Alterno Albetrio

The Phone Call-Ch 1

Rory flopped down onto the edge of bed in her hotel room. She was tired, both emotionally and physically. She looked at her phone. She had missed a call and a message from her mother. She just did not have the energy to answer it or return the call.

It had been 6 weeks. 5 weeks of crying herself to sleep, much to the annoyance of her roommate. The first week was spent in Stars Hollow getting ready and going to where she started the campaign trail. It was 6 weeks of having every single thing remind her of him. Logan.

Even her phone reminded her of him. The messages exchanged when he was working in London were still saved. Pictures and selfies of them in various places, still saved on her phone. She just couldn't bring herself to delete them.

She also never gave herself time to wallow. And not just any wallow, but a good ol fashioned Gilmore wallow.

She sighed at the thought of him and the pain that was in her chest. At times it felt like she just couldn't breathe. She missed him so much. Him and the infuriating ultimatum were the cause. She was tired of the hurt, anger, guilt, grief and regret that coursed through her. But under all of the other feelings, she still loved him.

During the day she could compartmentalize and put it aside, except for those times when she would slip and think of something she wanted to show Logan. The headline from a small town newspaper, being in Omaha, the store with the inspirational plaques and so many more things that she had seen in those 5 weeks on the bus.

Add the fact she was on a bus with a host of other reporters and most of them had more experience than she does. She quickly figured out that life on the campaign trail was not glamorous. The food was far from healthy, which didn't really bother her. But the hours were long and the places were remote for the most part. Only every once in a while would she be in a large city, but could you really call Omaha a big city? She thought back to wrangling a drunken Collin, Finn and Logan into her car.

What state is Omaha in again?

Nebraska.

Corn, farm animals, football...

Oh, and they love condescension in Nebraska, too. So hit them with that as soon as you disembark.

And later that same day:

Logan, they are closed.

I have to apologize to the folk singer.

She's not here. Everyone's gone.

I hurt her feelings.

She's a folksinger, she's used to it. Come on.

I don't want to go to Omaha tomorrow.

I know.

It's boring.

I know.

And it's not here.

Come on.

I don't like steaks, or insurance or anything else that they have there.

You like steaks.

Do they even have electricity there?

Yeah. Yeah, they just got it last year.

Don't make me go.

I'm not making you go. I am just trying to get you home.

Well, getting me home means that I have to go to sleep and when I wake up I have to go on a plane to Omaha. Where's Omaha?