Two Halves of One Whole

1996 Tattinger Brut

Rory and Emily were both teary-eyed now as they toasted the happy couple, everyone smiling and laughing as Rory explained to Emily how they had reconnected months ago and had been emailing and having regular (sometimes multiple times a day) phone conversations for the last 8 months. She then gave the reader's digest version of the impromptu proposal on the beach, how Logan had the ring already- he smirked at Emily's cooing over how he had bought the ring the day before their "first" date, so sure he would never let her slip through his fingers again.

"What can I say, Emily? I knew one day I'd find a way to get her to wear it- I knew it would take some time, but I definitely wasn't letting go again." Richard couldn't help but beam at this sentiment, understanding it fully.

"You're a good man, Huntzberger- with, if I may say, exquisite taste." It was clear he was not talking about the jewelry."I have to say, when things went sour with you both last year we were obviously disappointed- but it does appear as though the time apart, however long it lasted, seems to have done the two of you a great deal of good; flourishing careers and a new sense of purpose and grounding. I admire that, in both of you."

Emily and Richard then told Logan the story of their proposal- shocking the young man that it had been in the middle of a fight and how, rather than going down on one knee and offering flowery words and promises, he merely shoved a closed ring box at her, which she then accepted and said "fine". It was hardly the polite and proper engagement story Logan had come to expect from couples like them and it made him genuinely laugh.

The evening wore on and somewhere around 9:30 Emily asked innocently.

"So, have you given much thought to when the wedding will be? I know that you love the winter, Rory, but it might be a bit tight to try and plan this kind of affair by the end of this year, so I was wondering what you two thought of a summer wedding- maybe at the Cape, or even Nantucket, wouldn't that be lovely?" She was clearly daydreaming about Rory in a strapless Vera Wang gown, walking down the aisle carrying a bouquet of lilies and roses, a string quartet playing as the ocean served as the perfect backdrop for their "intimate" affair, trying to keep it under 400 guests at the absolute max- Rory did not, after all, enjoy a "fuss".

"Now, now Emily, they just got engaged for heaven's sakes! And I'm sure that Rory will have plenty on her mind as soon as she's back on the campaign trail. Why, I would imagine she'll want to postpone quite a few decisions about a wedding until the campaign begins to wind down. Incidentally, Rory, when will you be returning to work? Not that we don't love having you so near us, but I have to say that I find most of the people writing about this election to be drier than melba toast,  or they are somehow still besotted with Senator Clinton, unable to read the writing on the wall of the electorate. I can't tell you how much I miss your insights and witty bon mots in that blog of yours- not to mention the fact that you have at least a dollop of common sense and foresight when contemplating the general election in the Fall."

And just like that, two comments from the elder Gilmores and the delightful cocoon of celebration was ruined. And while perhaps they didn't notice the way that Rory's shoulders sagged, her deflation wasn't overt, but to Logan it was as though all the air had been sucked out of their side of the room- the grandparents looking expectantly at them for answers. That was when Logan squeezed her hand, tightly, understanding her anxiety- the moment had come, she couldn't really delay or deflect any longer.

"Actually, Grandpa, I'm afraid I won't be going back out on the road. At least not for a while." OK, the world was still spinning, they were surprised, but seemed more curious than anything else. "I'll still be writing for Hugo, mostly about politics of course, and we're looking into options for me to cover the conventions and the debates, but I'll be doing everything on a freelance basis for a while- write when I can while I focus on other things."