Title: Life As I Know It...
Chapter 24: ...Is Practically Perfect
Goll--eee, this was long! Anyway, here we go, it's the end, and I'm sure you're all very happy....I know that I am. The bulk of this chapter is from my own head, but the last part is from Amy Sherman-Palladino's head, which is soooo much funnier, but hey--that's why she's famous and I'm not. Okay, here we go: the final chapter of "Life As I Know It" that is very anti-climactic. If you want to know the rest of the story, watch the pilot or read the transcript at which is almost as good as watching the episode, but not quite. Okay, sorry, no more rambling.
~~~~
Lorelai and Rory were walking to Luke's--as was their very frequent custom--one semi-warm day in late August, deeply involved in a conversation.
"Okay, so this school--"
"Chilton Preparatory." Rory interrupted her mother.
"Okay, so this Chilton Preparatory. It's a big deal."
"A very big deal."
"A very very big deal. It's a stepping stone on the way to Harvard."
"My dream."
"Your dream. So it's important you get in."
"Yes. It's incredibly important I get in."
"So I should do the principal."
"Mom!"
"What?"
"You should not...'do' the principal!"
"I should at least offer--"
"Mom. I beg you, please don't finish that sentence."
"Oh, come on. I should."
"No! Don't. Please!"
"All right." Lorelai sighed. "For you, I won't. At least, not now."
Rory turned and gave her a look. Lorelai shrugged and then smiled, throwing her arm over Rory's shoulders and leading her into the diner.
~~~~
"I hate this," Lane groaned as she and Rory were walking through town.
"What? The danish?" Rory pointed to the pastry in Lane's hand.
"No, not the danish. The danish is great. I hate the fact that today is our last free Thursday."
"It's only school."
"That's easy for you to say, you're good at school."
"You're good at stuff too."
"Like what?"
"Music. You're fabulous at music."
"Oh. Thank you." Lane smiled.
"My pleasure. Hey, you wanna go buy that jacket you were looking at last week?"
"Oh, that denim one?"
"Yeah, the denim one."
"Yes! Let's go!"
"You know, this is a really great danish." Rory observed, holding up her own pastry.
"Yeah, Luke was at the top of his game today."
~~~~
"Pizza!" Lorelai called, walking into the house a few weeks later.
"Kitchen!" Rory called back. Lorelai walked into the kitchen to find Rory sitting on the table, books spread out as far as the eye can see.
"Studying already? I just hung up on you ten minutes ago."
"And I was studying even then."
"Hmph. You know, you're already too smart for your own good. Why are you studying?" Lorelai sank into a chair next to her daughter.
"To get too smart for my own good in a different subject."
"Oh."
"You study too. For your business class."
"Yeah, but not like you. You're a studying fiend! And besides, whenever I study, I always have music on."
"So put music on."
"Are you sure? It won't bother you?"
"Just as long as it's not your 'Rory's Studying' songs."
"I resent that."
"You won't after you see what came for you today."
Lorelai gasped. "Ooh! What was it, what was it?"
"It's over there," Rory pointed to the mail on an end-table.
"I got mail, I got mail," Lorelai sang as she walked over and picked up the stack. "Oh, it's a package." She ripped it open. "It's a CD!"
"Go put it on."
"Oh, you rock!" Lorelai ran to Rory, kissed her on the cheek, and then headed to Rory's room. Within seconds, music was flowing into the kitchen.
"Louder!" Rory called, closing her books and heading into her room.
"Thank you so much for ordering this!" Lorelai kissed Rory again.
"You're welcome."
"Ooh, they have 'Brown-Eyed Girl!'" Lorelai pressed buttons on the CD player until "Brown-Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison performed by Everclear started playing. "You know, this song always made me wanna be a brown-eyed girl."
"Just to have a song written about you, I'm sure."
"Mmm, you know me so well."
"At least you have killer blue eyes to make up for it."
"That's true. These baby blues do knock 'em dead."
"Yes. Pizza." Rory reminded her mother, pointing to the kitchen.
"Ooh! Pizza!" Lorelai started back into the kitchen, Rory following her. "You know, this evening keeps getting better and better."
~~~~
"Rory! We're gonna be late!" Lorelai called one morning a week later, rushing madly around the house. "We do have places to be this morning!"
"I know. I just can't find my homework!"
"Ooh, that's bad." Lorelai ground to a halt in Rory's door.
"My history report's due today, too!"
"Ouch. You could just use the ol' 'the dog ate my homework' excuse."
"Yeah. That'll work. We don't have a dog!" Rory yelled.
"Here, have coffee. It'll help you calm down." Lorelai handed her a cup. "I'm heading to Luke's, I'll see you in a while."
"Okay. Bye."
"Bye. Luck!" Lorelai grabbed her coat and walked out of the house. Then she turned back and grabbed a cute hat from the coat rack. She felt like she needed to look cute today. And look cute, she did. She smiled as she made her way to the diner. As she stood outside the door, she steeled herself for an argument.
"You can do this, Lorelai. You've got a cute hat on!" She smiled, did a slight hair-flip, and walked into Luke's.
"Please, Luke. Please, please, please." Lorelai said as an opening statement, walking up to the counter, coffee cup already in hand.
"How many cups have you had this morning?" Luke said in his normal grumpy voice.
"None." Lorelai lied, hoping he wouldn't see through her.
"Plus..." Yeah. He saw through her.
"Five, but yours is better." Lorelai gave in.
"You have a problem."
"Yes, I do."
Luke sighed, grabbed her cup, and filled it. "Junkie."
"Angel. You've got wings, baby." Lorelai smiled and took a sip of her coffee.
Chapter 24: ...Is Practically Perfect
Goll--eee, this was long! Anyway, here we go, it's the end, and I'm sure you're all very happy....I know that I am. The bulk of this chapter is from my own head, but the last part is from Amy Sherman-Palladino's head, which is soooo much funnier, but hey--that's why she's famous and I'm not. Okay, here we go: the final chapter of "Life As I Know It" that is very anti-climactic. If you want to know the rest of the story, watch the pilot or read the transcript at which is almost as good as watching the episode, but not quite. Okay, sorry, no more rambling.
~~~~
Lorelai and Rory were walking to Luke's--as was their very frequent custom--one semi-warm day in late August, deeply involved in a conversation.
"Okay, so this school--"
"Chilton Preparatory." Rory interrupted her mother.
"Okay, so this Chilton Preparatory. It's a big deal."
"A very big deal."
"A very very big deal. It's a stepping stone on the way to Harvard."
"My dream."
"Your dream. So it's important you get in."
"Yes. It's incredibly important I get in."
"So I should do the principal."
"Mom!"
"What?"
"You should not...'do' the principal!"
"I should at least offer--"
"Mom. I beg you, please don't finish that sentence."
"Oh, come on. I should."
"No! Don't. Please!"
"All right." Lorelai sighed. "For you, I won't. At least, not now."
Rory turned and gave her a look. Lorelai shrugged and then smiled, throwing her arm over Rory's shoulders and leading her into the diner.
~~~~
"I hate this," Lane groaned as she and Rory were walking through town.
"What? The danish?" Rory pointed to the pastry in Lane's hand.
"No, not the danish. The danish is great. I hate the fact that today is our last free Thursday."
"It's only school."
"That's easy for you to say, you're good at school."
"You're good at stuff too."
"Like what?"
"Music. You're fabulous at music."
"Oh. Thank you." Lane smiled.
"My pleasure. Hey, you wanna go buy that jacket you were looking at last week?"
"Oh, that denim one?"
"Yeah, the denim one."
"Yes! Let's go!"
"You know, this is a really great danish." Rory observed, holding up her own pastry.
"Yeah, Luke was at the top of his game today."
~~~~
"Pizza!" Lorelai called, walking into the house a few weeks later.
"Kitchen!" Rory called back. Lorelai walked into the kitchen to find Rory sitting on the table, books spread out as far as the eye can see.
"Studying already? I just hung up on you ten minutes ago."
"And I was studying even then."
"Hmph. You know, you're already too smart for your own good. Why are you studying?" Lorelai sank into a chair next to her daughter.
"To get too smart for my own good in a different subject."
"Oh."
"You study too. For your business class."
"Yeah, but not like you. You're a studying fiend! And besides, whenever I study, I always have music on."
"So put music on."
"Are you sure? It won't bother you?"
"Just as long as it's not your 'Rory's Studying' songs."
"I resent that."
"You won't after you see what came for you today."
Lorelai gasped. "Ooh! What was it, what was it?"
"It's over there," Rory pointed to the mail on an end-table.
"I got mail, I got mail," Lorelai sang as she walked over and picked up the stack. "Oh, it's a package." She ripped it open. "It's a CD!"
"Go put it on."
"Oh, you rock!" Lorelai ran to Rory, kissed her on the cheek, and then headed to Rory's room. Within seconds, music was flowing into the kitchen.
"Louder!" Rory called, closing her books and heading into her room.
"Thank you so much for ordering this!" Lorelai kissed Rory again.
"You're welcome."
"Ooh, they have 'Brown-Eyed Girl!'" Lorelai pressed buttons on the CD player until "Brown-Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison performed by Everclear started playing. "You know, this song always made me wanna be a brown-eyed girl."
"Just to have a song written about you, I'm sure."
"Mmm, you know me so well."
"At least you have killer blue eyes to make up for it."
"That's true. These baby blues do knock 'em dead."
"Yes. Pizza." Rory reminded her mother, pointing to the kitchen.
"Ooh! Pizza!" Lorelai started back into the kitchen, Rory following her. "You know, this evening keeps getting better and better."
~~~~
"Rory! We're gonna be late!" Lorelai called one morning a week later, rushing madly around the house. "We do have places to be this morning!"
"I know. I just can't find my homework!"
"Ooh, that's bad." Lorelai ground to a halt in Rory's door.
"My history report's due today, too!"
"Ouch. You could just use the ol' 'the dog ate my homework' excuse."
"Yeah. That'll work. We don't have a dog!" Rory yelled.
"Here, have coffee. It'll help you calm down." Lorelai handed her a cup. "I'm heading to Luke's, I'll see you in a while."
"Okay. Bye."
"Bye. Luck!" Lorelai grabbed her coat and walked out of the house. Then she turned back and grabbed a cute hat from the coat rack. She felt like she needed to look cute today. And look cute, she did. She smiled as she made her way to the diner. As she stood outside the door, she steeled herself for an argument.
"You can do this, Lorelai. You've got a cute hat on!" She smiled, did a slight hair-flip, and walked into Luke's.
"Please, Luke. Please, please, please." Lorelai said as an opening statement, walking up to the counter, coffee cup already in hand.
"How many cups have you had this morning?" Luke said in his normal grumpy voice.
"None." Lorelai lied, hoping he wouldn't see through her.
"Plus..." Yeah. He saw through her.
"Five, but yours is better." Lorelai gave in.
"You have a problem."
"Yes, I do."
Luke sighed, grabbed her cup, and filled it. "Junkie."
"Angel. You've got wings, baby." Lorelai smiled and took a sip of her coffee.