[karana]

Nachricht von den Autoren: "We really appreciate it that you are giving us such amazing reviews. Thank you so much and keep them coming! We love it!"





[B]Chapter 4 : Characters[/B]


Lorelai was sitting behind her desk in the Dragonfly. Her day was long and busy. She had to skip lunch because there simply was no time to sit down. Not even for 10 minutes. It was almost 5 o clock now and Lorelai enjoyed the quietness in her office. She knew she had to go home soon. Chris would be expecting her. She just needed half an hour or so to herself.
The house was so busy lately. Or it felt like it at least.
She had never lived on her own before Rory went to college. She moved out of her parent’s house with Rory. When Rory went away to college she hated it. In the end she got used to it and she liked having the place to her self, so that she didn’t had to think about others. And even when Rory was still living there, it was different. She was the parent and set the rules. Most of the time they had a democracy, but if there was no other choice she could pull out the mom card and tell Rory what to do.

Now she was living with Chris and had to keep him in mind with everything she did. And Gigi was there as well. It’s been a long time since she lived with a kid that small. A kid who needs constant attention. And she is completely different than Rory was at that age. Rory knew how to play by herself. If you gave her a book she would be quiet for hours. Gigi gets tired of it after 10 minutes and needs attention again. It wasn’t as if she didn’t like living with Chris and Gigi. She was just still getting used to it. And she liked it when she had just a few minutes to herself once in a while.

She thought about her life when she first came to Stars Hollow. As a 17 year old girl with a baby. She smiled when she remembered how Mia took her in and helped her out. She wondered if she ever thanked Mia for everything she had done for her. She suddenly remembered that Mia didn’t know that she was married. So she took out a piece of paper and started writing. She wrote that it was too long since they saw each other. She wrote about how Luke and she had started dating, how they had got engaged and how they didn’t make it. She wrote about Chris and them getting married. And she ended the letter with thanking Mia for everything she’d done for her and told her that hopefully they’d see each other again soon.

She put the letter in an envelope and wrote Mia’s address on it. Suddenly she remembered that she was asked to write another letter for the one other person that helped her out with so many things in her life. She wrote the letter and put it in an envelope. With curly letters she wrote the name on the envelope and put it in her purse. Then she stood up, put on her coat and walked towards the kitchen to say goodnight to Sookie.

-xxxxxx-
Lorelai entered the house. It seemed dark so she called his name. “Chris?”

“Kitchen.”

She put her coat on the coat rack, threw her purse on the couch and walked towards the kitchen. The table was set beautifully and the only light that lightened the room came from candles.

“What is this?” she asked with a smile.

“Something to say that I’m sorry.”

“About what?”

“About what happened last week. We didn’t talk about it. We just ignored it and I realize now that I was wrong. Gigi is staying at her friend Lucy’s house and I thought I’d surprise you.”

She sat down at the table.

“You want a glass of wine?” He held a bottle in front of her.

“Please.”

He filled the glass. “So, how was your day?”

“Don’t ask me about it.”

“That horrible huh. Well, just sit down and relax. Dinner will be served in a minute,” he said and she did as he requested. She watched him while he put some spaghetti on her plate and put it in front of her.
She waited until he was seated as well and then started eating. For a while they ate in silence. The uncomfortable silence which surrounded them since the fight at Luke’s.

“Lore I want to apologize again. I said horrible things to you and... I’m sorry. I really am. I didn’t mean any of it”

“It’s okay Chris. I understand. It’s hard for you to adjust to all this. I mean this town and the crazy people here. The crazy traditions the town has and the crazy habits I have. It’s okay,” she shrugged.

“No it’s not. And it wasn’t about this crazy town or you’re being crazy, but about that diner guy. He is everywhere and I only want him to stay out of our lives. I mean, I know that it is crazy to be jealous, it’s not like you could ever love him, but I can’t stand this guy. He makes me want to punch him every time I see him,” Chris explained and missed the anger flickering in Lorelai’s eyes when he said “diner guy” and the hurt expression which showed when he said she had never loved Luke.

“It’s okay. Just stay as far away from the diner as you can,” she told him with a fake smile and he squeezed her hand, not able to see through her lie. Only Lorelai knew the truth: She had never loved anyone but Luke.


-xxxxxx-
“Richard?”

Richard looked at his wife. He had something to tell her, although he had no idea how.”

“What’s going on?”

He sighed, knowing that what he had to say would change her life forever. “I have something to tell you.”

“What, what is it?” She felt that something was up. She knew that something was up because he was acting weird all week. She had asked him several times what was wrong, but he kept denying everything until this moment.

He took her hands in his.

“Richard, you’re scaring me.”

“You know that I haven’t been feeling so well lately. And you know how many times I have to get out of bed during the night. So I went to the doctor on Monday to get a physical.”

“And?”

“Apparently there’s something wrong with my prostate.” He looked at her, a little uncomfortable. “Emily, I have prostate cancer.”

“What?” A thousand questions entered her mind as his words registered in her mind.






-xxxxxx-


“Why don’t you take a bath. Just relax for a while, then I’ll clean up here and join you upstairs?”

She nodded. “Sounds like a great idea.”

“Good.” He stood up and helped her up as well. He took her in her arms and kissed her, then he let her go. “I’ll be right there.”

He watched how she walked up the stairs. Then he blew out the candles and turned on the lights. He took their plates from the table and rinsed them before putting them in the dishwasher.

After the dishwasher was loaded, he took a rag and cleaned the kitchen counter and the table. Then he walked towards the living room. He checked if the front door was locked and looked around the living room. A few of Gigi’s toys were laying on the floor so he picked them up and brought them to her room. Then he saw how Lorelai’s purse was laying on the couch. He picked it up and unintentionally saw a big white envelop sticking out of it. He wanted to put it back in the purse when he saw the name written on. ‘Luke’ written in Lorelai’s curly handwriting.

He knew better than to open the letter. Things were finally settled between the two of them. But he didn’t like the idea of Lorelai writing a letter to Luke so against better judgement he opened it anyway.

To whom it may concern,

It is kind of weird, writing this letter. But I was thinking and I feel as if I have to help Mr. Danes after everything he has done for me. I do not know how to write such character witness letter, but I will try.

The truth is my life changed the moment I walked into his diner for the very first time. I knew that it was the first time I was there, and I knew it would not be the last time. I could not have dreamed that a great friendship would come out of it. But it did.
Even though I acted like a fool and called him Duke for two full years, he was there for me and Rory, my daughter, from the beginning.

When I first met him I did not think he would be the kind of man that would like a kid. But he liked mine. A lot. He did everything for her a father would normally do. He helped her with her homework. He came to her caterpillar’s funeral. He made her mashed potatoes every single day while she had the chicken pox. He fought with Dean (her ex-boyfriend) when she and him broke up. He went to her high school graduation and cried like a baby. He helped her move into her dorm room… He did everything a father does for my kid. And I can not begin to tell how grateful I am.

And I think about all the things he has done for me. How many times did he let me rant about my parents after Friday night dinner? How often did he take care of me when I got sick? With my cooking skills I do not think I would have been alive if he had not been feeding me all those years. And his coffee… It did not matter what I needed. He was always there for me. Without him I would not be living at my house anymore. I am sure it would have fallen apart if he did not fix it years ago, when termites were eating it. And the Inn, it would not be mine now it if were not for him. If he had not helped me out…If he did not loan me the 30.000 dollars…

Anyway, what I wanted to say is… He is an amazing father this Luke Danes. He has been an amazing father to my kid and he is an amazing father to his own. She is lucky to be his daughter.

There were a few lines left but Chris stopped reading. He was furious. How could she write that? How could she write that he was an amazing father to her kid? He was Rory’s father. Not Luke. With letter and all he climbed the stairs, everything they talked about earlier that night completely forgotten.

-xxxxxx-
“It’s going to be fine. You’re going to be fine.” Emily told Richard with determination in her voice. “You remember what you promised me right?”

He nodded. “Yes. I promised you that you can go first.”

“Exactly. And I’m keeping you to it, so you’re going to be fine.”

“I hope so.” He pulled Emily in a hug. All he wanted right now was to hold his wife and seek comfort in her embrace.

She pulled away after a minute or so. She placed a soft kiss on his lips. “Everything is going to be fine Richard. I promise. I’m going to take care of everything. I’ll call your secretary in the morning and make sure she cancels all your appointments for the next couple of weeks. I’ll tell Lorelai and Christopher. And Rory. And I will tell everybody at the DAR. Unless you want to keep this quiet. Do you?”

“Emily.” He placed a hand on her shoulder.

“What?”

“All I want is for you to calm down. I’ll continue working as long as I can. And I want to tell Lorelai and Rory together.”

She nodded. “Okay. Why don’t I call Lorelai and ask her if she and Christopher come over for dinner tomorrow?”

“Why don’t we wait until Friday. I don’t want them to worry.”

“Richard. We have to tell them.” She looked at him. “Please?”

He nodded. “Fine. But only them. I don’t want everybody else to know.”

“Okay.” She then pulled him back in a hug.

-xxxxxx-
Lorelai looks up when Chris enters the bathroom “Hey.” The smiled that had formed on her lips soon faded when she saw the furious look on his face.

“What is this?” He hold the letter in front of her nose.

“What is this? What are you thinking searching through my purse!” she shot back and sat up in the tub.

“You are writing a character witness for this jerk?” Chris yelled at her.

“I can write whatever I want!” she yelled back, grabbed the towel of the hook, wrapped it around her and stepped out of the tub, because she felt stupid sitting in a tub surrounded by scented water fighting with Chris.

“He has been an amazing father to my kid? I am Rory’s father and not this hobo.”

“Then were the hell were you for the last 20 years? I haven’t see you here”

“I was busy and you know that. I wasn’t ready to be a father.” The fight had developed into a full shouting match.

“Well too bad, because nobody ever asked me if I was ready to be a mother. I just had to be. It was your own decision not to be a part of Rory’s life. You didn’t want to see her growing up. It was your decision not mine!”

“This is not about my decision, but about the fact that you are basically calling him Rory’s father. And he is not! He is a uneducated, grease-smelling, flannel wearing hobo who can barely provide for himself. Maybe he was good in bed, but he is not Rory’s father!”

“He was there. He was there and he looked out for her, for us, while you were enjoying yourself in California. He cooked, he watched her, he helped her with her homework and lend her a shoulder to cry when she needed it, while we didn’t even knew your newest phone number. He stepped up and took over obligations that weren’t his. They would have been yours, but you weren’t interested in that.”

“I know that I made faults and I told you I am sorry. I am making this up to you two now. I am paying for Rory’s school, I will buy her anything she wants, I’ll buy you everything you want. He could never do that.

“You don’t get it! Not everything can be solved with money” she yelled and pushed past him and out of the bathroom, into the bedroom. Chris followed her.

“Then what do you want me to do? What? Tell me and I’ll do it!” he screamed and grabbed her by the arm, turned her around.

“There is nothing you can do now, cause it’s over. Rory is grown up and you missed it!”

“When I remember correctly this diner guy missed out on his daughters childhood as well. Why is he better than me than?”

“Don’t you dare comparing these two situations. You didn’t want to be a part in our life. You chose to be out of it. Luke never had a chance. Hell, he didn’t even knew he had a daughter. But when he found out he stepped up, he stood up to his responsibilities and was there, but not only financially. He spend time with April, he was interested in her life. He wants to be in her life, know what she thinks, what she likes and what not. He organizes birthday parties for girls and went as a chaperone to one of her school trips. He even let her live with him for a while, while her mother was out of the state. He didn’t pack his things and leave when he found out he had a kid” she yelled angrily and was slightly out of breath.

“I did not pack my things, I asked you to marry me and you said no”

“And that was your clue to leave? It shouldn’t have mattered if I marry you or not, cause Rory is your daughter and you should have been there for her. She should have been your first priority and not me. It should still be like that.”

“So are you telling me that you love Rory more than me?” he said angry and somehow defeated.

“Of course I love her more than you. I love my kid more than anyone, cause that’s how it’s supposed to be. You love your kid more than your partner, maybe you love them equally if you have found the one. But other than that your kid is your everything. I love Rory more than anyone and Luke loves April more than anyone. Why the heck do you think we broke up?” she shot back, incredibly disgusted by Chris at this moment.
Before Chris could for a question concerning her last statement, the phone rang and Lorelai sighed frustrated. Feeling relieved to have something that could take her off her fight with Chris, she picked up in an instant.

“Hello?”

“Lorelai, it’s your mother.”

“Mom.” Lorelai was even more frustrated now. This was not much better than fighting with Chris.

“Lorelai, I need you and Christopher to come to dinner tomorrow night.”

“But tomorrow is Wednesday.”

“I know, but please. It’s important.”

“What’s so important that it can’t wait two more days?”

“You’ll hear whatever it is. Tomorrow night at dinner. I’ll see you and Christopher at 7.” And with that, Emily hung up.

TBC