15 July 2005

PREVIOUSLY —

That Damned Donna Reed:

LORELAI: I want to know why you won't paint this place.

LUKE: Painting's a pain. I'd have to close the place for a day, which I can't afford, or paint it in the middle of the night, which I don't want to do because I hate painting.

LORELAI: OK, how about this? I'll help you. I LOVE to paint.

LUKE: You do?

LORELAI: Yes, I do.

LUKE: The only thing left to do is figure out when.

LORELAI: How about Friday?

LUKE: Friday?

LORELAI: Yeah, I mean, you don't want the stuff sitting around. I don't know if paint goes bad, but judging by the smell of it when it's fresh, rotten paint would be really gross.

LUKE: Don't you have dinner with your folks on Friday?

LORELAI: Well, yeah, but I can get out early for a special occasion.

LUKE: Friday it is.

LORELAI: Good.

[Lorelai is waiting in her pajamas on the front stoop of the diner as Luke walks up]

LORELAI: I feel horrible.

LUKE: Don’t.

LORELAI: I stood you up and I didn’t even call.

LORELAI: Yeah.

LUKE: Something ... someone?

LORELAI: Luke.

LUKE: Am I right?

LORELAI: I’m sorry.

LUKE: Yeah, okay. Well I’m late.

LUKE: How’d you get in here?

LORELAI: Your bread guy let me in.

LUKE: I’m switching bread guys.

LORELAI: What do you think?

LUKE: I think you shouldn’t break and enter.

LORELAI: So what do you think?

Luke looked around at everything.

"It looks okay, I guess. Thanks."

"I knew you'd like it."

"Well, I've got things to do, upstairs. I'm sure you can find your way out."

Luke turned away from Lorelai and walked toward the stairs.

"Luke? You're not still mad at me, are you? I said I was sorry about not showing up."

Luke stopped and without turning around, said, "Yeah, you told me."

Luke started walking again.

"I painted the diner! By myself! Isn't that what you wanted?"

Luke turned around to face her.

"No, Lorelai. It's what YOU wanted! I was happy just the way it was."

"But it looks so good, I thought you'd be pleased."

"What do you want, Lorelai? You want me to pay you?"

Luke took out his wallet and pulled out some bills.

"Here! Here's a hundred dollars!"

He slammed the money down on the counter.

"I don't want that!"

"It's not enough?"

Luke slammed more money down.

"Okay, here's TWO hundred!"

Before Lorelai could answer, he stormed up the stairs, and she heard the door to his apartment slam shut.

After a few seconds she picked up the money, walked over to the cash register, opened it, put the money inside, then left.

xxxxx

"Sookie, I just don't understand why he was so mad. I was so careful when I took everything off the walls, and I made sure they went right back where they were."

"Honey, you're only giving be bits and pieces here. I know you said you were going to help him paint last Friday, but you never told me why you didn't show up, which isn't like you. I need the whole story if you want me to help you figure this out."

Lorelai hesitated, then took a deep breath and started.

"I had all intentions of helping him paint, I really did. I was going to tell Mom that I had to leave early, period! But then later that day, who shows up, but Christopher!"

"Yeah, I know. It was all over town."

"So he ended up staying with us, which was fine. But the next day when we were at Luke's, Mom called Chris and informed us that we ALL – me, Rory, Christopher, AND his parents were going to having dinner Friday night, together."

"It didn't go well?"

"Oh, Sookie, you have NO idea! It started out okay, but then Straub, Christopher's dad, started in on me and how my life sucked, and then how it was MY fault that Christopher didn't go to Princeton. Well, I sent Rory out of the room, and then things just got worse. In fact, Dad almost hit Straub and demanded he apologize to me, which shocked the hell out of me."

"Wow. That doesn't sound like your dad from what you've told me."

"It did surprise me. But I should have known there was more to it that just defending my honor."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, after Straub and Francine left, I found Dad in his study and I went in to thank him for defending me, and then HE laid into me, saying he did it only because the Gilmore name was being attacked, and I should have married Chris, and how embarrassed he and Mom were because I got pregnant . . . ."

"It must have been horrible. I can understand why you never made it to Luke's."

"Oh, but that wasn't the reason."

"It wasn't?"

Lorelai took another deep breath.

"After that I went up into my old room, and then I went out on the balcony, you know, just to get away from everyone and everything. Well, Christopher found me. We used to go out there a lot when we were kids. So we started talking about some of the old, good, times we had out there. And he had this half pint of tequila, so naturally, we drank it down, and then one thing led to another, and . . . ."

"And?"

"And we did it!"

"Oh. OH! So that's why you never made it to Luke's."

"That's why. And the thing is, I never thought about calling him, it never even crossed my mind. Of course, after we got home, I had a talk with Rory, just so she'd know all that crap wasn't about her, it was about me and how I screwed up. I think, I hope, she understood."

"That was nice. So did you call Luke?"

"No. It wasn't until early the next morning I woke up and it jumped out at me. So I ran to the diner in my pajamas and a few minutes later Luke walked up. I have no idea where he'd been. Anyway, I apologized to him and told him how sorry I was."

"Did you tell him why you didn't make it?"

"Not in so many words. I tried some kind of stupid lie, but he guessed it was because of . . . someone."

"So you told him you and Christopher . . . ."

"No. No names. No deeds. But I think he kind of suspected."

"He probably did. Guys think like that. So what did he say?"

"Not much, just that he was late. Then he went into the diner and left me standing outside."

"So when did you paint the diner?"

"The next morning, early, very early. His bread guy let me in. And that's what I don't understand. I worked my ass off trying to get it finished before he got up. I made sure everything was back on the walls, do you have any idea how many mugs he has in all those little cubbyholes? Anyway the place looked GREAT, and he was still pissed off at me! I mean, what else could I have done?"

Sookie shook her head sadly.

"You can't be serious," she said to Lorelai.

"What are you talking about?"

"Lorelai, you honestly don't understand why Luke's still angry with you?"

"No, but if you do, I certainly wish you'd explain it to me."

"Did Luke really want to paint the diner? Or was it your idea?"

"Well, I did have to talk him into it."

"And how did you do that?"

"I told him I'd help him do it."

"And you weren't there when you said you'd be."

"I know. I already explained that."

"Lorelai, the only reason he agreed to paint was because you two were going to do it, together. You and him. Together. As a couple. Not because he wanted it done, but because he wanted to be with you. It didn't matter what the reason was, it was just an excuse to spend more than just a few minutes with you."

"Sookie . . . . "

"Whether you want to admit it, or not, Luke has a thing for you."

"You're crazy! We're just friends. Sure, good friends, but he does NOT have a 'thing' for me."

Sookie gave Lorelai a sad, patient smile.

"Okay, he doesn't have a 'thing' for you. So, let's just call a spade a spade – Luke's in love with you, and probably has been ever since the first day you walked into his diner."

"Okay, the guys with the butterfly nets and straightjacket are right outside the door, waiting for you."

"And you feel the same way about him."

"Sookie! This has gone on long enough! Luke does NOT have a thing for me! Luke is NOT in love with me! And I sure as hell am NOT in love with him!"

"Deny it all you want, but I can see it. Everyone in town can see it, everyone but you, and Luke."

"You know, I'm really getting tired of this conversation. All I want to know is why he's mad at me and how I can make it better between us."

"For someone who claims to be just friends, you're sure making a big deal out this."

"Well, of course I am! I HATE fighting with my friends. I hate it when you and I fight!"

"Well, I'm sorry, but I don't know how you're going to make this better with Luke, at least not right away."

"So, I can never go back to the diner again?"

"Of course you can go back there. Just . . . don't push it. Give it some time. Go in, say hi, be friendly, and let him come to you. He will, you know. Maybe not tomorrow, or next week, or even next month, but he will. He cares too much for you not to. He's just hurt and he feels like there are other things, other people, who matter more to you than he does."

Lorelai didn't answer right away.

"I do care about him. And I feel bad I hurt him, but … things happened. Why can't he understand that?'

"Because when you're in love, 'things' don't matter. What you feel is what matters. And, like it or not, he DOES feel for you, and it's more than just friendship he feels."

"I guess I don't have much of a choice, do I? So, what? I go in there, and be pleasant, and nice, and don’t insult him, and wait for him to get over it?"

"If you want him back, then that's pretty much what you'll have to do. Maybe if you take Rory in there it might speed things up some. He loves her, too, you know."

"I know. If he loves anyone at all, it's Rory."

"And you, but we won't talk about that. But trust me, he'll come around. He will."

The End