Okay, before you read this keep in mind that this one takes place just before "Ancestors". At this point, I focused on ending the Olga Pataki Arc in a meaningful way. I felt the need to use an extra boost of drama to explain how Olga comes around to accept Arnold's liking Helga. In the next story, Olga leaves, but it isn't until my version of the Jungle Movie that Arnold and Helga officially get together although they are pretty darn close in "The Last Blow" and "Summer of Horror". Please see my profile for chronological order. Thanks! -Inudaughter
Still waiting outside the gate to Lorenzo's mansion, Patty Smith was extremely nervous. She had brought a white clutch bag with her as a consolation to her guilty conscience. Hidden inside the bag was her swimsuit, but Patty doubted she had courage enough to wear it at the party she had come to attend, especially after she had fibbed to Harold about not having one. With a calm maturity only Patty brought out in him, Harold Berman handed over his invitation to stand proudly, arm tucked within Patty's, for the bouncer to let them through the gate.
"Okay. You can go in!" the man watching the gate to Lorenzo's mansion decided at last. Carefully, Harold and Patty stepped through the gate to find the little garden path Arnold, Helga, Gerald, and Phoebe had met up on earlier.
"Hm, where's the pool?" said Harold looking at all the shrubbery that surrounded them. "All I see are dumb plants!"
"I think the pool is a little further in, Harold," Patty said with benevolent patience. Together they walked until the garden path fell away to perfectly manicured lawn, and beyond that a pool- glittering, glistening in the sun like a piece of the mediterranean.
"Woah. Wow!" said Harold dumbstruck by the sight. Lorenzo's pool was huge. There was a diving board, a waterslide, pool floaties, and kids like Sid and Stinky swimming. Curly was snorkeling around the pool with a fake shark fin attached to his back. "Awesome!" Harold repeated himself before running forward.
Soon Harold had changed and was swimming by himself. Patty sat by the pool edges watching him. A deep frown furrowed her face.
"Ah, it's too bad you can't come, too, Patty!" said Harold swimming closer.
"Yeah," was Patty's response. She was very quiet. She watched Phoebe and Gerald taking turns giving each other ferry rides on one of the pool rings. Then Phoebe flipped off the pool ring and like a minnow, was off in a flash. Gerald followed after her.
Arnold, however, had only just changed into his swimsuit himself. He kept Helga and Olga in the corner of his eye. Helga kept Arnold in her field of vision, too. She cast Arnold an admiring gaze. But they could not get close. Olga dragged Helga away down the length of the pool, trying to keep Helga's company to herself. Out of patience, Helga took things into her own hands. Brows furrowed, she swam over to Arnold with quick strokes and tread the water next to him.
"Hey, Arnold!" said Helga, her soggy mop of hair flopping over one eye. "Wanna race?" Then, before either Helga or Arnold could catch her, Helga was off again, this time diving a mere foot below the surface of the water to come up and set the tips of her fingers firmly into the water on either side, dragging herself forward by curling her arms. Helga had cheated in their race. She had started her swim before Arnold, yet Arnold caught up to Helga to the other side of the pool mere seconds behind.
"Wow, you're a pretty good swimmer!" Helga remarked mildly with a grin. She rung a bit off of the excess moisture out of her hair even if it was pointless.
"Thanks," said Arnold with a smile.
"Helga!" said Olga standing by the edge of the pool and wagging a finger towards Helga and Arnold. "No splashing the other boys and girls!" Helga lifted her eyebrows to the heavens.
"Oh, give it a rest, Olga!" said Helga before swimming off again. "I'm fine!" This time Helga found Phoebe sitting at the top of the waterslide.
"Ohayo!" Phoebe greeted Helga cheerfully.
"Are you gonna sit up there all day or are ya gonna come down?" said Helga.
"There's plenty of room up here!" Phoebe invited. Helga clambered up the ladder and gave Phoebe a mean push before sliding down the waterslide herself.
Left behind, Olga Pataki dried herself off with a towel. As she stood amongst the deckchairs, she could not help but overhear Sid talking to Stinky who were taking a break from swimming.
"Ya know, it's not all that surprising that Arnold'd be spending the whole dang party with two girls," exclaimed Sid. "Remember that time he showed up at the baseball game with a cheering section? Sheesh. But from what I hear, he's had his eye on a whole bunch of ladies."
"Gawsh," said Stinky. "I thought he was only sweet on Lila."
"Nah," said Sid. "Believe me, he's all crushy-crushy. He took a sixth grader out when he was only in the fourth grade," said Sid fiddling with his sunglasses. "But most importantly, he's being all crushy-crushy now. I mean, just look at him!"
"Yeah? Well that's sure sad," said Stinky. "What an awful affliction to bear! I hope everything works out for him," Stinky ended kindly before quietly resting on the deck chair again. "Please pass the suntan lotion!" he yelped.
Still toweling herself off nearby, Olga Pataki had heard everything Stinky and Sid had said about Arnold. Troubled, she made her way inside a set of French double doors on Lorenzo's mansion in search of a bathroom. Once she was inside, Olga Pataki opened up her compact mirror. The girl in her twenties looked down into the silvery mirror to gaze into the eyes of her own reflection. Like many girls are apt to do, she began to speak to her own reflection as she admired it, falling into the same trap mankind has been guilty of since Adonis.
"Oh my!" Olga Pataki asked the reflection of herself in the both the compact and the bathroom mirror, patting the nape of her hair flat. "What to do! That little blonde-haired boy is much too close to my baby sister! But if what those boys were saying about him is true, then Arnold falls into crushes easily. Hm. Of course!" said Olga snapping her fingers in delight and cradling her makeup compact fondly. She snapped it shut, then giggled with charming yet fiendish delight. "All I need to do to make Helga hate him forever is to make her jealous! Then baby sister will never want anything to do with him ever again! Oh, Olga!" said Olga Pataki speaking to herself and fluttering her eyes rapidly. "It's brilliant!"
"Who are you talking to, Olga?" said Helga knocking on the door to the lady's room a mere second later. When Olga opened it, Helga folded one half of her monobrow up in askance.
"It's nothing, sweetie!" Olgie fibbed, departing. Still puzzling over Olga, Helga slowly swung the bathroom door shut and locked it, leaving Olga to her own devices. Olga was acting weird, no doubt. But Helga shook off her sense of foreboding for now.
Arnold was standing beside Gerald and the guys, drinking punch and chatting, when Olga Pataki arrived at the pool alone. He was astonished when Helga's elder sister sent him a cheery wave and rested the feather tips of her fingers on the top of his shoulder. The action sent shivers down his spine but not necessarily in a good way.
"Oh, Arnold!" said Olga mischievously. "Helga went that way! She said she had something to show you."
"Um, which way?" said Arnold not nearly warily enough.
"Oh, down the garden path aways! I hope it's not too much trouble for you to see what she wants."
"Well, I guess I can," said Arnold setting down his drink.
"Oh, goodie!" said Olga. "You are just the nicest boy! I can tell why Helga is friends with you! By the way, there's a smudge on your cheek," said Olga taking out a handkerchief and wiping Arnold's cheek. "There's it's all gone now!"
"Yeah?" asked Arnold failing to see that now his cheek had a smudge of mud-tinted red on it.
"Well, I'll leave you now," said Olga rolling her eyes sideways as she grinned slyly. "Helga's just ahead." Unwary, Arnold walked forward a few steps more. The garden path rounded into a circular glade with a bench, statue, and a water fountain like the Trevi Water fountain in Rome. It was large enough to be a swimming pool in itself.
"Wow, that certainly is impressive," said Arnold tucking a fist under his chin as he studied the fountain. "No wonder Helga wanted me to see it." But Arnold's thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice.
"Arnold?" asked Lila. "How ever are you doing? This party is ever so delightful, don't you think?"
"Yeah, it is," said Arnold.
"Say, Arnold?" asked Lila. She pointed a finger up in the direction of his face. "You've got a little something on your face."
"What, what?" sputtered Arnold. "Is it food?"
"No," said Lila modestly. "Actually, it looks like lipstick."
"Arnold!" Helga yelled from across the clearing. After her sudden appearance, she gave Arnold and Lila an angry scowl. "What the heck are you doing?!"
"Hey, I wasn't doing anything!" Arnold defended. Helga rolled her eyes.
"Oh, like denying it makes you look believable. Save it Arnold! Let me see your cheek." Helga startled Arnold by wiping a bit of the lipstick off his cheek onto her finger. Then Helga methodically rubbed it away on the edge of her towel.
"Helga!" Arnold sputtered. "I promise…"
"Oh, don't worry, Hair-Boy," said Helga calming. "Lila's a pearly pink. But I recognize this particular shade of lipstick. And believe you-me! It's not so easy to pull one over on Helga G. Pataki! Just who was it who told you to come over here, Arnold?" asked Helga folding her arms together.
"Olga," Arnold confessed. "She told me you would be waiting for me here."
"Uh-huh. News flash, Arnoldo. Don't believe everything you hear. I think Olga just one-upped her vendetta against you."
"You mean you believe me?" Arnold stared, his eyes wide with disbelief that Helga had let him off so easily from the compromising situation.
"Yeah, of course I do!" said Helga. "I'm no sucker! Plus there's that dumb, dazed look on your face right now like you were struck by a train. I can read you like a book, Arnold. I know. Now let's get back to the party."
"Sorry about all this," said Arnold sheepishly as he followed Helga back in the direction of the pool. Lila gave them both a friendly wave goodbye.
"Don't worry about it, Arnold," said Lila. "Enjoy the rest of your party!"
"Well," said Helga staring off across the surface of the pool. "I need to cool my head off. I'm going for a swim." Helga splashed nosily away. Arnold went back to Gerald and Sid and Stinky. The three were discussing skateboards now, but they interrupted their conversation's flow to welcome back Arnold.
"What was all that about?" asked Gerald. Arnold clutched his drink cup tensely.
"Ah, nothing. It's nothing for you to worry about, Gerald!" Arnold said wishing to keep his recent embarrassment from becoming even more public. As Arnold stood there, he heard the footsteps of a grown woman once again. He whirled his bushy head around rapidly to spot Olga's approach. Olga had put her summer dress and hat back on, as well as her usual makeup. Arnold's eyes roved to the particular shade of makeup Olga wore, making note of it. He frowned deeply.
"So, little friend," asked Olga with a false kindness. "Did you find what you were looking for?"
"No, actually, I didn't," said Arnold narrowing his eyes at her. "And right now, I'd rather if you didn't talk to me."
"And why is that?" asked Olga still feigning to be innocent.
"Actually, it's because I sort of hate you," said Arnold, the pissed off expression returning to his face. He tipped his face slightly forward like a bull debating whether or not to chase someone with his horns.
"You hate me?!" said Olga. Even if she deserved it, it was too much for the sunshine girl. Tears bolted to Olga's face immediately and she began to cry, spoiling the makeup she had just carefully put on. "Wahh-aa-aa!" Arnold's eyes grew round and wide, but unremorseful as Olga ran away.
"Woah," said Gerald squinting his eyes with a disgusted look. "One day I'm giving him advice for his first date. The next, he's breaking the hearts of older women!" Sid and Stinky and even Harold blinked at Arnold with wide eyes.
"Gerald!" said Arnold setting down his cup. "It isn't quite like that!"
"Whatever you say, man!" said Gerald taking up a fresh Yahoo soda and slurping from it.
"Well, if it's alright with you guys, I'm going back to the pool!" said Harold. "Do you want to come, Patty?" he asked the girl who still waited next to his arm. "Oh, that's right! You can't!" Harold corrected himself. He rested his index finger below his tooth sadly.
"Actually, Harold," said Patty doing some deep thinking. "I can. I'm sorry I lied to you. I did bring a swimming suit with me. I was just too embarrassed to wear it in front of other people."
"Ah, come on Patty!" said Harold full of understanding. "I won't laugh!"
"Really?" asked Patty smiling weakly.
"Sure!" said Harold. "If you get dressed now, there'll still be half an hour left for swimming! Come on!"
"Well," said Patty forcing herself to be brave. "Alright." Harold waited outside the changing tent for his friend. A few minutes later, Patty emerged from the tent wearing a white bathing suit. Rhonda had chosen well for her. The shoulders were decorated with broad straps of cloth woven together like a cable knit, making the bulk of her arms less noticeable. Patty almost looked beautiful, in her own way.
"So?" asked Patty blushing. Harold smiled.
"I think you look nice," said Harold. "Come on! Let's go swimming."
"Well, there's something else I didn't tell you," said Patty a bit ashamed. "I don't really know how to swim too well."
"Oh, that's alright!" said Harold. He pointed a thumb towards himself. "I'm a really good swimmer! Hold my hands and I'll help you practice!"
"Alright," said Patty smiling genuinely for the first time of the evening.
While Harold taught Big Patty how to swim, Phoebe and Gerald cuddled up on one of the deckchairs. Rhonda Lloyd practiced sneaking away from Curly while her official date, Rex, ignored her to play with his pet dog, Pepe the terrier. Waiters roamed around the edge of the pool giving out the last of the appetizers from their trays. Helga had come out of the water to munch on a few. She turned her head to see Olga walking towards her wiping her eyes with a handkerchief, her mascara still a little blurry.
"Hi, Olga, what's up with you," Helga answered a little coldly. Olga's lips trembled.
"Oh, Helga! I'm not feeling my best so I want to leave!"
"So leave by yourself!" said Helga grabbing a chip with fancy salsa piled on it from a tray and slurping it down. "I know my own way home."
"But I'd like for you to come with me!" Olga lamented. Helga almost growled.
"No way!" said the girl marching away from her sister as rapidly as she could, losing her in the crowd. Helga found herself not too far away from the party's host, Lorenzo.
"Oh, hi Lorenzo!" said Helga resting her weight on one hip. "How's it going?"
"Things are alright with me," said Lorenzo politely. "How about you? Are you enjoying the party?"
"Yes and no," said Helga. "Uh-oh! Here she comes again!" said Helga spotting Olga who would, no doubt, harass her about leaving the party early or something equally as bad.
"Move, move!" said Rhonda shoving past Helga in terror as she fled Curly. Helga got the same panic stricken eyes that Rhonda did, and began to jog away down the length of the pool, which was a monumental mistake. One footfall, she was jogging, the next she stepped onto a puddle of water and slipped. Slowly, she smacked down and against the concrete walk and dazed, rolled into the depths of the pool. Arnold barely heard the colossal splash. But something in his heart grew cold and worried as sound around the pool suddenly fell silent. His eyes immediately searched for Helga.
"Helga?" Arnold asked out loud as Gloria pointed a finger down into the pool's depths. Narrowing his eyes, Arnold dove into the pool immediately. His stomach clenched in fear and horror when what he found lying at the bottom of the pool was Helga. Eyes narrowed even further, Arnold wrapped Helga's arm around his shoulder and with determination, kicked off the bottom of the pool. He and Helga emerged to the topside of the pool amid yells and shouts.
"Gerald!" Arnold called out to his best friend with desperation. "Help me!" Together, the two towed Helga up the side of the pool and lay her along the concrete.
"Helga!" said Arnold lifting himself out of the pool. He gave her a little shake. "Don't leave me!" But luckily, Arnold had picked up a thing or two from his times at the beach. He tipped Helga over sideways to let the water drain from her mouth. Then he leaned over to breath forcefully into her mouth. After all, Helga had once played 'lifeguard' on him. Why couldn't he? Only now it was the real thing and Arnold was glad he had been curious enough to learn about it.
"Helga!" Olga's anxious voice carried over the distance like an exceptionally noisy bird. But Arnold was too busy to notice. He pinched Helga's nose. His second deep breath was rewarded when Helga spluttered and coughed. Then she opened her eyes and blinked. At finding Arnold's mouth pressed against her own, Helga sat up with a start and Arnold pulled back to give her space. Helga coughed, sputtering up pool water. Then, far less elegantly, she stuck a hand up over her mouth before she snatched up a sand pail and barfed in all the nasty chlorinated pool water she had swallowed by mistake and also somehow a microscopic yellow floaty duck such as one gets in vending machines for a quarter. Who knows how she had managed to swallow that. "Am I in heaven?" Helga wondered dreamily, a hand pressed against her chest. She was startled anew when Arnold tugged her into his lap. Despite Helga's having just barfed, Arnold looped his arms around her.
"Even better!" the boy said giving Helga a slight hug in one of his rare moments of unchecked elation. "You're still in Hillwood with me!"
"Huh?" Helga blinked.
"Oh my, Helga!" said Olga suddenly dropping to her knees beside her younger sibling. Real tears dripped slowly from her face. "Oh, Helga! I am so.." But whatever Olga had to say, Arnold would have none of it.
"Back off!" Arnold demanded with eerie coldness. Lifting Helga so that her arms were slung around his neck and her knees supported by his strong arms, Arnold marched off with soggy Helga. Helga blinked and cast a curious look back at her stunned and now silent sister. All of the other P.S. 118 students and their friends, too, were completely silent as Arnold walked Helga up to one of the doors to Lorenzo's house. Lorenzo opened the glass door to allow Arnold to stomp inside, still dripping with pool water, until he could find a couch. Then he lay Helga carefully down on as though she might break any second. Lorenzo draped a blanket on top of Helga to warm her in case she was cold. Helga reluctantly let Arnold's grasp around her loosen and the boy held one of her hands clasped in both of his own as he knelt beside her on the couch.
"Helga," Arnold stated tenderly. "You almost drowned."
"Huh? Well," said Helga casting her mind back to remember. "Well, it was my fault really. I was running by the pool and I know you're not supposed to do that. I've seen it on the pool rule signs a million times but I still did it anyway."
"Shh!" said Arnold pressing his fingertips against Helga's lower lip to shush her. "Don't blame yourself, Helga! Just rest!" With a sharp blink, Helga sank obediently back against the couch to recline with her hands resting comfortably across her frontside.
"Olga," Arnold barked with surprising harshness for one so young. "Can I talk to you for a moment?" Olga had followed him at a distance. The boy opened up the door to an adjacent room and stood beside the door expectantly. Olga walked through the door Arnold had opened, then watched, somberly as the boy snapped the door behind the two of them so that Helga could not hear them. Then, slowly, he turned around to address Helga's older sister.
"Oh my, Arnold!" cooed Olga. "It's hard to believe what just happened! You're such a nice little boy!"
"Nice? Nice?!" said Arnold, his eyes narrowing. "What I'm feeling right now is anything but nice!" said Arnold emphasizing the word sinisterly. "If Helga had drowned today, I don't think even I could have forgiven you. Ever! Tell me Olga, do you ever stop to think of anyone but yourself? These past few months you've done everything you can to try to cause trouble for Helga and me! You're too caught up in yourself and what you want and I've really got to ask, do you love your sister half as much as you say you do? Because from what I've seen, I care about your sister more than you do."
Complete and utter silence blanketed the room. Both Arnold and Olga stared long and hard at one another, one in the spirit of rage and the other as pale and long-faced as if she were a child told for the first time that the tooth fairy was not real.
"I... I...You're right Arnold," said Olga saying Arnold's real name properly for the first time in ages. "You're absolutely correct. After what happened here today, well.. I won't stand between the two of you. I don't deserve to!" There was the sound of a doorknob rattling and Helga appeared as she swung open the door. She flickered her eyes between Arnold and Olga.
"What's going on?" asked Helga the blanket wrapped around her shoulders like a cape. "You two aren't fighting are you?" Arnold bit his lip, silent. But Olga surprised him by smiling and stepped forward towards Helga, then walking out the door past her.
"No, we're not fighting, silly!" said Olga. "I'll leave the two of you alone now! Toodles, Helga! And Arnold! Please continue to take good care of my sister!" Olga curtsied, then faded out of the room. Helga folded up one eyebrow in bewilderment as the sister who had trailed her here let her alone with a now awkward-looking Arnold.
"Are you sure you two weren't fighting?" asked Helga, one hand on her hip as she regarded Arnold with a great deal of suspicion.
"Nah!" said Arnold lifting up the hand Helga had lain at her hip. He gave Helga's right hand a soft little squeeze and continued to hold it. "We were coming to an agreement, I guess!" Arnold smiled a soft, illusive, secretive smile that was all his own. It left Helga wondering.
"Don't be too hard on her, Arnold!" said Helga, guessing. Helga's odd, football-headed companion gave her a searching look.
"Whatever happened to 'I hate her' and 'me and Olga will never get along'?" The boy quoted. In response, Helga lifted the hand Arnold was not holding and let it rest on her chest above her heart. Lowering her eyelids, she thought for a good long while before opening them again.
"I don't know, Arnoldo! I don't really understand it but something has changed between us these last few months. It's weird! I feel something like I've never felt before. Something big and blocky! Almost heavy but not. I can't explain it."
"Oh?" said Arnold with a small smile. "You mean love?"
"Love?" asked Helga, wrinkling her nose up with disgust. "Me love Olga? That's ridiculous! Me and Olga have never gotten along! Although, I suppose it's possible," Helga relented at last.
As mad as he was with Olga still, Arnold was happy for Helga. By the sounds of things, the two sisters had bonded despite everything. Unlike Olga, jealousy didn't keep Arnold from savoring the happy look that had settled onto Helga's face. He admired it from several angles.
"So, do you want to return to the party? Or do you want to go home now? I can walk you."
"Go home?" Helga asked, shocked. "It's still early! Plus there are snacks at the snack bar I missed! Little breadstick things with fluffy cheese stuffed down the middle! A little weird but they remind me of bagels with cream cheese," said Helga licking her chops. "Oh and they have olives on little toothpicks! I hardly ever eat olives so they're kinda interesting," Helga mused.
"Alright," Arnold relented with a smile. "But sit down and rest if you need to! You almost drowned today, Helga."
"A funny thing, that," said Helga pausing at the doorway. "I almost don't know what to think of that. Maybe like the biggest moron of the year. Like the sabertooth tigers who jumped in a tarpit to get their dinner. Really didn't work out for them. I'd feel like more of a moron except…"
"Except what, Helga?" asked Arnold intently as he watched Helga's oddly neutral face.
"Well, I guess I'm kind of glad to see your odd football-face again, Arnoldo," Helga answered shyly. Helga scratched her arm and looked away from Arnold to the faraway corners of the room. Her temporary bravery was rewarded by a brief embrace.
"Sure, Helga. Sure," said Arnold before releasing the girl from his arms after a few seconds. Dutifully, he lead her out towards the now mostly vacant pool party.
"Oh, Helga!" said Phoebe running towards Helga in her cute blue bathing suit. "Are you okay?"
"Course I am!" said Helga looking around. "Hey, where's the snack table?"
"They're clearing up," said Phoebe. "We'll be sitting down to lunch in a few minutes."
"Even better!" said Helga scrunching up her fist and knocking it softly against Phoebe's for a sport's style victory bash. Phoebe looked perplexed.
"If you really say so, Helga!" said Phoebe as she folded her arm into Helga's and escorted her best friend on her way. Arnold patiently followed along after the two girls. Inside the house was a large room with lots of long tables. Harold was pulling out a chair for Patty to sit in.
Arnold sat beside Helga, Gerald, and Phoebe while they ate lunch. For someone who had nearly drowned, Helga had quite the appetite. Maybe it was because she had barfed up everything she had eaten earlier. Almost nothing within a fork's reach did not go on Helga's plate. She chewed loudly but Arnold sipped ice water from a glass without rebuke, smiling softly as he watched Helga talk with Phoebe.
Soon enough, it was time for Lorenzo to open his birthday presents. The entire stack was large enough to be a Christmas tree. Lorenzo's presents from his family were ridiculously expensive things, like a high-powered telescope, a new laptop, and clothing from designer labels that had Rhonda fisting her hands in jealousy.
"Ooooo!" Rhonda complained with frustration. "I just want to at least touch them!"
"It just looks like an ordinary vest to me," said Sid. "Not like my Beadle boots!" said Sid looking down at his trademark white shoes.
"I'll take you shopping, Rhonda my dear!" said Curly never giving up. Rhonda frowned at him and shoved him away with a loud, "ugh!" At length, Lorenzo got to the presents from Harold and Arnold.
"A collection of classical music cds," said Lorenzo opening silver package from Harold. Then he opened the gift from Arnold. Lorenzo stared down at the object in his hand.
"A harmonica. Thank you, Arnold. I wonder. Do you play the harmonica or something?"
"I do," Arnold stated warmly. "If you want sometime, I can show you a few things. It can be relaxing to play sometimes."
"Thanks, Arnold," said Lorenzo. "I'll look forward to that! After the party, we can reserve an afternoon on my schedule." There was still one birthday present left that Lorenzo had not touched. He opened it carefully. Inside was an empty picture frame.
"What is this?" asked Lorenzo squinting.
"Oh, that's mine!" said Sid hurrying forward with his camera. "I thought I could take a picture with my camera and you can put it in the frame later, you know, as a momento!"
"Well, we do have the professional photographers," said Lorenzo. "But this might be more special!"
"Of course it is!" said Sid. "Get in there, Arnold!" said Sid shooing his friend along with his hand. "And Stinky and Harold! Get REAL close!"
"Like this?" said Harold innocently as the boys of Lorenzo's class squeezed in real close to the boy.
"Yeah! But we should get another one with the girls, too!"
"I'm going, I'm going!" said Helga tossing a chicken bone over her shoulder. She took her place with the rest of the crowd while Sid finished his photo shoot.
"Say, Lorenzo?" asked Arnold as Sid finished fiddling with his camera. "Can I get prints of the last shot, too?"
"Oh, I see!" said Lorenzo. "That girl, Helga. She must really mean a lot to you."
"A lot of people here mean a lot to me. But Helga, too. Yes."
"Thank you for coming to my birthday party, Arnold," said Lorenzo shaking Arnold's hand. "A few things went wrong, but it turned out okay."
"Yeah," said Arnold. "It did. Somehow." Arnold turned his head to see Harold Berman sitting in the remains of Lorenzo's birthday cake, chewing down the last few bites and covered head to toe in the frosting.
"Alright!" said Harold ceasing his chewing to lift his hands over his head in triumph. "Best birthday, ever!" Arnold and Lorenzo gave each other a look that silently spoke, "how did Harold manage to eat a cake as large as himself?"
A few minutes more, and the gathering broke up to go home. Arnold returned home to his boarding house, but as he lay on his bed, an uneasy feeling filled him. He had left something undone, and so, driven by forces he did not understand, he went down to his basement to look for the crate of fireworks Grandma Pookie had bought for their upcoming Fourth of July/Thanksgiving celebration. Shifting through the boxes, Arnold found what he wanted- a little paper box of sparklers. Carrying it with him, Arnold opened the front door out onto the street, ignoring the flood of animals in the door for the night. Then, the evening spreading against the sky, Arnold flicked on a flashlight as he strolled down the sidewalk until he came to the Pataki household. Taking a deep breath, Arnold rang the doorbell once.
"Dingdong!" the bell rang before Olga opened it. Olga blinked, then raised her voice.
"Helga!" said Olga surprising Arnold. "Your friend is here to see you! I'll just leave the porchlight on for you!" said Olga before moving back into the house with a small smile. Helga glanced backwards over her shoulder at her retreating sister and blinked. Olga's sudden behavior had her puzzled. But, ignoring it, she walked down the first few steps of her stoop towards Arnold.
"What's the matter, Football-Head?" said Helga folding her arms in front of her. "What has you out at this hour?"
"Well, I have something for you!" said Arnold hiding the package of sparklers behind his back. "Close your eyes!" Helga blinked in surprise at his words. She grinned deliriously. Then, closing her eyes and clasping her hands together over her heart, she puckered her lips for a kiss.
"Oh, Arnold!" said Helga waiting for a kiss to fall. "My hero!" But with a wry grin, Arnold merely tucked a single sparkler into Helga's hand.
"Now you can open them," said Arnold. Helga looked down at the foreign object in her hand.
"Oh!" she said with a touch of frustration. "What's this?"
"Well, considering all that happened today, I thought we should celebrate today," said Arnold. "You know, your being alright!" Helga grimaced. But she smiled as Arnold lifted up a box of matches to show her.
"Well, light me up, pal!" said Helga sitting down on the stoop to enjoy the sparkler. Arnold took another sparkler from the package and lit them both with a match. They both sat on the stoop together, watching the sparklers glitter like gold. Arnold snuck one hand around Helga's shoulder to hold her close.
"You're a real romantic," said Helga. "You know that?"
"Maybe," said Arnold with a soft smile. Maybe he wasn't giving Helga a kiss on the lips today, but he did drop a soft kiss against her hair as they watched two sparklers fizzle against the dusk. The end.