09.05.2007, 19:39
Chapter 6: Gimme hope, Jo'anna
When she had informed her mother that they would pay them a visit Emily had insisted that Rory would join them as well. Lorelai was aware that that wasnât a good idea, concerning what they had to talk about, but she was too nervous to say no to that. Another fight, especially because they wanted something, wouldnât have been good.
She had been desperately looking for an excuse why Luke had to come with them, but in the end she had decided that she was already lying enough to her daughter as it was and had told her at least as much as she had to know: That Lukeâs mother had been an old friend of Emily, that they only found out recently and that Emily insisted to see him again. It wasnât a complete lie, but neither was it the complete truth.
~*~
Lorelai felt sick to her stomach when they were all standing in front of the Gilmore mansion and she and Luke both had the same nervous look on their faces while they stared at the door, neither making a move to ring the bell.
âSo, do we go in or do we just stand here?â Rory grinned, wondering what was wrong with them. She knew her mother had problems with her grand-parents, but Luke seemed to be an old friend and she was surprised when he dreaded to enter as well.
When they both just kept staring at the door without saying something or reacting, Rory stepped forward and rang the bell.
âFineâ, she shrugged and saw her mother and Luke exchanging a look, which she couldnât place. When the door opened and her grandmother herself stood there both Luke and Lorelai jumped a bit, acting like they were facing the devil himself.
âHi, Grandmaâ, Rory broke the silence once again and went to greet her grandmother
âWell, you're right on timeâ, Emily said and shook Lukeâs hand before she greeted Lorelai and took their coats.
âYeah, yeah, Luke kept complaining that we would be late and that we should hurry upâ, Lorelai shrugged.
âI can't tell you what a treat it is to have you all here. Like a familyâ, Emily gushed and led them into the living-room, causing Luke and Lorelai to exchange another look.
âOh, well, we're excited, tooâ, Lorelai shrugged and sat down next to Luke.
âIs that a collector's cup or can I throw it away for you?â Emily asked then and pointed to the take-out cup in Lorelaiâs hand.
âJeez, you still have that. Youâve gulped down the coffee hours agoâ, grumbled Luke and took the cup out of her hand and got up to throw it in the nearby wastebasket.
âIn the kitchen, please Lukeâ, Emily told him and pointed in the general direction of the kitchen and then turned to Rory. âSo, I want to hear all about Chiltonâ.
âWell, I haven't actually started yetâ, Rory shrugged and was glad when Luke came back, accompanied by Richard.
âRichard, look who's hereâ, Emily smiled proudly and Luke took his place next to Lorelai again.
âRory. You're tallâ, Richard stated.
âI guess.â
âWell, what's your height?â he wanted to know
â5'7"â, she said.
âThat's tall. She's tallâ, he stated again.
âHi, Dadâ, Lorelai waved from the couch to stop the awkward âsheâs tallâ speech, but had no luck.
âLorelai, your daughter's tallâ, Richard went on.
âOh, I know. It's freakish. We're thinking of having her studied at M.I.T.â, Lorelai joked, what brought her another âstop itâ- glance from Luke.
âAhâ, Richard only said and sat down in the armchair and grabbed his paper.
âChampagne, anyone?â Emily asked.
âI hate champagneâ, Luke muttered only loud enough that Lorelai could hear him.
âOh, that's fancyâ, she ignored him.
âWell, it's not every day that I have my girls and Luke here for dinner on a day the banks are open. A toast - to Rory entering Chilton and an exciting new phase in all our lifesâ, Emily toasted after she had handed a glass to everyone.
âHere, hereâ, Richard said absent âminded and kept reading.
âThis is just wonderful. An education is the most important thing in the world, next to familyâ, Emily said and looked at Luke and Lorelai with a smile that made both of them flinch.
âAnd pieâ Lorelai said without thinking and the only thing that followed was silence.
âI guess that was one of her jokesâ, Luke informed her parents.
âAhâ, Emily only made and another awkward silence followed. When Lorelai couldnât stand it anymore she excused herself.
âExcuse me. I'm just gonna go to the restroomâ.
âWell, hurry back. Dinner's almost onâ, Emily replied.
â Yes, ma'amâ, she said and gestured at Luke to follow her, which he did when the opportunity rose and dinner was ready.
~*~
âWe need to get out of here!âshe said when he knocked and pulled him into the bathroom.
âWhat?â, he asked confused.
âHow did I used to get out of here?â, she asked and tried to open the window.
âWhat are you talking about?â, Luke asked and held her back by her arm when she tried to climb out the small window.
âStop, that youâll be stuckâ, he said and closed it.
âIâm not fat!â
âNo, but youâre not a mouse either. You wonât fit through this window anymoreâ, he told her.
âItâs nice of you to tell me that. But I had many ways of sneaking out of here. Which drainpipe was it that I used to crawl down?â she thought loudly and Luke just shook his head.
âI think I used to get to it from the attic window, does the attic window still access the drainpipe that drops you off by the garage? Did you pay attention to that when we came here? Men usually pay attention to architectureâ She asked him, but he just grabbed her by both arms.
âYou are not going to get out of here. Think about Chilton, think about Roryâ, he reminded her.
âAll I can think about are her stupid comments about family. She is forcing us into marriage. If I could I would kill her with my bare hands, but that wonât get me any money. Hey, wait.. actually it does. If I kill dad as well I will get all of their moneyâ, she smiled.
âLorelaiâ, he sighed.
âI know I know. No killingâ
âRight, no murders. And now we have to get out of here and go to dinner so we can talk alone with your mother at one point or the otherâ, Luke nodded and pushed her out of the bathroom and into the dinning-room.
~*~
The first minutes of the dinner passed in complete silence and suddenly Lorelai started to sing, but so silent that only Luke, who was sitting beside her, could hear it.
âGimme hope, Jo'anna Hope, Jo'anna Gimme hope, Jo'anna 'Fore the morning come. Gimme hope, Jo'anna Hope, Jo'anna Hope before the morning comeâ
âStop it!â he hissed and was glad when Emily turned to Rory.
âRory, how do you like the lamb?â, she asked her granddaughter.
âIt's goodâ, Rory said.
âToo dry?â Emily turned to Luke
âNo, it's perfect, Emilyâ
âPotatoes could use a little salt, thoughâ, Lorelai said, again trying to be funny.
âExcuse me?â Emily asked and glared at her daughter.
âAnother joke, Emily. Sheâs a funny oneâ, Luke said and rolled his eyes.
âGood. Itâs nice to know that at least one person can tell when she is jokingâ, Emily remarked dryly.
âSo, Grandpa, how's the insurance biz?â Rory tried to ease the tension and Lorelai started to sing again.
âI hear she make all the golden money,To buy new weapons, any shape of guns.While every mother in black Soweto fears The killing of another son Sneakin' across all the neighbours' borders Now and again having little fun She doesn't care if the fun and games she play Is dang'rous to ev'ryone.â
âOh, people die, we pay. People crash cars, we pay. People lose a foot, we payâ, Richard said, unaware of his daughterâs singing.
âWell, at least you have your new sloganâ, Lorelai muttered and stopped her tune.
âOw!â she hissed a second later, because Luke had pinched her under the table.
âLorelai?â Emily raised her eyebrows questioningly.
âSorry, foodâs hotâ, Lorelai lied and swatted Lukeâs knee.
âAnd how are things at the motel?â her father asked her.
âThe Inn? They're greatâ she smiled.
âLorelai's the executive manager nowâ, Luke informed them and sounded proud.
âOh, thatâs wonderfulâ, Emily replied in a pleasant tone.
âSpeaking of which, how is the diner going?â Richard asked.
âThe diner is good. People always eatâ, Luke replied and shrugged.
âYeah, I remember you said that back when you turned your fatherâs store into the dinerâ, Emily replied.
âYeah well.. itâs trueâ, Luke shrugged again.
âLuke I have to tell you though, that I am still disappointed you didnât go to college like we told you. You could be successful in business nowâ
âHe owns a successful business, momâ, Lorelai jumped in.
âHe owns a dinerâ, Emily said and raised her eyebrows.
âAnd what is wrong with that?â Lorelai asked and raised her voice.
"There is no need to yell at me. I'm just stating the factsâ.
âYeah, sure. You could have easily exchanged the word diner for brothel, it would have been the same tone in your voiceâ, Lorelai barked.
âAh Jeez. Lorelai itâs no big dealâ, Luke said and lay a hand on her knee to calm her down. It wouldnât help their case if she would lose her nerve in front of Rory. But he had underestimated how upset Lorelai still was about that whole deal. All the time the only thing she could think of was how her parents would force them into this marriage.
âI'm gonna get a Coke. Or a knifeâ, she said, stood up and threw her serviette on the table. Then she stormed out of the room and into the kitchen, followed closely by Luke, who had excused himself and ran after her.
When she had informed her mother that they would pay them a visit Emily had insisted that Rory would join them as well. Lorelai was aware that that wasnât a good idea, concerning what they had to talk about, but she was too nervous to say no to that. Another fight, especially because they wanted something, wouldnât have been good.
She had been desperately looking for an excuse why Luke had to come with them, but in the end she had decided that she was already lying enough to her daughter as it was and had told her at least as much as she had to know: That Lukeâs mother had been an old friend of Emily, that they only found out recently and that Emily insisted to see him again. It wasnât a complete lie, but neither was it the complete truth.
~*~
Lorelai felt sick to her stomach when they were all standing in front of the Gilmore mansion and she and Luke both had the same nervous look on their faces while they stared at the door, neither making a move to ring the bell.
âSo, do we go in or do we just stand here?â Rory grinned, wondering what was wrong with them. She knew her mother had problems with her grand-parents, but Luke seemed to be an old friend and she was surprised when he dreaded to enter as well.
When they both just kept staring at the door without saying something or reacting, Rory stepped forward and rang the bell.
âFineâ, she shrugged and saw her mother and Luke exchanging a look, which she couldnât place. When the door opened and her grandmother herself stood there both Luke and Lorelai jumped a bit, acting like they were facing the devil himself.
âHi, Grandmaâ, Rory broke the silence once again and went to greet her grandmother
âWell, you're right on timeâ, Emily said and shook Lukeâs hand before she greeted Lorelai and took their coats.
âYeah, yeah, Luke kept complaining that we would be late and that we should hurry upâ, Lorelai shrugged.
âI can't tell you what a treat it is to have you all here. Like a familyâ, Emily gushed and led them into the living-room, causing Luke and Lorelai to exchange another look.
âOh, well, we're excited, tooâ, Lorelai shrugged and sat down next to Luke.
âIs that a collector's cup or can I throw it away for you?â Emily asked then and pointed to the take-out cup in Lorelaiâs hand.
âJeez, you still have that. Youâve gulped down the coffee hours agoâ, grumbled Luke and took the cup out of her hand and got up to throw it in the nearby wastebasket.
âIn the kitchen, please Lukeâ, Emily told him and pointed in the general direction of the kitchen and then turned to Rory. âSo, I want to hear all about Chiltonâ.
âWell, I haven't actually started yetâ, Rory shrugged and was glad when Luke came back, accompanied by Richard.
âRichard, look who's hereâ, Emily smiled proudly and Luke took his place next to Lorelai again.
âRory. You're tallâ, Richard stated.
âI guess.â
âWell, what's your height?â he wanted to know
â5'7"â, she said.
âThat's tall. She's tallâ, he stated again.
âHi, Dadâ, Lorelai waved from the couch to stop the awkward âsheâs tallâ speech, but had no luck.
âLorelai, your daughter's tallâ, Richard went on.
âOh, I know. It's freakish. We're thinking of having her studied at M.I.T.â, Lorelai joked, what brought her another âstop itâ- glance from Luke.
âAhâ, Richard only said and sat down in the armchair and grabbed his paper.
âChampagne, anyone?â Emily asked.
âI hate champagneâ, Luke muttered only loud enough that Lorelai could hear him.
âOh, that's fancyâ, she ignored him.
âWell, it's not every day that I have my girls and Luke here for dinner on a day the banks are open. A toast - to Rory entering Chilton and an exciting new phase in all our lifesâ, Emily toasted after she had handed a glass to everyone.
âHere, hereâ, Richard said absent âminded and kept reading.
âThis is just wonderful. An education is the most important thing in the world, next to familyâ, Emily said and looked at Luke and Lorelai with a smile that made both of them flinch.
âAnd pieâ Lorelai said without thinking and the only thing that followed was silence.
âI guess that was one of her jokesâ, Luke informed her parents.
âAhâ, Emily only made and another awkward silence followed. When Lorelai couldnât stand it anymore she excused herself.
âExcuse me. I'm just gonna go to the restroomâ.
âWell, hurry back. Dinner's almost onâ, Emily replied.
â Yes, ma'amâ, she said and gestured at Luke to follow her, which he did when the opportunity rose and dinner was ready.
~*~
âWe need to get out of here!âshe said when he knocked and pulled him into the bathroom.
âWhat?â, he asked confused.
âHow did I used to get out of here?â, she asked and tried to open the window.
âWhat are you talking about?â, Luke asked and held her back by her arm when she tried to climb out the small window.
âStop, that youâll be stuckâ, he said and closed it.
âIâm not fat!â
âNo, but youâre not a mouse either. You wonât fit through this window anymoreâ, he told her.
âItâs nice of you to tell me that. But I had many ways of sneaking out of here. Which drainpipe was it that I used to crawl down?â she thought loudly and Luke just shook his head.
âI think I used to get to it from the attic window, does the attic window still access the drainpipe that drops you off by the garage? Did you pay attention to that when we came here? Men usually pay attention to architectureâ She asked him, but he just grabbed her by both arms.
âYou are not going to get out of here. Think about Chilton, think about Roryâ, he reminded her.
âAll I can think about are her stupid comments about family. She is forcing us into marriage. If I could I would kill her with my bare hands, but that wonât get me any money. Hey, wait.. actually it does. If I kill dad as well I will get all of their moneyâ, she smiled.
âLorelaiâ, he sighed.
âI know I know. No killingâ
âRight, no murders. And now we have to get out of here and go to dinner so we can talk alone with your mother at one point or the otherâ, Luke nodded and pushed her out of the bathroom and into the dinning-room.
~*~
The first minutes of the dinner passed in complete silence and suddenly Lorelai started to sing, but so silent that only Luke, who was sitting beside her, could hear it.
âGimme hope, Jo'anna Hope, Jo'anna Gimme hope, Jo'anna 'Fore the morning come. Gimme hope, Jo'anna Hope, Jo'anna Hope before the morning comeâ
âStop it!â he hissed and was glad when Emily turned to Rory.
âRory, how do you like the lamb?â, she asked her granddaughter.
âIt's goodâ, Rory said.
âToo dry?â Emily turned to Luke
âNo, it's perfect, Emilyâ
âPotatoes could use a little salt, thoughâ, Lorelai said, again trying to be funny.
âExcuse me?â Emily asked and glared at her daughter.
âAnother joke, Emily. Sheâs a funny oneâ, Luke said and rolled his eyes.
âGood. Itâs nice to know that at least one person can tell when she is jokingâ, Emily remarked dryly.
âSo, Grandpa, how's the insurance biz?â Rory tried to ease the tension and Lorelai started to sing again.
âI hear she make all the golden money,To buy new weapons, any shape of guns.While every mother in black Soweto fears The killing of another son Sneakin' across all the neighbours' borders Now and again having little fun She doesn't care if the fun and games she play Is dang'rous to ev'ryone.â
âOh, people die, we pay. People crash cars, we pay. People lose a foot, we payâ, Richard said, unaware of his daughterâs singing.
âWell, at least you have your new sloganâ, Lorelai muttered and stopped her tune.
âOw!â she hissed a second later, because Luke had pinched her under the table.
âLorelai?â Emily raised her eyebrows questioningly.
âSorry, foodâs hotâ, Lorelai lied and swatted Lukeâs knee.
âAnd how are things at the motel?â her father asked her.
âThe Inn? They're greatâ she smiled.
âLorelai's the executive manager nowâ, Luke informed them and sounded proud.
âOh, thatâs wonderfulâ, Emily replied in a pleasant tone.
âSpeaking of which, how is the diner going?â Richard asked.
âThe diner is good. People always eatâ, Luke replied and shrugged.
âYeah, I remember you said that back when you turned your fatherâs store into the dinerâ, Emily replied.
âYeah well.. itâs trueâ, Luke shrugged again.
âLuke I have to tell you though, that I am still disappointed you didnât go to college like we told you. You could be successful in business nowâ
âHe owns a successful business, momâ, Lorelai jumped in.
âHe owns a dinerâ, Emily said and raised her eyebrows.
âAnd what is wrong with that?â Lorelai asked and raised her voice.
"There is no need to yell at me. I'm just stating the factsâ.
âYeah, sure. You could have easily exchanged the word diner for brothel, it would have been the same tone in your voiceâ, Lorelai barked.
âAh Jeez. Lorelai itâs no big dealâ, Luke said and lay a hand on her knee to calm her down. It wouldnât help their case if she would lose her nerve in front of Rory. But he had underestimated how upset Lorelai still was about that whole deal. All the time the only thing she could think of was how her parents would force them into this marriage.
âI'm gonna get a Coke. Or a knifeâ, she said, stood up and threw her serviette on the table. Then she stormed out of the room and into the kitchen, followed closely by Luke, who had excused himself and ran after her.