Disclaimer: I do not own the character of Lane Kim, nor any character that appeared previously on the Gilmore Girls.

1. Long gone summers

When Lane Kim had finally freed herself from her controlling mother, somehow all that seemed to be on her mind was that same person, her mom. She was free to go, all her stuff in storage, and enough money in her bankaccount to make it a long way but Lane hadn't changed that much that she could put the guilty feeling aside that had been rumbling in her stomach for days now. She couldn't get the thought out of her head, nor could anyone she knew and loved.

It was a wednesdaymorning when she finally decided to get it over with. She wanted to travel the world, be happy and careless, but if she had to talk to her mom first to clear her head, so be it.

Dressing neatly and combing her hair back, Lane was right back in the past. Closing her eyes, she felt her mom's strokes with the brush through her long straight hair, occassionally yanking a few hairs out due to little knots. She shook the thought of and sat down to put on a pair of shoes. Instantly she was reminded of her mom again, teaching her how to tie her shoes properly, that day in the summer before she went to school for the first time, where she would meet Rory. For a moment, Lane fell back on the bed and let the memories of long gone summers pass through her head when she didn't question her parents' authority yet.

After a few more minutes of remeniscing and doubting her choice of life at the moment, she sat up, grabbed her jacket and went out. How hard could it be?

Determined to finally get this over and done with, Lane walked up the little steps two Kim's Antiques and went in. The store was filled from head to toe with antiques or almost-antiques and it was almost impossible to move through the tiny little pathways made for customers without knocking something over. She smiled, remembering her mother's phrase: "You break, you buy!" She carefully moved between desks and lamps and found her way through to the back. "Mama?" she asked, hesitantly.

Lane walked a bit further and saw her mom going through some mail. She finally looked up and was apparently caught of guard. "Lane!" she said, awkwardly looking up and down the room. Lane fidgeted a bit and then sat down. "Mama, you don't have to say anything, it's just that ... I needed some closure. Or whatever you call it. I want to leave with the idea that we're okay, that we can still talk. That you're still my mother." She then bit her lip and stared at her hands. Why couldn't she form those sentences better? Somehow everyting she ever said to her mom, came out crooked and grammatically ... well, grammatically challenged.

They sat there in silence for what seemed like forever. Then mrs. Kim opened her mouth and Lane's worries faded away. "I'll always be your mother. That's one thing that you don't have to worry about. I'm sorry that you moved out, and to be honest, I wanted you to marry a nice Korean boy, with a good future. But if you need to do other things first, like see the world and study. That's fine by me. Just don't hate me for hoping you'll marry that nice Korean boy in the end." They both smiled. "I won't," Lane promised and found herself in a hug with her mother, something that she hadn't done in ages.

After a cup of tea and some silences, Lane stood up and said goodbye. Her mom had never been good with words, and she wouldn't change all of a sudden. The words she had spoken had made enough impact, helping her to banish her guilty feelings and to take on the world. She was confident she'd make it. Tomorrow.