July 28, 2007

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Chapter One

A New Town

"Next stop, Stars Hollow," the bus driver said through his microphone. "Stars Hollow, next stop. There'll be about a fifteen-minute layover."

 In the back of the bus a teen-aged girl began to gather her few belongings – a small suitcase, a diaper bag, and her year-old daughter.

 As the bus began to wind its way through the small town, she looked out of the window, wondering if the images she had in her head would match the reality. She had never been here before, but so many times while riding with her parents she would see the road sign indicating the turn-off to Stars Hollow.

 She was fascinated with the name of the town, it sounded so romantic. So many times she had wished her mother or father, whichever one was driving, would have made the turn onto the two-laned road and driven through it. But they always had somewhere else they had to be. And they were always in a hurry.

 A few times she had asked if they could make the detour and go through Stars Hollow, but she was told there was nothing to see because it was a nothing little town, not worth the time nor the gasoline. But she vowed that someday she would go, maybe just to visit, and maybe even to live there.

 As the bus approached the station, she looked through the window on the other side from where she was sitting and saw light coming from a hardware store. But she smiled when she looked out of her window saw the gazebo in the town square. Any town that had such a quaint, and such a beautiful little building, HAD to be a wonderful place to live.

 As she got off the bus, a few stray drops of cold rain hit her in the face. Clouds had moved in, and it would be raining before too long. And it was later than she wanted it to be, it was after seven. The bus ride from Hartford took longer than she expected, and it would be dark in less than an hour.

As she held the sleeping baby close to her, she walked slowly toward the gazebo. She had to go to it. And she had to climb up the stairs and sit on the bench, for no reason other than it was there.

As she sat down, she looked around at all the small shops surrounding the square. Just about everything was closed – a small coffee shop with a sign that read "Weston's" over the front door, an antique shop, some kind of dance studio, and a grocery store.

"Doo-zes," she said as she sounded it out, "What a funny name."

Farther down she could hear the clanging of someone working on a car.

She put the strap of the diaper bag over her shoulder and picked up the suitcase with her free hand and left the gazebo, holding her baby even closer to her, hoping to keep the rain off her. The few rain drops had turned into a light drizzle. She walked in the direction of the garage where the car noises were coming from.

When she passed by, she couldn't help but notice that the mechanic was a woman. She didn't know why, but she loved that. Everything here was so different from Hartford, but so appealing. Where else but in a small town would the coffee shop and grocery store be closed, but a hardware store and an auto repair shop be open?

The woman mechanic looked up at her as she passed by, then went back to work. Then she looked up again.

"Hey."

"Hey," she answered back.

"You looking for somebody?"

"No. I just got off the bus. Is there a hotel here? Maybe someplace I could get a room for the night?"

"Nah, no hotel. But the Independence Inn's about fifteen minutes from here. Mia's probably got some empty rooms. This time of year they usually don't fill up until the weekend."

"Okay. Thank you."

 "It's kinda pricey. You got money?"

 "Some. I should have enough."

 "Then you better get going," the mechanic said as the light sprinkle got a little heavier. "Going to be raining pretty hard before long."

 "I appreciate the information."

 "No problem. You tell Mia  Gypsy sent you. She still owes me for fixing the inn's van. Maybe she'll cut you some slack on the room."

 "I will. Thank you again."

 By the time she got to the front steps of the inn, a steady rain was coming down. Her hair was thoroughly drenched and plastered to her head. The rain was beginning to soak into her clothes, but she tried to make sure her daughter was as dry and as warm as possible as she held her close to her breast.

 Before she went in, she looked through the window. There didn't seem to be anyone there. But after a few seconds a pleasant looking woman walked in from another room and went behind the check-in desk and began writing something. The phone rang and she picked it up. Her voice was muffled, but her face showed some concern during the short conversation. After she hung up, she yelled to someone out of sight that someone else had called in sick and that it was a good thing that it was the middle of the week.

The baby in her arms began to stir, so taking a deep breath, she opened the front door and walked in.

The woman behind the desk appeared to be in her early 40s. She looked up when the door opened and watched as the wet, bedraggled teenager approached.

"May I help you?"

"Gypsy sent me. She said you might have a room I could rent."

"Oh, she did? Are you two friends?"

"No. I just got into town. But she said you might not charge me as much since you owe her for fixing your van."

Mia smiled at this girl's unexpected honesty, but something made her uneasy.

"How old are you?"

"I'm seventeen. But I'll be eighteen in a few months."

"Do your parents know where you are?"

"I left them a note. They know I’m gone, just not where."

"What's your name?" Mia asked.

"Lorelai."

"Lorelai what?"

"Just Lorelai."

"And your baby?"

"She's Lorelai, too. I named her after myself. I figured it fathers could name sons after themselves, why couldn't I?"

When Mia didn't respond, Lorelai continued, "So, do you have a room or don't you?"

"I do, but I'm not so sure I should rent one to you. You're a runaway, and a minor, and I could get in serious trouble if I let you stay here, knowing that."

"Oh, okay," Lorelai said, with disappointment in her voice. "I understand."

Lorelai turned around and walked back to the door to leave. Just as she opened it, thunder crashed as if it were a sign for the rain to begin pouring down. The noise scared little Lorelai and she began to cry.

 Chapter Two

A New Room

 "Wait!" Mia said. "You can't take a baby out in this weather."

 "I'll just wait on the porch until it lets up," Lorelai replied. "If that's all right with you."

 Mia gave a reluctant sigh.

 "The least I can do is get you two dried off."

 Lorelai walked back to the desk. Mia left for a few seconds and came back with two large towels. Lorelai wrapped her baby in one of them and handed her to Mia. She toweled off her hair, then blotted herself off as best she could. Mia handed the baby back to her.

 "Are you hungry?"

 "I could eat. And Lorrie could use a fresh bottle."

 "Come with me," Mia said. "And by the way, in case you haven't guessed, I'm Mia. As well as the owner, I'm also the general manager of the Independence."

 "It's nice to meet you."

 Lorelai followed her into the kitchen. Mia started going through the massive refrigerator looking for something to warm up. She found home-made vegetable soup – just the thing for a cold, rainy night.

 While the bowl of soup was heating up in the microwave oven, Mia showed Lorelai where the milk was and let her fix Lorrie a bottle.

 Mia carried the bowl of hot soup, a loaf of French bread, and a butter dish into dining room as Lorelai followed with Lorrie and the bottle of milk. Mia returned to the kitchen and returned with silverware, a glass of milk for Lorelai, and a cup of coffee for herself.

 While Lorelai ate, Mia watched her with some amusement. She was having trouble trying to feed herself and Lorrie at the same time.

 Finally Mia said, "Why don't you let me do that while you eat?"

 Lorelai hesitated, then handed Lorrie and the bottle to Mia, then went back to her meal. This time it was Lorelai who watched Mia as she fed the baby.

 "She's beautiful," Mia commented. "How old did you say she was?"

 "I didn't, but she's a year old."

 "You were very young when you got pregnant."

 "I know."

 "So you're going to call her Lorrie?"

 "I guess. I don't really like it, but I can't think of anything else. If I called her Lorelai, it would get too confusing when she got older."

 "I have a cousin who named her daughter Lorelai. And she also has a daughter named Holly, who's a year older. And whenever Holly tried to say 'Lorelai' it came out 'Ror-eye'. Eventually, it turned into 'Rory'. But no one ever called her that except Holly."

 "That's a man's name."

 "I suppose it is. But so is Mike, and Alex, and Robbie, and Billie. But there are girls with those names."

 "Rory . . . Rory. That's not so bad. I think I kind of like it -- Rory."

 "No, it's not so bad at all."

 Lorelai finished her meal, then asked for a cup of coffee.

 "It's in the kitchen, and clean cups are in the cupboard. You can get it when you take your dirty dishes in."

 When Lorelai returned with her coffee, she sat back down opposite Mia and Rory. Mia seemed happy holding her, and she saw her opportunity.

 "I need a job."

 Mia didn't expect that, but, somehow, it didn't surprise her, either.

 "Do you have any skills? Anything I can use?"

 "I'm not afraid of hard work, if that's what you mean. And I'll do anything – wash the dishes, sweep and mop the floors, dust, take out the garbage, wash windows. . . ."

 "In other words, you want a job as a maid."

 "That's as good a job as any."

 "Lorelai, are you sure? The clothes you're wearing aren't cheap, so I know your parents have money. How do I know after I give you a job and you realize how much work it is, you'll decide it's – beneath you, and then quit on me after your first paycheck, or before?"

 "Because I have nowhere to go. I haven’t seen much of the town yet, but what I've seen, I like. I want to live here. And I WON'T go back home, not ever!"

 "Well, we'll talk about that tomorrow. I do have a room I can let you use for tonight, no charge. The guests using it checked out this afternoon and it hasn't been cleaned yet. If you want to change the sheets and blankets, mop the floor, wipe down everything, and clean the bathroom, you and Rory can sleep there tonight."

 "You have no idea how much I appreciate this. And I swear to you, if you give me a job, it will be the best investment you ever made."

 Mia chuckled.

 "Well, if nothing else, you're certainly sure of yourself."

 Lorelai started to take the now-sleeping Rory, but Mia told her to get the room cleaned up first. She told her which room it was, and where she could find clean linen, the broom and mop, a sponge, bleach and cleanser.

 A half hour later Lorelai was finished and came back into the dining to room to hear Mia softly humming to Rory. Reluctantly, Mia handed the sleeping baby to her mother.

 "So, do you live here, at the inn?" Lorelai asked her.

 "No, I have a house. But when it's storming like it is now, I usually sleep in one of the empty rooms. Or if we're full, I have a cot in my office."

 Lorelai thanked Mia again, said good night, and went back upstairs to her room.

 As Mia watched them go up, she was having mixed emotions. She knew Lorelai should be home with her parents, but there had to be a reason she left, a good reason she hoped. And she was sure that eventually Lorelai would tell her why.

 It was at that moment Mia realized she had decided to let Lorelai stay, for as long as she wanted. If it had been her daughter that ran away from home, she would hope that someone would take her in and care for her. There was something very endearing about Lorelai, and her beautiful baby.

Mia had a son, John, who was a few years older than Lorelai, but it was as if the daughter she never had just walked into her life.

Chapter Three

A New Job

 The next morning, Lorelai was awake before six o'clock. Rory was still sleeping.

 "You're SUCH a good baby," Lorelai whispered. Ever since she was six or seven months old Rory almost always slept through the night.

 Lorelai lay in bed listening for any sound coming from other guests. No one seemed to be stirring, and she dozed back off. She woke up again when she heard a tapping at the door. It was now seven.

 "Come in," she said. Then she remembered that she had locked the door, exactly as she did when she was living at home. She hurriedly got out of bed and opened the door. It was Mia with a steaming cup of coffee, a warm muffin, and a glass of warm milk.

 "I thought you and Rory might be hungry," Mia whispered when she saw Rory was still asleep. "It's just a little something to tie you over for now."

 "You don't have to whisper. She can sleep through anything. And thank you so much for the coffee and the muffin. I should probably wake her up, though."

 "The dining room will be open for breakfast until ten, so there's no real rush. You can come down anytime."

 "Thank you – for everything."

 Mia smiled tenderly at the two of them.

 "I'll see you two downstairs."

 After Mia left, Lorelai gently shook the baby awake.

 "Hey, Little One -- Rory, it's time to wake up. It's a new day. And if I'm not mistaken, we may have a new home."

 Lorelai poured the warm milk into the bottle and fed Rory. That would hold her for now. When they went down for breakfast, she was sure there would be cereal or fruit for her.

 Next, Lorelai ran water into the bathtub for her and Rory's bath. The water was warm enough, but room was cooler than she was used to back home, so they didn't play as long as they normally did.

 After dressing Rory and herself, Lorelai went downstairs for breakfast. Mia escorted them into the dining room where she had a high chair waiting for Rory.

"So, are you getting used to calling her Rory," Mia asked after the breakfast order had been turned in.

"Actually I am. It seems so natural, and Rory responded to it right away."

 "Maybe because it sounds a lot like Lorrie."

 "Maybe."

 Mia left to take care of inn business, allowing Lorelai to feed herself and Rory at her own pace. When she came back, Lorelai had Rory in her lap, letting her drink from her coffee cup. Mia didn't think this was such a good idea, but right now wasn't the time to criticize, after all, it wasn't her baby. But she would be sure to say something about it later on.

 "Are you still interested in a job?"

 "I sure am. Are you going to hire me?"

 "I'm thinking about it. But if I do, you'll have to fill out a job application just like everyone else."

 "Okay."

 Mia handed Lorelai the application and a pen.

 "After you're finished with it, there will be an interview. I want everything to be just like it should be."

 "I have no problem with that."

 "One more thing, don't bother with the date right now. We can worry about that, umm, in a few months."

 Lorelai and Mia shared a knowing  smile.

 "Just let me know when you're done."

 After Mia left, Lorelai looked over the application, then started filling it out. Most of the information she had no trouble with. But she hesitated about putting down her social security number. She knew Mia could easily find out who her parents were and where they lived from it, but she also knew Mia wouldn't hire her without it.

 For her home address, Lorelai wrote down "Independence Inn." She didn't know the address or the phone number, so she would let Mia fill that in. And she didn't know what to put down for starting salary, so she wrote "negotiable." Whatever Mia would pay her would be fine, she knew she would be fair. She left the section where she was to indicate who to contact in case of an emergency empty. The rest of the application was pretty standard stuff.

 After she finished it, she found Mia behind the desk on the phone, confirming registrations for the weekend. After finishing the conversation, Mia hung up the phone and put her hand out for the application,

 "All done?"

 "Yes, as much as I could do."

 "Follow me."

 The three of them went into Mia's office. She shut the door and sat down behind her desk.

 "Before you look at it," Lorelai said, "I just want to make one thing clear."

 "All right. What is it?"

 "I know you can find out who my parents are and where they live. And if that's what you want to do, then I can't stop you. But if they come here looking for me, and take me back home, I'll just leave again. I can't live in that house. And I won't!"

 "Lorelai, I have no intention of calling your parents. I'll admit I'm wondering how things got so bad you felt you had to leave. And I'm curious about Rory's father . . . ."

 "He's out of the picture – completely," Lorelai said quickly.

 Mia nodded, not understanding, but recognizing Lorelai's right to keep her secrets to herself.

 "So, do I have the job?"

 "Of course you do. I just want you to understand what's going to be expected of you."

 Chapter Four

A New House

 Mia down looked at the application.

 "Lorelai Victoria Gilmore. That's a very pretty name."

 "Thanks."

 Mia continued to read the application, but made no comment about the blank spaces. She knew she would fill them in eventually."

 "Well, everything seems to be in order."

 After a half hour of orientation and instructions, Lorelai had a handle on what her duties and responsibilities would be. And the salary she was given was more than she expected.

 "So, what about my uniforms?" Lorelai asked.

 "I'll have six of them ordered for you, but it will take a week or so before they get here. I do have a couple uniforms here somewhere, but they're probably too long for you and will need to be hemmed up. Can you sew?"

 "No, but I'll learn."

 "I have no doubt you will. Now, there is one more thing – you do realize you can't stay in the guests' rooms. Have you given any thought to where you might live?"

 "Gypsy said there wasn't a hotel here, but I was hoping maybe I could rent a room from someone."

 "You might. But I have another idea. Let's take a walk."

 Mia led Lorelai, carrying the very observant Rory, whose head never stopped moving as she was taking in all the new sights and sounds and smells, through the kitchen and out of the back door.

 "You see that little building down there?"

 "Yes. It's kind of cute. I like the color."

 "It's our old potting shed. When my husband and I bought this place fifteen years ago, the former owner had a gardener on staff, and he was living there. Unfortunately, he died about five years ago, and since then it's just been used for storage. It has a bathtub and a sink, a hot water heater, and a small refrigerator. We got rid of his furniture since it was mostly broken or worn out. You know how old men are about their things. There's no stove, but since most of your meals will be from the inn's kitchen, you really shouldn't need one. Do you cook?"

 "No way! But will I have to pay for my meals?"

 "Oh, no. Believe me, there is always plenty left over from both lunch and dinner. And there are muffins or bagels, bacon, sausage, eggs, potatoes, fruit. Whatever you want for breakfast, we probably have it."

 Mia unlocked the shed door and opened it wide enough to let some light in. Lorelai went inside and found a light switch, but whatever it controlled wasn't working. They both pulled back old curtains and opened the windows to let it start airing out.

 "So, what do you think?" Mia asked. "Do you suppose you and Rory could be comfortable here?"

 Lorelai was a bit overwhelmed. But despite the dirt and the dust and the cobwebs, it was perfect.

 "It's wonderful! I love it! Our very first house!"

 "We have extra beds in case guests want them, so we can bring one out here for you and Rory. And I think we even have a small kitchen table and a couple of chairs somewhere."

 "If I’m going to start working, when will I have time to clean this up?"

 "You don't have to worry about going to work just yet. We have a party of ten checking in Saturday morning for a family reunion, so that gives you two days to get things in order, and a day for training."

 Suddenly, Lorelai felt tears running down her face.

 "Mia, I – I don't know what . . . how to thank you -- for . . . You won't be sorry, I promise you!"

 Before she realized it, Mia had put her arms around Lorelai, holding her and little Rory close to her.

 "You don’t have thank me. I have a feeling this is going to work out just fine for both of us."

 After a short while, Mia broke the embrace.

 "Well, I think that's enough of that. We both have work to do, so I suggest we get to it."

 "Mia, do you know anyone in town who could baby sit while I'm working?"

 "Not right off hand. But Rory seems to be a good baby, and with all the staff we have here during the day, you might not have to look for a baby sitter. Everyone here's going to fall in love with her, I can tell you that. Let's just see how it works out."

 Mia and Lorelai walked back to the inn. Mia had payroll to take care of and Lorelai started gathering up cleaning supplies – a broom and a mop, a bucket, rags, detergent, and bleach. And she found an old comforter to put Rory down on while she cleaned.

 At a quarter past ten, after the dining room had been cleared of the breakfast dishes and the buffet setting, Mia formally introduced Lorelai and Rory to the kitchen and dining room staff, and to the maids she would be working with.

 This wasn't something she would normally do when hiring new help, but she felt this was a special case.

 "Everyone, I want you to meet Lorelai, and this little one is Rory. Lorelai is going to be joining us as a maid starting Friday morning. She has no experience, so I will expect everyone to show her the ropes and help her get acquainted with the ins and outs and the do's and don'ts of our little operation here. And as I think most of you are already aware, she will be staying in our potting shed until she's ready to find her own place. As far as Rory goes, I would hope some of you might volunteer to help out with her while Lorelai is working her shift.  Lorelai do you want to -- say a few words . . . ?"

 Mia looked over at Lorelai to see if she wanted to say anything. She nodded that she would.

 "Hey, everyone," Lorelai began. "I just want you all to know that I don't mind hard work, and anything any of you can teach me I would be grateful to learn. And if I make a mistake, just tell me and it won't happen again."

 Lorelai looked to Mia and shrugged her shoulders, indicating that was all she wanted to say.

 "Well, that's it. So – lunch starts in a little over a half hour, and the dining room needs to be set up. We have empty rooms that need cleaning. Also the carpet on the stairs could use a vacuuming, and the banister needs to be dusted."

 Mia waited a few seconds for everyone to start moving.

 "Let's do it," she added, and everyone started scurrying to their tasks.

 Lorelai worked the rest of the day trying to get the old shed clean enough that they could sleep there that night. She only stopped to feed and change Rory,  put her down for a nap, and to grab a sandwich or two for herself.

 Mia had Ed, the inn's handyman, bring out the bed and the table and chairs and put them where Lorelai wanted them to go. He left some of the things there Lorelai wanted – a bedside table, a small dresser and a chest of drawers. The rest of the things, including two front porch rocking chairs, more furniture,  and other odds and ends in boxes that should have been thrown out long ago, he took. After he left, Lorelai rearranged the furniture a few times until she was satisfied.

 Late that afternoon, Mia went down to the shed with a few rolls of wallpaper with rosebuds on them.

 "We had some of this left over, and I don't know how you feel about rosebud wallpaper, but . . . ."

 "Are you kidding! I  LOVE it!  But I've never put up wallpaper before."

 "Well, how about one day next week I have Ed do it for you?"

 "Oh, Mia, thank you so much! You've done more for me in just these couple of days than Emily ever did."

 "Emily?"

 "That's my mom's name. And you might as well know, my dad's name is Richard."

 Mia nodded, but didn't really respond, but she filed the information away. Sooner or later she would know the whole story.

Chapter Five

A New Start

The first night in their new home, Lorelai found it hard to fall asleep. She wasn't used to living so close to nature, and even though she was sure the doors and windows were thoroughly locked, every unfamiliar sound could be something unwelcome.

She imagined an angry deer, or rabid raccoons, or crazed squirrels, or even a hostile bear, or maybe a moose, snooping around, looking for a way into the shed to get her and her baby – for whatever reason they might have.

 But once she fell asleep, she stayed asleep until Rory's hungry crying woke her up at a quarter past seven. She hurriedly relieved herself, got them both dressed and walked up the path to the back door of the kitchen.

 Once inside, she was overwhelmed by the delicious aromas of frying bacon, muffins right out of the oven, and the slightly pungent, but oh, so welcoming smell of freshly brewed coffee. But she knew she had to feed Rory first.

 She found several of Rory's bottles in the refrigerator, already filled with milk and ready to be heated up. One of the cooks told her Mia had done it. After the milk was warm enough, Lorelai poured half of it into a bowl of rice cereal with bananas.

 As she fed Rory, she alternated between a spoonful of cereal for the baby with her own bacon and cheese omelet that had been fixed for her. She also had blueberry muffins, and her coffee.

 This was so new to Lorelai.

 Sure, she had been waited on all her life by the many maids her mother had hired and fired. But none of them dared speak unless spoken to. But here everyone  was so friendly and pleasant to her. They made her feel like they were doing things for her because they wanted to, not because they were being paid to.

 "So, how did you sleep?" Mia asked as she joined the two of them, then frowned when she saw Lorelai was letting Rory have some of her coffee.

 "It took a while before I fell asleep, but Rory slept like a baby."

 "Should you be giving her coffee? I don't think caffeine is very good for babies."

 "I only let her have a sip or two. You'd think she wouldn't like the bitter taste, but she seems to."

 "Well, try not to give her too much."

 Lorelai smiled at Mia, indulging her, but they both knew Lorelai would give her coffee regardless.

 "Have you just about gotten settled in?"

 "I have. I'd like to get some pictures on the wall after Ed puts up the wallpaper, and maybe a shower curtain to go around the bathtub, but other than that, everything's pretty much done."

 "I'm glad to hear that, because the family reunion we had booked for Saturday has been moved to Friday morning, so I need you to start training today rather than tomorrow."

 "That's fine with me. The sooner I can start working the better I'll like it."

 "Okay, good.  I have the uniforms I mentioned and when you're finished here, let's go into my office and I'll hem one of  them up and you can do the other. My sewing machine isn't working, so we'll have to sew them by hand. It's not that hard, just a bit tedious, but I’m sure you'll catch on quickly."

 Fifteen minutes they were in Mia's office and she was showing Lorelai how to thread the needle, how to pin up the hem of the dress evenly, and the size and number of stitches to use so they wouldn't be so noticeable.

 Mia was right, Lorelai caught on right away. She was determined to learn everything as fast as she could.

 "I had intended to take you on a little tour of the town," Mia said as they sewed. "But instead, I'll just give you a quick rundown on some of our more colorful residents.  You already met Gypsy. Sometimes she can be a bit sharp, but she's an A-one mechanic. Everyone goes to her.  There's Patty, who runs the dance studio, but almost everyone calls her Miss Patty. Her best friend is Babette Dell. Anything you need to know about what's going on in Stars Hollow, those are the two you want to see."

 "So, they gossip a lot?"

 "Well, I wouldn't say that, not to their faces, anyway. But they always seem to know the town news before anyone else. I wouldn't be surprised if they're talking about you already. A new face in town is always news. And then we have Taylor Doose . . . ."

 "I thought it was pronounced 'Doozey'."

 "No, it's 'Dozey'. He owns the only grocery store in town, and he's also our Town Selectman."

 "What is that?"

 "I don't think anyone really knows. Sometimes he runs the weekly town meetings when the mayor's away, or doesn't want to be bothered.  And there's Mr. and Mrs. Kim. They own the antique shop near the gazebo. Also, they have a  baby daughter about Rory's age named Lane."

 "I saw some of the shops on my way over here the other night. Weston's looks like a nice place."

"It is. It's owned by Fran Weston. She makes some of the best desserts you'll ever eat – cakes, pies, strudel. And pretty good coffee, too. Time and again I've tried to talk her into coming here to work, but she likes her shop, and she knows what her regulars like."

"When I first got here I noticed that only Gypsy's and the hardware store were open."

"Well, things stay open later on the weekends.  William Danes owns the hardware store. In fact, he has a couple of teenagers about your age or a little older. His son, Lucas, graduated from Stars Hollow High a couple of years ago and works full time in the store. Liz is the other one. She'll graduate next June. I imagine you'll run into them sooner or later. And let me see, who else is there?  Well, there's Andrew. He owns the book store. And that's about all I can think of right now. Of course that's not everyone, but those are the ones who you'll probably hear the most about."

"Umm, Mia? What about your husband?"

"Well, unfortunately, he died a couple of years ago. His heart just gave out on him."

 "Oh. I'm so sorry."

 "Thank you. I have to admit, I still miss him. I guess I always will.  Now – let's try on these uniforms."

 After Lorelai tried on both of them, Mia decided that even though the hem Lorelai had sewed wasn't as straight as it should be, they would both do for now.

 "Maybe by the time your new ones come, I'll have the sewing machine fixed. So – if you're ready, let's get you trained."

 Chapter Six

A New Life

 Part of the day Lorelai followed around one of the maids around as she went from room to room. She watched, and pitched in more and more often, as she learned the fastest and most efficient way to change the beds, clean the rooms, and disinfect the bathrooms.

 Then she joined the dining room staff -- the waiters and busboys, as they made the change from lunch to supper with fancier table cloths and more formal place settings.

 She was allowed the time she needed to attend to Rory when she thought she had to be changed or fed, with the understanding that the next day, when she would be expected to carry her own weight, she would have to figure out how to juggle both duties. Mia wanted her to learn what it was like to be responsible for more than one thing at a time.

 Lorelai worked until almost nine that night before Mia told her it was enough, and she was satisfied she was ready.

 "You said you weren't afraid of hard work. So, how was it?"

 "Really? Not as bad as I expected. Everyone was so helpful. And I guess I didn't screw up too bad because nobody yelled at me."

 "Why would you think anyone would yell at you for making a mistake?"

 "Well, you've never heard Emily go off on almost every maid we've ever had. She doesn't tolerate ANY mistakes. We've had as many as three maids in one week!"

 "Why is she so demanding?"

 "She says when she pays good money for something, she expects to get exactly what she paid for."

 Mia didn't say anything else about it. But she mentally filed away this information about Emily Gilmore, another -- important, piece of the puzzle why Lorelai left home.

 "It's getting late, and you should get some sleep. Your day starts at seven, and as hard as you worked today, I need you rested and ready to go."

 Lorelai said good night, picked up the sleeping Rory and headed back to their little house. She had no trouble falling asleep this time.

 The next morning, the night manager tapped on the door of the shed at six at Lorelai's request. She wanted to make sure she was wide awake and Rory was fed before she had to start working.

 When she carried Rory into the empty dining room with their breakfasts, she saw a small playpen in the corner set away from everything. No one had to tell her Mia had gotten it for Rory. She was still surprised that so much was being done for her even though she was a stranger only three days ago.

"This must be what a REAL family feels like," she thought to herself.

Right at seven, Lorelai started helping to set up the dining room for breakfast. At eight, the first arrivals for the family reunion checked in, and for the next few hours Lorelai was busy taking to their rooms the extra pillows, blankets, and whatever else the guests requested.

 Several times during the day, Lorelai remembered it was time to feed or change Rory, but it had already been done. Two of the maids she worked with had older children of their own and welcomed the opportunity to tend to, and play with, a baby again.

 Almost before Lorelai realized it, it was well after seven p.m. Mia had to tell her it was time to quit working.

 "You've been running all day. So, are you ready to quit yet?"

 "Oh my god, no. This is the first time  I've actually felt like I've done something, on my own, that other people seemed to appreciate. And no one told me I'd get TIPS! I get to keep them, don't I?"

 Mia laughed.

 "Of course you do. But just don't expect to make a living on them."

 "I won't."

 "I don't want you to think I'm trying to get rid of you, but maybe you and Rory should call it a day. I don't want any of the guests to think you're at their beck and call just because they recognize you."

 "You're probably right, and I am tired, but, umm, do you think I could use the telephone first? It won't take long."

 Mia had an idea of who she wanted to call.

 "Certainly, you can. Use the one in my office. Just turn out the light and shut the door when you're finished. I'm going home. It's been a long day for me, too."

 "Okay, I will. Thanks. And I’ll see you in the morning."

 Lorelai sat down in the chair behind the desk, picked up the receiver, and started to dial the number, then hung the phone up. After hesitating a few seconds, she started to dial a second time, then chickened out and hung it up again.

 Then she stood up, took a deep breath, and dialed the number.

 "Gilmore residence."

 "Marta. Hey, it's me."

 "Miss Lorelai! Where are you? Are you all right? Mr. and Mrs. Gilmore have been worried sick about you and Lorrie! They're talking about hiring a private investigator to find you."

 "No! You can't let them do that! I've met some wonderful people, I have a great place to live, and I even have a job. Rory and I are doing so good. You can't let them come after us!"

 "Rory? You have a boyfriend?"

 "No. That's what I’m calling Lorrie now – Rory."

 "Rory? Well, if that's what you want to call her. You know, your parents aren't here. They're at a DAR charity fund raiser."

 "I know. That's why I'm calling now -- so I won't have to talk to them. But you have to explain to them – tell them, that if they have some detective find me and drag me back home, I'll just leave again, and they'll never hear from me or Rory again, EVER! But if they'll just leave us alone, I'll call once in a while so they'll know we're okay. Will you tell them that? Please?"

 "Yes, of course, I'll tell them. But they won't like it that you waited until they were gone to call."

 "Well, that's too bad. Just tell them – tell them I'll call again next week, and tell them that Rory and I are fine, okay?

 "All right, I'll tell them."

 Lorelai hung up the phone and walked out of the office, turning off the light and closing the door.

 When she walked into the dining room, she saw one of the little girls belonging to one of the guests sitting on the floor next to Rory's playpen, talking to her through the netting, and Rory was trying to talk back to her.

 "Yep," she said to no one in particular. " I think we're going to be just fine,"

And So It Began