Melinda "Sweetie" Nelson was an old friend of Emily Gilmore. While at a weekly family dinner at The Gilmore House, Emily mentioned that her friend Sweetie loved escargot, which they were eating. After Lorelai prompted her on the name Sweetie, Emily stated that Sweetie was one of her oldest friends, but had passed away the day before. Emily went on to give an anecdote about the origin of the name. Upon discussing Sweetie, Richard realized that he would not be able to attend the funeral, as he had a golf outing with clients.