“Oh daughter of mine, I am lost without you.”
Rory rolled her eyes, but also laughed at her mothers over exaggeration. “Because the few days I have been away is so different from when I am at school?”
“Yes.”
“Sorry I doubted you.”
“I forgive you. So why are you calling me, I thought we were going cold turkey this week?”
“I need advise.”
“Like does Brittany look better with Justin or K-Fed, or like will Renee’s weight vary for her next motion picture?”
“The former.” The Gilmore language is not suppose to be understood by anyone, not even the Lorelei’s could really explain their comments and references, just being able to talk Gilmore again made these two women happier than the discoverer of chocolate. The mother daughter connection is so strong between this duo, that when Rory realized she was in a predicament her mother would be the only one able to listen to her and give her advice.
“I predicted something like this would come up.” Lorelei said as she started restacking books in the Dragon Fly’s Library.
“You did?” Rory was also wondering around a library, but it was part of Tristan’s apartment and held only a limited selection of books.
“Of course, I am your mother after all.” Rory rolled her eyes because she knew her mother wouldn’t be able to see her. “Let me elaborate.”
“Oh would you please.”
“Why yes I will. When you first went to Chilton, you wanted to attend the school, but wanted your life to remain in Stars Hallow. You were not concerned with making friends, and since you were already starting to crush on Dean you were not looking for a relationship. Frankly you went to school there and that was it.”
“I had friends at Chilton.” Rory tried to defend her time spent at the Hartford prep school.
“Yes, but not at first, it took time for you to warm up to your peers and them to you.”
“I was voted Vice-President, and brought in more votes than Paris.”
“Stop going all…”
“I’m sorry. I just have been on edge lately.”
“You’re forgiven. But what I was trying to explain is that you did not even consider dating Tristan or getting to know him beyond the shallow part he showed you in the halls. If Dean hadn’t been there, if you were actually more apart of the social elite, you may have seen the façades most of your classmates wore at school and thought about dating one or two of them to learn their true characters. Remember how we discussed how you never dated, well that dating would most likely of happened with a few Chilton-knights. But since you were only in serious relationships during high school, you never gave any of them a chance to meet you and you them.”
Rory sighed, “You’re right, but mom I think Tristan has really changed since Chilton, even if I would have dated him then, the man he has become is more mature and harden by life.”
“You’ve heard your grandpa’s stories, he was once a fun loving guy, but life turned him into a harder man. And before you yell at me for talking about my father like that, he was way worse before his late-life crisis and being closer to retirement.”
“Okay. Do you really think I would have dated the boy that made parts of my first days at Chilton a living hell?”
“He also was the one who would help open your locker and you know what they say about teasing.”
“True, and no I don’t know.”
“Uh…you know they say that one thing.” Lorelei said while moving her hand in a rolling motion as if the motion alone would help her think of the saying.
“No they don’t.”
“Yes they do it is really metaphorical.”
“That’s with assuming not teasing.”
“Assuming, no it was defiantly teasing. Ugh I will think of it later.” She said with a huff.
“Mom what am I going to do?”
“As far as I can tell, Logan pretty much broke up with you, so you had the freedom to date Tristan, and you are spending an exclusive and very private week with him. So take the time to get to know him, it seems like you are already learning more about him.” Knowing her daughter was ready to protest, Lorelei kept talking at her normal fast rate. “Give him a chance, give a friendship with him a chance. Don’t think about Yale, or your suppose boyfriend, and go out on some dates with Tristan like you were suppose to do all along.”
“Mom won’t that be cheating on Logan.”
“Honey he won’t even answer his phone, obviously he doesn’t really care.”
“He loves me.”
“I’m not saying he doesn’t, I’m just saying that for whatever the reason he obviously thinks you and Tristan need to take care of this high school Mary business. And I’m defiantly not saying jump into bed with bible boy, just stop thinking about your time in Asia…”
“Actually Moscow is in Europe.”
“But Russia is an Asian country?”
“It’s more like a quarter European and three-fourths Asian, but the majority of the population lives in the Euro part.”
“But in all those texts you were freaking out about being in Asia?”
“In my sleep deprivation and all ready upset state of mind, I had a brain freeze and forgot. And all those nice people that heard me freaking out just kept smiling and nodding. When I woke up, downed four cups of coffee, I realized my mistake, and started making apologies.”
“So you are on the Continent?”
“Yes.”
“Stop trying to change the subject. Take this time you have in Euro-slash-Asia to get to know Tristan, and though I am not on Logan or Tristan’s Top Favs, I do want you to be happy and I want you to be sure on your decision.”
“He’s running his own business.”
“Who is?”
“Tristan, he said he wanted more than his parent’s money and so he, along with his best friend, started their own company. Logan just complains and whines about having to run newspapers.”
“Is Tristan happy?”
“When I talked to him that first time on the phone and he thought I was his mother he sounded happy, and occasionally I can tell certain parts of his life make him happy, but I just seem to upset him.”
“Maybe he is just frustrated with the whole situation? You are after all only there because of some tradition and your boyfriend, who we must remember is his Mr. Wickham, will not talk to you until you tolerate his presence. Plus we Gilmore’s love to have complicated relationships. A few rows never hurt any relationship, well not these types of rows. Just start being yourself and get to know his true self.”
“That’s the reason behind this phone call. He took sometime off, well he was sort of forced into taking sometime off, and we spent the afternoon sight-seeing.”
“Obviously you had a good time.”
“The Tristan I was with yesterday, was filled with life, worry free, excited to see the underskirts of his second home, he was…”
“Everything you would hope for in a man?”
“I guess. It was just a different side, a side of him that felt like his true side. I’m not saying that he’s not the stiff business man, but the way he acted yesterday seemed like how he would act if he was given the time to relax. Like who he would be if I crossed paths with him while walking the streets of Hartford. Do you get it?”
“So can I start calling you Beauty?”
“No, but you can call Tristan, Beast.”
“Okay I think I have been patient enough. Rory Gilmore shows up at your apartment in Moscow, you don’t tell me about it, I manage to get you an afternoon off to spend with said Gilmore, which you also don’t talk about, but now Helen seeks me out because you have been distracted all day, which means that our future multi-million dollar company is on the line. So you better start talking or I am calling Liza.”
It was going on two o’clock, and Tristan was staring at the same folder of paper work that his secretary handed him with his morning cup of coffee. Alexei barge in, was semi-expected and yet Tristan jumped when the door swished and his best friend called attention to himself.
Yesterday had been wonderful, he was finally able to relax around Rory, and therefore able to not only enjoy the beautiful views of his second home but also her company. This whole “de-marrying” thing was not sitting well for him, and he desperately wanted to talk about the situation with Alexei, but something kept holding him back until he had something more to tell than ‘I was a jerk in high school and now I am a hypercritic.’
“Sit down, and don’t call Liza ‘cause I will be having this conversation with her as soon as I get back to the States.” Tristan was talking in his normal voice, but his best friend could hear the mix of confusion, distraction, and a hint of sadness in his tone. “You know a little bit about Rory.”
“I knew two details until the other night. You went to Chilton together and she is dating Hutzberger.”
“She was my ‘Mary’.” Tristan said shamefully.
“What? You said you didn’t have a ‘Mary’.” Alexei was beyond surprised that Tristan of all people gave a girl the title of ‘Mary’ while in High School.
“It wasn’t like that, well I never really planned on how it would be, but I never wanted to use or hurt her. She came to Chilton my sophomore year and I had just been give the title of ‘King’. The Rory you met is not like the Rory of Chilton, she is a small town girl and at the time was innocent as could be, but she did not want anything to do with the Hartford elite who were her new peers. In fact she hated the attention I gave her, because it forced others to also pay her attention.” Tristan took a deep breath and forced his hands to stay at his side instead of going into his hair and hold his head. “I was cocky back then, I thought I could do and say some of most obscure things in order to get her to go out on a date with me, even after I found out she had a boyfriend back home.”
“Did you ever manage to get a date with her?”
Alexie watched as his friends mind went back to his high school years, and a small half smile crossed his face. “No, I wasn’t even close to her type back then, and Rory was more like her mother than she gave herself credit for. She did kiss me once, but I managed to screw that up.”
“That doesn’t explain why she is here?”
“Hutzebereger and his friends found out that she was labeled a Mary, but never got the chance to be ‘de-mary’-ed. Since then he has been very adamant about taking care of the tradition.”
“The kiss?”
“It was amazing, but it doesn’t count. Traditionally you have to go on a date, or at least attend a party together. The kiss was private, I never told anyone about and she might have forgotten.”
“Is this why you kept canceling and rescheduling dinner plans?”
“Yeah, we were trying to find a night to go to dinner together, but our schedules are opposite. Finally I looked up her spring break, saw that it corresponded with my trip here, and with a little tooth pulling convinced her to come to Europe with me and get this Mary episode concluded.”
“How did her boyfriend take all this?”
“Apparently he is refusing to talk to her?”
“Rory hasn’t asked why?”
“If he’s not talking, then it is not my place to explain.”
“Okay so that explains her presence, why avoid telling me.”
“You would have told me to leave the past behind me.”
“Damn Right!”
“It’s not just my past, it’s hers too. You should of heard Rory that first time she called me, actually I should of heard her, because she can rant and it turned out that she ranted on Wendy…”
“Your new secretary?”
“Yes. But Wendy held her own and just took a message. Helen said to hear Wendy tell the story Rory was pissed off and ready to come kill me, instead of waiting for me to get the message. I think the whole Rory ordeal is what finally got Helen to work with a new girl in the office.”
“Speaking of Helen she said we need to admit you into the hospital, what has you so distracted?”
“I think I am falling in love with Rory Gilmore, again.”
“Oh, well, that would explain nothing at all.” Alexei said plainly.
The two of them sat in companionable, yet awkward silence for a few minutes until Tristan sighed deeply. “She’s amazing you know, she has changed, but still holds all of the appeals that first attracted me to her seven years ago. But something is off, like she isn’t happy anymore.”
Alexei thought back over the two times he spent with Rory and how she presented herself to him. “At dinner she seemed happy to be talking about her accomplishments, but she was obviously annoyed at you.”
“She played the Calina card. I was worried she leaked to Lina about the reasoning Rory was at my apartment, we fought, and then I was on edge during dinner.”
“You know my wife does not need to be protected all the time.” Alexei said seriously.
Tristan gave his best friend an as-if look, “Right, so let me just call you beautiful wife and tell her what all went down at her wedding.” Tristan didn’t even bother fake calling her, because both of them knew how much they were willing to hide from the main female in their lives.
Alexei sighed and gave Tristan a glare. “You know what I mean. Cally would of handled the situation with ease and grace.” A retained laugh came out of Tristan. “Okay well she would of done something not to embarrassing.”
“The way Rory told me about what she supposedly told her, it just set me off. She was acting like the people she was so dead set not being in high school. Rory was never the type to be mean or hurt peoples feelings, and yet there she was lying to me.”
“You had your defenses up, so she had hers. Don’t try to deny it, because if you think about it I am right.” Alexei saw Tristan realize how much he spoke the truth. “You can’t blame her for retorting in a sarcastic manner, when that is your top way of guarding yourself from harm.”
“I need to make some apologies.” Tristan said while taking out his PDA.
“So what’s the plan of action? Romantic trip to Paris? Dinner in Italy? Broadway Musical? I think I could get you tickets to the premier of the new Brad Pitt movie.” Alexei asked while still thinking of some really good first date options.
“Nothing like that,” Tristan said plainly while starting to look through his contact list on his phone.
“But those would be very impressionable first dates, those would be awesome dates, dates that I should of taken Calina on.”
“They won’t work on a Gilmore.”