Glitter Years

The Ins and Outs of Inns

The Gilmore Girls were sitting around the table for Friday night dinner. "How's the meal?" Emily asks.

"Tasty." Anna hums.

"Very tasty. New cook?" Lorelai asked.

"Yes, Marisella. She's introduced us to some wonderful dishes so charmingly specific to her native country." Emily cuts up her food.

"What country is she from?" Lorelai took another bite.

"One of those little ones next to Mexico," Emily informed them.

"How charmingly specific." Lorelai looks at her daughters like can you believe this woman.

"Too bad Grandpa's not here. He likes weird food." Rory watches her grandma's face to see if they made up yet. Emily didn't give anything away.

"Yeah, where's he eating his weird food tonight? Argentina? Morocco?" Lorelai names the exotic places that he usually visits.

"Akron." She told them.

"Ohio?" Rory wonders.

"Yes." Emily drank her wine.

"Get out of here." Lorelai was surprised that it was somewhere in the states.

"I will not get out of here." Emily glare, highly offended.

Anna giggles at her grandmother's misunderstanding. "No Mom, I didn't mean really get out of here, I mean..." Lorelai failed to make her mother understand the phrase.

"Why is Grandpa in Akron?" Rory cut her off.

"I don't know." She shrugs.

"It was just a saying." Lorelai sighs.

"They sent him to deal with some problem with their local office down there." She sips her wine.

"A saying, you know, like save me or get me out of here. Things like that." Lorelai went on even though they have moved past the misunderstanding.

"Lorelai, would you like me to put a mirror in front of you so you can look at yourself while you have this conversation?" She gave her daughter a dry look.

"Sorry, Dad's in Akron." She looks down at her plate.

"Yes. The amenities are atrociously lacking. He had to eat at a coffee shop last night. The whole thing's terribly insulting. He's miserable." She told them. Anna looks down at her plate as she realizes that his company didn't value him anymore.

"I hate that he's miserable." Rory sighs.

"That is terrible." Anna nods.

"So do I. We really ought to do something." Emily pushes her food around on her plate.

"Yes, I agree." The siblings' nod.

"Warning, warning." Lorelai whispers.

"I'm glad to hear you say that girls because I thought of a wonderful way to cheer him up." Emily perks up.

"Cool, what?" Rory asks.

"Danger, Will Robinson, Danger!" Lorelai shouts to be ignored by everyone at the table.

"An oil portrait of you two for his study." Emily smiles.

"An oil portrait," Rory said with confusion while Anna spoke with excitement.

"I tried, have fun." Lorelai throws her hands up.

"They would hang right over his mantle. He'd just love it." Emily could picture it now.