The Maine Event

Chapter 7

Rory was driving out of Boston where she'd had a late lunch with her dad at the Saltie Girl, their mutual favorite. It had been good to catch up with her dad.  He'd even inquired carefully how her therapy was going, which she was, in a way, grateful for. This was something he knew and Lorelai didn't. Somehow the parent-code had stopped once she graduated, her relationship with her dad, while a little awkward, becoming self-standing.

 The therapy was helping - she'd identified a fear of abandonment, resulting also in a fear of commitment. Putting an actual diagnosis, actual words, to it instead of just a bundle of feelings had made a world of difference. She still didn't always know how to correct her own thinking, but understanding the roots of her issues was a start.

Rory had already been on the phone with Paris for ten minutes, having exchanged their Christmas greetings and Paris had just been telling her about some new developments with Doyle, needing to vent.

"I'm sure it's just a mid-life crisis, give him some time," Rory tried to calm her.

"He's getting married!" Paris huffed. 

"Well what can I say...," Rory sighed. "Do you have a good custody lawyer lined up? A friend of mine could help if you need one?" she replied thinking of Colin.

"I've got one lined up already if it comes to it," she replied.

"I'm sure things will be fine, you're a great mom," Rory added.

"Enough about me. Where are you? I can hear you driving," Paris inquired.

"I was just in Boston to see my dad, and now...," she began ending with a sigh. "I'm going to the Vinyard and then later to grandma's," Rory explained a little hesitantly.

"You mean...?" she wanted to confirm, taking from the silence that she didn't really need to. Paris knew the cliffnotes - Logan and Rory were speaking again, and that his impending marriage was, in fact, just the dynastic plan.

"Honor and her family, Logan and Odette are there. I wanted to meet her," she said.

"And to spend time with Logan," Paris finished her thought for her. While the outspoken goal was in fact talking to Odette, everyone involved understood that this was their first real face-to-face meeting since having revealed how they really felt about each other. It was like there were pins and needles all around the two, such expectations and hopes, at the same time realizing they weren't quite free to be how they wanted to be.

Rory didn't answer beyond a casual, "Uh-uh". 

"So she is really okay with this?" Paris jumped ahead a few steps.

"I want to talk to her, but as far as I've been informed - yes," she replied.

"I think you're about to have the strangest Christmas ever," Paris stated plainly.

"I'm pretty sure you're right, Paris," Rory commented, trying to desparately see the situation as entertaining.

"I hope you can get across, there was a pretty bad wind warning for Cape Cod if I remember hearing correctly," Paris added.

"God, I hope so," she noted, beginning to worry a little.

"But seriously Rory, be careful there, you've been through a lot already, I'd prefer if I didn't need to come pick up the pieces all the way out there, you know how I am with boats," she added.

As Rory got to the harbour, she realized the storm was indeed affecting the ferries, delaying their departures. She finally got on the ferry at 7.30 PM, with quite a bit of a delay. The wavy ride from Woods Hole felt a lot longer than it actually was. She sat at one of the windows, staring out into the darkness. Perhaps the reason she felt in a sort of haze, was that she was already quite tired from the day - it was cold and windy, and she could clearly sense how tired and tense her entire body was from the drive. Yet she couldn't quite close her eyes to rest either, being too anxious to see Logan and of everything that was to come.