What Happens After Vegas

23. Advice

"So... The book tour," Mitchum started. "I feel it's best to do it next April."

"I completely forgot about it," Rory replied, hanging her head in her hands. 

"With what we've been through last six months it's hard to blame you, first Stephanie Vanderbilt and that plane crash and after that your grandmother," Mitchum said. "It's a miracle your brain is even functioning at all."

"I don't have a choice... I am a mom... I can't shut down just because I can't handle it anymore there are people who need me... and rely on me... I can't do what my mom did even if I would want to," she said to him. "Upcoming April sounds good to me. Same schedule?" 

"Same schedule," he confirmed. "Lorelai is still shutting you out, huh?"

"She even shut out Luke and it is really frustrating because she is not the only one suffering from grandma's death and she is acting like it is, she never even really had a bond with the woman," Rory ranted.

"Try to look at it from her point of view," Mitchum reasoned with his daughter-in-law. "Maybe the reason she's doing what she's doing is because she never had a bond with Emily and this is her way of coping with this loss."

"She never acted like this when grandpa died..."

"People have different reactions regarding different people. God knows I had two totally different reactions with my parents' deaths when my mother died I actually had a similar reaction as Lorelai is having right now,  my dad died and the only reaction I gave was a shrug and I continued with the rest of my day, you just have to give her some time and she will be okay."

"Who would have thought, eleven years ago, that you would be giving me advice," Rory chuckled. "You couldn't stand me back then."

"That is not true, I told you I liked you and I was glad you helped Logan to grow up," Mitchum chuckled. "A lot has changed since then, hasn't it?" he reminisced.

"It certainly has," Rory smiled softly. "I was actually hoping to get your thoughts on something."

"What is it?"

"I've been thinking about going back to school to get my masters so I can teach at my old school."

"If that is what you want to do then you have to do it but what about your career in journalism? Wouldn't you like to work alongside Logan?" 

"It's not that, I would love to work together with him but my journalism career has been over for over a decade and teaching would be a new start. I'll keep writing the sequel to Gilmore Girl and maybe different books but I can't help but feel like this is something I need to do."

"Then you need to do it," Mitchum encouraged. "But if it doesn't work out we'll always have a place for you at HPG, your writing is still formidable, Rory."

"Thank you, Mitchum, that means a lot," Rory replied. "Dinner is still on for tonight? It's Christmas Eve after all."

"Yes, Celia wants to make a special dinner for everyone."

"It will be nice to see Honor and Josh again, they are still coming right?"

"Yes, of course. Like you said it is Christmas Eve. They will be a little later because Josh has to work late but they will be there," Mitchum said. "Luke and Lorelai just canceled," he mentioned, looking at his phone.

"What? Mom loves Christmas," she faltered.

Mitchum stood up and hugged his daughter-in-law, "She will get back to her old self, just give it time. It will be the first Christmas without either parent, that 'ought to be hard for her."