, she could pick up some hours at the diner on weekends and during her breaks and save up, and we would reevaluate next year."
"And…how did she take it?" Lorelai asked sounding surprised.
"She was a little disappointed, but she seemed okay with it. She said she would talk to her mom."
There was a pause in the conversation before Luke began again, "You were right this morning, Lorelai. Sometimes I still feel like I'm playing catch-up for those lost 12 years…even though I know that I have nothing to prove when it comes to April. I think I've made the most out of the 6 years that April and I have had together, and I think I'm finally realizing that I'm a pretty decent dad…even if I don't pay for a trip to Germany," he chuckled.
"You're the best dad! April is very lucky," Lorelai said with confidence.
Luke continued, "You know, I was doing some thinking this afternoon. We've been together steadily now for over 4 years. We are both committed and in this for the long haul, right?"
"Right," Lorelai confidently confirmed.
"Right…good," Luke smiled, "I think, next week, we should go to the bank together and set up a joint checking and savings account. I think we should start combining assets. I'm going to see about putting your name on the boat title and on everything else that I have involving Luke's…you know the buildings and contents. You did, after all, make me buy it," he said cautiously waiting for her response.
"Does that mean I'll be Taylor's landlord too?" she asked with excitement in her voice.
"Sure does," Luke answered and heard her giggle on the other end. It brought a broad smile to his face.
"I also want to talk to a lawyer to make sure you are taken care of in case something happens to me. And before you get upset please hear me out. I know that you don't need to be taken care of, but I just want to make sure everything is in line…you know…just in case. I just don't want to leave you high and dry."
He paused for a beat before he followed up, "So, what do ya think?" Luke finished and awaited her response.
"What do I think?" she started sounding choked up, "I think that as soon as I feel like I have you all figured out, Luke Danes, you throw me a curveball and catch me completely off guard. And then I fall in love with you all over again."
Luke smiled and looked at the ground, "Good…good," he said grinning ear to ear, "I love you, Lorelai. Don't ever doubt that."
"No doubts. I love you too," she said firmly, "And while we're at it, we may as well add your name to the house title as well."
"Okay…we'll do that," he said getting choked up and trying to avoid getting too emotional.
A calm silence came over them as neither one knew what to say next.
Lorelai broke the silence.
"So…how was your day, handsome? Did you and April have a good day together?"
"Well, it was good but emotionally taxing," he sighed.
"Why? What happened?" Lorelai asked with concern.
"Well, on the drive out here, April asked me the question," he confessed.
"What question?"
"You know which question, Lorelai," he sighed loudly, "The one I've been dreading for the last 5 years."
Lorelai gasped, "Oh…wow, Luke. Wow, wow, wow," she said in shock, "How'd she ask?"
"Pretty much exactly how we thought she'd ask. She wanted to know if she was the reason why we broke up."
"Ok…and what did you tell her?"
"The truth. I told her the truth, Lorelai. I didn't sugar coat it. She's 18 now. She's an adult. I figure Rory knows and April has a right to know too."
"How detailed did you get in your description of the events?" Lorelai asked sounding worried.
"Pretty detailed but I stopped just after the birthday party. I came down really hard on Anna…but I don't care…let her call me and chew me out. Everything I told April was the truth," he sighed, "But, Lorelai, I didn't tell her about that night. She doesn't need to know all that."
"No one needs to know about that," Lorelai said stubbornly.
"Agreed." Luke said firmly, "So, yea, it was a good talk. I'll tell you more about it when you get home on Sunday, but I'm relieved to finally be done with it. I feel like it's been this dark cloud hanging over me for years now."
"Yea, good to know you don't have to worry about it anymore…in any way, shape, or form. It's done. The entire thing can be put to rest," Lorelai said confidently.
"Yea, it sure can," Luke said assuredly.
"So…how was your day, beautiful? I liked the picture you sent to April, you looked nice…goofy but nice," he said with a smile.
Lorelai giggled, "We had a great day. We shopped and shopped 'til Sookie literally dropped on a bench and refused to walk any further."
"Geez, you're already making me rethink the whole shared assets thing," he joked.
"Luke! You know that everything I bought was a trillion percent off. Well, everything except for your birthday gift," she teased.
"My birthday gift, huh?"
"Yep. I know you hate gifts, but I'm certain that you will get much enjoyment out of this particular gift," she said coyly.
"Oh, yea? You got me a new fishing rod?"
"Well, not exactly, but if you play your cards right, I may be playing with your rod while I'm wearing your gift," she giggled with delight.
"Ah, geez, Lorelai!" he blushed but chuckled along with her.
"You sure you aren't up for some dirty talk tonight?" she giggled.
"No, crazy lady, not now. Maybe we can revisit the topic tomorrow when I'm back home," he said still chuckling, "April wants to watch some Outer Limits tonight."
"Good. Go geek out," she said, "I'll call you when I wake up tomorrow…probably around 9."
"Please do, I look forward to it," Luke smiled, "Have a good night. I love you, Lorelai Gilmore, more than life itself."
"Right back at you, Lucas Danes," she replied, "Sweet dreams, babe."
Luke ended the call and paused for a minute to replay the conversation they had just had. He shook his head in amazement and asked out loud, "What the hell did I do to be so damn lucky?"
With a smile on his face, he slipped his phone into the pocket of his sweatpants. He opened the door, walked back into cabin, and locked up from inside.