you can't help who you fall for

15

"Good afternoon, Mrs Hayden."

"Please, call me Grandma or at least Francine."

"Alright then, Francine. Is your husband here?"

"I'm afraid I didn't tell Straube about this meeting. I hope it's OK, he will be here later anyway so if you stay long enough you can talk to him as well."

"That's fine. However please don't feel the need to apologise on his behalf, as I would rather hear it come from him. Anyway, the reason I asked to meet with you is because I have recently realised that what I said to you the last time we met was in fact quite immature because I felt threatened and that was my natural response."

An hour later, we were sat drinking tea as Francine told me stories of my dad when he was younger when Straube walked in.   

"Francine? Who is this?"

"This is Sierra, Straube. Lorelai's girl."

"What is she doing here? Do you not remember how disrespectful she was when we met her?!"

I stood up and took a breath. "Mr Hayden, please, I've come here to apologise. I now realise that what I said was incredibly rude, thoughtless, immature and entirely out of line. I just felt so angry at what you said about my family. Although I still believe what you said wasn't right, I have come to believe that the things I said were unnecessary and fueled entirely off of anger and 16 years of resentment. I am so sorry if my outburst has caused you any pain or upset. I am not trying to make excuses for my actions, but my entire life my mother raised me and my sister with a hatred of society, trust funds and really everything that you stand for. I was trying to understand why, and there you were with your, what I believed to be, arrogant, self entitled and quite frankly snobby behaviour. I would now met someone who has changed my views and I would like to sincerely apologise for my actions and not making any effort to contact you for my entire life."

"So you agree that what you said was wrong?"

"No not necessarily. I agree that what I said wasn't the best way of getting my point across and was very immature, however the main point of what I said was still relevant to the argument."

Flashback

Straub: If you'd attended University as your parents has planned, as we had planned in vain for Christopher, you might have aspired to more than a blue collar position.

Chris: Don't do this, Dad.

Straub: And I wouldn't care about you destroying your own life if you hadn't swept my son along with you.

Lorelei: Girls go in the other room

Sierra: Oh no, I wanna hear this

  (Rory gets up and leaves)

Lorelei: Sierra now

Richard: I'm going to have to echo Christopher's call for civility Here. A mutual mistake was made by these 2 but they've come a long way since.

Straub: A mutual mistake Richard? This whole evening is ridiculous. Were supposed to sit here like one big happy family and pretend the damage that was done is over? Gone? I don't care how good a student that girl is.

Straub: Our son was bound for Princeton. Every Hayden male attended Princeton, including myself. But it all stopped with Christopher. It's a humiliation we've had to live with every day. All because you seduced him into ruining his life. She had those babies, and she ended his future.

Richard: You recant that Straub

Sierra: Enough! I am not going to sit here and let you call my mother a seductress.

Chris: Sierra.

Sierra: No dad. I'm sick of it. I am sick of you acting all self entitled and righteous and blaming my mom for getting pregnant. It was dad's fault too, they did it together. He wasn't exactly an upstanding citizen before she got pregnant anyway! He was kicked out of practically every private school in the country! Not exactly Princeton material if you ask me. Mom got pregnant, and she had 2 kids. One of whom is going to go to Harvard, be valedictorian and is probably the most intelligent 16 year old in the country. Oh, you're ashamed of what happened? Try and imagine the embarrassment and guilt knowing everyday that you ruined your parents lives! Imagine what it's like for me! Mistakes happen and we deal with them, it's a part of life! You don't just come over here acting all high and mighty when you're just being a total ass hat, and do you ever think that maybe, just maybe, if you actually spent time with your kid instead of just handing him off to different nannies, none of this would have ever happened in the first place?! You want to blame my mom for this, but we all know your son played just as big a part as she did. Maybe I'm being disrespectful, but quite honestly this entire evening you have done absolutely nothing to deserve a single shred of respect from me or anyone in this room! I don't think that anyone has ever had the courage to tell you what a huge jerk you are, so allow me. Get off your high horse and stop pretending you had no part in this and just accept the situation. It's been 17 years since you were told your son's girlfriend was pregnant. 17 years you could have spent supporting them, instead of just being bitter and judgemental. Grow up.

Straub: Do you see? This is exactly the problem! You, young lady have no respect for your betters.

Sierra: My betters?! That's rich coming from someone who's got a surgically implanted stick up his ass and a lawyer who just got said ass handed to him by a teenager.

Straub: That's it. Get your purse Francine, we're leaving.

Sierra: And good Riddance! It was nice to meet you, Grandma Francine. I'll be in the car.

I walked out the house and slammed the door walking to the car.

Present

"So you don't take back what you said?"

"Please, Mr Hayden, just listen to me. I take back what I said, and I wish I had said it in a more sensible way, but I was young and immature and ignorant about the world. So I am asking you to accept my apology for the profanities I used in that speech, and the less than polite way it was spoken."

He thought about it for a moment.

"Very well. I accept your apology."

"Thank you, Mr Hayden."

"Call me Grandfather. I would also like to apologise for the things I said that night. Although I didn't like what you were saying, I can understand where you were coming from, and you were right. It wasn't right of me to blame this all on your mother. I have to accept that my son was also part of it."

"Thank you, Grandfather. It was very nice seeing the two of you, and I hope we can maybe get together in the future, and catch up. I'll be taking my leave now, I have some studying to do. Thank you for the tea, Grandmother."

I got up to leave when Grandfather shouted, "Wait!" I spun on my heel and turned back. "Yes?" I was confused. What else did he need to say?

"You make a very compelling argument, young lady. And you'd make an excellent lawyer." I laughed.

"Thank you, Grandfather, that means a lot coming from you. I wish you the best."

"Wait!" This time, to my surprise, it was Grandmother who spoke. "You said you met someone who changed your views. Who is it?"

I smiled. "Well, since we've recently reconciled, I suppose it's only right to tell you that I'm dating Logan Huntzberger. Grandma and Grandpa Gilmore have already met him and he's a perfect gentleman. I really do have to go, but I'll call you."

I walked out the house and into my car. "Whew." I exhaled loudly. "That was stressful."