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Summary: A familiar face returns leaving Helga reeling.
Helga's Favorite Flavor of Ice Cream
Chapter One: The return of Helga's favorite Ice Cream Flavor
It had been some time since Helga had heard about Arnold. She remembered the conversations she had overheard that he and Gerald had about Arnold's parents. The football-shaped head boy she had grown up with since preschool had gone in search of his parents. They had been lost somewhere in Central America. He had worked tirelessly in pinpointing countries and locations they may have been. He was certain that there had been extensive jungle from stories Pookie would tell him.
Costa Rica was out because Pookie's stories mentioned a country that was expansive and a country that was as big as Rhode Island seemed contrary. It had also ruled out El Salvador and Belize seeing they were even tinier than Costa Rica. As he collected evidence and reviewed the countries he had settled on Guatemala. He had remembered mention of extensive ruins and while other countries had archeological ruins he felt this was the best choice.
Another clue of where to start his search had been that they were concentrating on the areas near the Yucatán Peninsula. That left only a small corner of Guatemala. Google maps had relayed different information as to what constituted as part of the peninsula. The induction process had been tiresome but Arnold had happily told his news. It was soon the talk of the school and the neighborhood that for summer vacation Arnold was going to spend his summer in Guatemala.
Helga still remembered Arnold's earnestness. He had a map that had the area that he would concentrate on. The area of interest was slightly northeast of Laguna El Rapasto in el Parque Nacional Sierra del Lacondón (Sierra del Lacondón National Park) and diagonally to the bottommost corner of the border of Belize. That would include Parque Nacional Tikal (Tikal National Park), Reserva de Biosfera Maya, as well as the three lakes and villages in the area.
It had been the summer before sixth grade. Arnold had an essay contest allowing them all to travel to area. Fortune had smiled on Arnold as they allowed him some leeway in planning the itinerary. There was the mandatory stay in Cancún, Mexico. However he had requested that they travel and visit the ruins. It was a concern at first; however, Arnold had made a successful plea citing the anthropological and education experience would only help them in the future. How many students could talk about their experiences in the future, a future that may include college and, more importantly, college essays? He also argued that anyone who did not wish to go could easily stay in the Cancún area.
To say the trip was eventful for those who ventured into the wilds of the jungle would be putting it mildly. In the end only a handful of students went along with Arnold. Arnold's own parents that had been found and they then had dealt with La Sombra. La Sombra had met his horrific end when he simply refused to give up his grudge over the Shortman family. Arnold and his parents had taken the time to mourn over his death as they'd never wish such a fate to anyone.
Helga opened her journal she had written during her a trip. A picture of the gang had fallen out. She stared at the picture mentally making remarks about everyone that had decided to help. Gerald had been obvious. Arnold and he had been thick as thieves since they were basically in diapers. Harold had been only slightly less obvious but he liked being included on adventures. Eugene had been a surprise given his being such a jinx. Plus with the one-time Arnold had tried to make it up to Eugene ended up with Eugene battered and bruised. Apparently Eugene had been okay with Arnold. Stinky, Helga remembered, had been a good kid. She was surprised that Rhonda had decided to tag along. Helga had long suspected that it had to do with wanting the exclusive gossip. Phoebe had come along because not only of Helga tagging along—much to the dismay of Arnold but because she wanted to be close to Gerald.
Despite what Phoebe had protested the coy wayward glance towards Gerald had only proved what Helga had suspected. Helga's only dopey smile towards Arnold had only solidified what she was sure others had suspected. When she had realized that everyone was going to have this picture the self-defensiveness that she had built up over the years had come out in full force. The last few days had grown tense as she had barraged Arnold with insults especially when the pictures had been developed.
She had several excuses. She had several new insults. She had also created with new ways to threaten a beating. In the end, the fragile relationship had weakened between her and Arnold. Even then as she stared at the old memories her heart filled with regret. Helga had been an angry child. She was starved for attention, positive loving attention, and had latched onto the first person to have shown love and sweetness to her. Arnold in preschool had been so nice to her. Her, Helga G. Pataki, who had until then suffered horrible neglect, it had been a miracle for her to learn how to walk and talk with little encouragement.
Throughout her childhood her love for Arnold only deepened. She knew now that her love had been true. It had been the real thing. Despite what the 17 year old logical mind had told her it had been real love. She had once wondered if it was only the obsession of a girl who had no real experience of love. Yet her heart knew otherwise. She would not listen to the bitterness of the adult world with their exclamations that real, pure love did not happen because children were not mature enough. They were too young to be able realize the brevity, the magnitude, the expansiveness of love. They were wrong.
Arnold's parents had even scolded Helga for being too mean. It had been such a slap to Helga. Arnold's own parents, who had been found, hated her. A huge boulder had fallen in her stomach. That only set in concrete what she knew was coming—the rejection. Arnold already had said that he had hated how she was treating him. Arnold's parents had been unhappy with her behavior. Even the other classmates had been dismayed at her appalling behavior.
It was the last night of the trip. Helga had dragged Arnold, who was fighting back, aside. It all came out in one big sentence because Helga knew she had to make it right even if nothing was repaired.
"Football head," Helga started and continued despite Arnold's huff of annoyance, "I'm sorry about earlier. I can't really go into the why I did it because it's a bit personal but that still doesn't excuse how I've been treating you."
"You know you were pretty mean back there," Arnold started noticing Helga's flinch, "but I want to know why you've been acting this way."
"Well," Helga froze and stammered for several long moments.
"What is it, Helga," Arnold urged, "Why have you been such a bully."
"I suppose you could say I'm unaccustomed in dealing with… certain emotions," Helga said softly, "and I've never really been shown a way of dealing…with them… these emotions."
"Helga, what emotions," Arnold stressed, "tell me."
"Look, I'm not ready to tell you," Helga said in a quiet voice that had Arnold a bit surprised, "I don't know if I'll ever be ready to tell you. But if you have to know anything in the very least you should know that I don't actually hate you. Like I said, I'm sorry for how I've treated you. I promise to be a bit… gentler in middle school."
"Middle school," Arnold looked away with a blank expression, "About that…"
Arnold did not return to Sunset Arms. He was going to stay with his parents. His parents had decided to transfer to Costa Rica to teach classes in anthropology and botany. Arnold would grow up in Costa Rica and attend the schools and possibly the universities in the area. It had been a blow to Helga but she had bottled her emotions in. All she could do was give a reassuring squeeze on his shoulder.
"Bye Football-head," Helga smirked, "at least you not only found your parents but they turned out pretty great too."
The Doctor Who ringtone had broken her trip down nostalgia road. She noticed Phoebe's name on the ID. "Odd," Helga muttered to herself. It was still the middle of the afternoon and Phoebe rarely interrupted her studying time.
"You are going to never believe me!" Phoebe squeaked, "you know, um, ice cream?"
"Ice cream" Helga parroted the words, somehow knowing it was not about going to the local ice cream parlor, "what about ice cream?"
"Your favorite flavor is back," Phoebe said in an even squeakier voice.
End Chapter One - 08/21/2013
Author's notes: I decided to make San Lozano an area rather than a country. I also took information from Parent's Day and tried to make an educated guess as to where his parents had been. I also decided to not delve into the whole adventure and opted to possibly refer to them as flashbacks.
This takes place senior year of high school. My plan is to have this story to happen over the course of a few years which includes 4 years of university.