Chapter 9
"I'm going to get a snow cone. You want one?" Lorelai asked, as she and Rory strolled across the Winter Carnival grounds. It was warmer than usual this year - there was hardly any snow left on the ground. But still, the chill of the night, starry skies, torches, and string lights created the perfect atmosphere.
"Maybe later," Rory commented, feeling rather full already from the pretzel she'd just had.
"Ugh... you're no fun," Lorelai complained, seeing her daughter not quite keep up with her eating habits these days. Lorelai gave up on her plan for the moment.
Rory was taking better care of herself, and among other things, eating smaller meals. It had also helped that she had more to do workwise - there was less time to idle, whilst her work remained fairly stress free. It was kind of perfect, she thought - she was getting the best of Stars Hollow and for the time being everything was confirming her decision to land here to raise her baby was the right thing to do.
"So, what was it that you were talking to Jess about before?" Lorelai inquired, having caught the end of their phone call.
"Um… we sort of exchanged manuscripts. A fresh pair of eyes. I mean it's just that for me, but he, apparently, actually wants me to help him edit his. It's a job," Rory shared.
"You two always had this special language whenever you spoke books," Lorelai commented, thinking back to their teenage days.
"I just think he wanted someone who was easy to…," Rory began.
"Dirty!" Lorelai chimed, childishly.
"Easy to discuss these things with," Rory corrected her mother with a roll of her eyes, adding - "I mean if he were to search for a new hire entirely, there would be all these distractions at first. You don't know how the other person works and whether you can trust their opinion."
"What happened to his old editor?" Lorelai inquired.
"She got promoted or something," Rory replied, not recalling all the details.
"So, you're actually working for him now," Lorelai reflected.
"I am," Rory inhaled.
"I am all for you having a job that pays. But... Is that really a good idea? I mean working for your… ex?" Lorelai inquired, hesitating a little on how strongly to emphasize the connection.
"That was like a gazillion years ago. Plus - you know," Rory replied, gesturing down to her belly.
"Does he, um… know about little 'bean' there?" Lorelai continued, the nickname having carried on to the entire family by now, excluding Emily.
"He knows, the gist at least," Rory replied, that part being evident to her by now. But still there had hardly been any questions about it, just the occasional comment on how she'd soon have her hands full and should.
"Good," Lorelai replied. "But I'm just saying it wouldn't hurt to pay attention with that one," she added.
"Why would you say that?" Rory asked, not understanding why her mother was trying to make this friendship into something more. Especially now.
"I've just been under the impression he's… um… you're his 'the one that got away', or that's the impression I've gotten from him," Lorelai suggested.
"It's just work. He's a friend," she insisted, needing just that right now more than anything.
"Yeah, I'm sure he is," Lorelai agreed, not wanting to argue.
Rory felt glad that she'd neglected to tell her mother about seeing Tristan, or she wouldn't have heard the end of it.
"Oh-oh-oh! There's the crazy psychic from Woodbury! Let's go!" Lorelai suddenly said, grabbing her daughters arm firmly and pulling her along, not taking 'no' for an answer.
After listening to the psychic tell her mother about the great success of her new business venture, and paying 10 dollars for it, her mother got pulled away to take a phone call.
"I can read you too, love?" the old woman, who couldn't look more like a fake, asked before Rory had a chance to step out of her tent.
"Oh, that's alright," Rory said, not wanting to put up a pretence she actually believed in any of this.
"That little girl of yours is going to grow up to do some great things, you know?" the woman said, the fact that she knew the sex of the baby definitely catching Rory's attention. Even if she knew somehow about her pregnancy, nobody besides a very close circle of friends knew it was a girl.
"How did you…?" Rory reacted.
Rory hated this, feeling ashamed at the same time - she didn't want to be one of those people falling for this. One thing was to do this recreationally, like her mother, quite another to get wrapped into believing what she had to say.
The woman smiled back at her. "50-50 chance?" she laughed, glad to have gotten it right.
"Ha-ha," Rory laughed sarcastically.
"Hey, I'm no ultrasound machine. But I would like to offer you some insight if you're willing to hear it?" the woman offered.
"No, thank you," Rory said, beginning to leave.
"Free of charge," the woman added. Outside the tent, Rory could still hear her mother on the phone, indicating she was still busy. She wasn't really in a hurry, was she?
"Oh, what the hell," Rory relented, not bothering to argue with her.
"Have a seat then," the woman gestured to the armchair across from her.
Rory exhaled, sitting down.
With her mother this had been about using Tarot cards, with her, however, the woman seemed to be asking for her palm.
Hesitantly she pulled her hand out of her glove, and laid it on the woman's palm. This was ridiculous, silly even, wasn't it? Yet somehow Rory felt an odd warm buzz run though her body as her skin touched hers. Surely, she was just imagining this?
"Wow, there are quite a lot of handsome men in your life, aren't there?" the woman commented after closing her eyes.
"Not you, too," Rory groaned under her breath, getting a mild chuckle in return.
"Life is about ups and downs, as I am sure you know. And while I mean what I said about your little girl. She will do great things. The situation around her is far from settled, I see…," she discussed. "I see some distant land, something important to the baby is very-very far away," she added, causing Rory to link it all to Logan, naturally. "And while there will be tears, disappointment, anger even… things will work out and you will again find your 'peace'. Your baby will have a father, and you a man by your side," the woman concluded, suddenly opening her eyes again as if waking out of some alternate state of mind.
The whole thing had felt so odd, Rory nearly jolted to pull her hand out of the woman's hand as a response.
"How did…?" Rory began to ask, craving to know how she'd hit so close to home on many issues. Did she somehow know something concerning Logan and she was just about to blackmail her to keep her quiet? - Rory thought like a journalist, an investigator, rather than a pregnant single mom-to-be who might've grabbed hold on the positive in her message with all she had.
"There you are!?" returned Lorelai's tone from behind her. "Oh, cool. She finally talked you into getting a reading, eh?" she added.
"Uh-huh," Rory said, inhaling as she did.
"What did you get? Are you going to meet a tall dark stranger?" Lorelai inquired, teasingly.
"No. But apparently I am going to find myself a 'man'," Rory chimed, making it sound like it was a requirement from the 50s.
"Ah, I told you! Maybe she saw Jess earlier today," Lorelai teased, laughingly.
