Jess Mariano's Daughter

A Talk With Jess

Rory's POV

By the way he talks about her I can really tell he loves his daughter. The way he smiles the whole time he's talking, it makes my heart swell.

"She's got my hair and eyes. She's gotten into this grumpy attitude a few times that is exactly like Luke, and books, like I said, she loves them. I'll be working and she'll crawl up in my lap and hand me a book, wanting me to read it to her."

"That's so sweet," I reply.

"I guess I picked the right people to name her after," he comments.

"Shh! Sorry. I thought I heard footsteps. I think we're okay."

"It's kind of late. I should go," he says.

"It is kind of late," I replied, getting up.

"So, I just basically wanted to show you that. Uh, tell you.. Tell you that I couldn't have done it without you."

"Thanks."

"I'm gonna be around for a couple of days. Can we talk again? Preferably above a whisper."

"Yeah. I'd like that. How about tomorrow night?"

"Eight okay?"

"Yep."

"Good. I'll sneak out on my own."

"Cool."

He walks to the door and picks up the pillow, handing it to me.

"Oh, hey the book," I say, holding it out to him.

"It's yours. I gave you that copy specifically because Lory got a hold of it and drew a picture on the title page. I guess it's her way of signing it," he says.

And with that he's gone. He softly closes the door and I'm left alone.

I immediately sit on my bed  and start reading his book.

--

--next night--

I walk out and Jess is throwing pebbles at my window. He panics a little when I open the front door.

"What are you doing?" I ask him

"I didn't know if it was okay to ring or not."

"She's not here."

"She's not?" he asks, confused.

"She's playing bridge tonight."

"Good. I parked on the street so she wouldn't see."

"You're very good at covert ops."

"Years of practice. So, where do you want to go?"

We talk about where to eat, and just as we are about to leave Logan shows up. Things get very tense and awkward very quickly.

Logan and I end up driving together while Jess follows.

We get there and Logan is being an ass. Jess is uncomfortable and upset.

"So, how long have you two known each other?" Logan asks.

"A while," Jess says.

He asks about Jess and I's former dating life and then we cheers again.

"So, what do you do, Jess?"

"Oh, this and that."

"Describe the 'this'. Describe the 'that'."

"He writes and he has a daughter."

"You write? Impressive. What do you write?" Logan asks, completely glossing over the daughter part.

"Nothing important," Jess replies.

Jess looks kind of broken.

"He wrote a book," I say.

"Oh, you penned the great American novel, Jess?"

"It wasn't quite that ambitious."

"So, what are we talking here? Short novel? Kafka length, or longer? Dos Passos, Tolstoy, or longer? Robert Musil? Proust? I'm not throwing you with these names, am I?"

"You seem very obsessed with length," Jess replies.

"I'm just trying to get a picture in my head. That's all."

"It's a short novel," I tell him.

"Any good?" Logan asks.

"I haven't read it yet?"

"Yet? Well, at least you're gonna have one reader. That's something"

"Yeah," Jess says, taking another sip of his beer.

"You know, I should just write down all my random thoughts and stuff that happens to me and conversations I have and just add a bunch of he said, she said, and get it published. You got a copy on you?"

"No."

"You should send me a copy."

"Sure. Where do I send it? The blonde dick at Yale?"

"Jess," I say.

"Whoa, whoa. We're just trying to keep it friendly here, buddy," Logan says as Jess gets up, grabbing his jacket.

"Get out of my way," Jess says leaving.

I go after Jess.

"Forget him, Rory."

"Don't follow me," I tell Logan before following after Jess.

"Jess, wait. Jess, I'm sorry."

"We shouldn't have done this."

"He's just in a bad way lately."

"He's a jerk!"

"He was. In there, definitely. I'm so sorry."

"I read that guy the second I saw him. I should have begged off."

"Well, I didn't want you to."

"He better not come out here!"

"Please, jess. He had a lot to drink. He's tired from traveling. This isn't him. I swear."

"What the hell is going on?"

"I told you. He's tired, and his family's bugging him right now."

"I mean with.what's going on with you?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. I know you better than anyone. This isn't you."

"I don't know."

"What are you doing? Living at your grandparents' place, being in the DAR, no Yale- why did you drop out of Yale!?"

"It's complicated."

"It's not! It's not complicated."

"You don't know."

"This isn't you! This. You going out with this jerk with a porsche. We made fun of guys like this."

"You caught him on a bad night."

"This isn't about him. Okay, screw him. What's going on with you? This isn't the girl I want my daughter to be like. This isn't you, Rory! You know it isn't. What's going on?"

I just stare at him for a few seconds and he tilts his head at me.

"I don't know."

More silent staring.

"I don't know," I repeat.

"Okay, uh... may-maybe-maybe we'll catch up at a better time."

He walks away, but stops.

"Happy, birthday, by the way. Wasn't that a couple weeks ago, your birthday?"

I just nod. He gives me a smile that doesn't look completely forced, and with that he's gone.