Chapter six Mermories

Author note: I'm sorry if I let everyone wait to long but I could not help going back and fixing this one. This chapter has a nostalgia to it, it's kind of my love letter to the series. I hope it is satisfying. My next Chapter should be ready very soon if everything goes my way. Either way I hope everyone enjoys.

Arnold really likes sitting by himself in Gerald Field. It brought back a lot of memories, some were not always about this field.

He was no longer in Gerald Field, it was the field that Micky Kaline's final game took place. And there he was, Micky Kaline himself. He looked different from the man he had admired all these years, he looked tired and broken hearted. Arnold walked up to him.

"Hey kid, lookin for an autograph?" He said with tired eyes and a weak smile.

"Well, not exactly. Here, it's the homerun ball you hit this afternoon, I thought you might want it." Arnold handed the ball. And the tired player looked at the ball with admiration. Memories began to play in the old baseball heroes eyes.

"You know, kid. Since I was seven years old the only thing ever wanted to do was play baseball, ever since I played catch with my dad to homerun I hit this afternoon."

Micky was so caught up in emotion that he was no longer sure what say.

"Well, thanks kid."

He was everything he always hoped he would be, and more. Everything about him inspired Arnold.

"No, thank you Mr. Kaline." Arnold said.

"Well, I better go. My Grandpa's waiting for me in the car." Arnold said while walking away.

"Hey kid!" Micky hollered. Arnold turns around to see the ball thrown towards him.

Micky had his energy returned to him.

"You ever hear of the time I faced Bob Gibson in the world series with to down and no men on." He said while getting in a hitting stance.

"No." Arnold said with rising interest.

"Well it was a hot day in October and Gibson was throwing like a man on fire see, which is pretty much the way he always threw and I just a kid fresh from the-"

And Micky Kaline continued to tell his stories to Arnold while playing catch. Arnold had walked back to the car with true satisfaction.

Arnold was back at Gerald Field. Arnold always remembered Micky Kaline, sometimes he would still imagine himself as Micky when he played baseball with his friends, maybe that would never change. Arnold never really wanted to change anyway.

Arnold walked on his way home he recognized the usual hustle and bustle of city life, he used to want something much

Quieter but now he can't see anything different because this was his life.

Arnold gained a sense of style, which people often mistaken him for a Scottish kid because his under shirt looked like a skirt.

Arnold had quite trying to explain and just to roll with it, life was to short to complain.

Arnold walked into the boarding house and Grandma giving the borders orders while dressed as a five star general.

"Pookey! Arnold does need a back up fleet in San Lorenzo! It's a field trip!" Grandpa said.

"How dare you speak to a General that way private! I could have you dishonorably discharged! Now relay security info to Major Arnold!" She yelled in a commanding voice.

Grandpa grumbled to himself as he left his wife to give the borders more orders.

"Arnold, General crazy wants me to make sure you are safe." Grandpa said with a sigh.

"Okay, that's fine."

"Alright, keep your cell phone on you at all times, and call at least one when you get there."

"Sure, grandpa."

"drink plenty of water because it gets really hot and you might get dehydrated. Mr. Wynn should have plenty of bottled water prepared in your back pack when you leave." "Okay, cool."

"And most importantly Arnold, stay with your class no matter what!"

"Um sure, absolutely." Arnold said trying to hide his guilt.

"Well Shortman, I think that's it."

"Okay grandpa, I'll go to my room and get ready for bed." Arnold said while going up stairs.

When he went up stairs he decided to go ahead on to the roof. The sky was cloudy, was it a bad omen.

"To many movies." Arnold said to himself.

Arnold saw the piano sitting by it self, like it was waiting for him.

Arnold began playing a few different tunes, he still needed more practice but he realized he was not to bad.

"Just. Look. Up."

It was lyrics. The lyrics that his grandma had sang to him the day that he had tried to do the perfect Saturday by following "The List". Did not work out so well for him. But his grandma had taught to look at the brighter side of life. Arnold looked up and to his dismay it began to rain. He didn't care.

He looked at the streets of the neighborhood and thought about all he had gone through here. All of the craziness, the weird misadventures like trying to find the ghost train and the headless cabbie which almost didn't go so well for Ernie. The times he tried to help his friends, like when Harold stole the meat and had to work for Mr. Green which led to him becoming Mr. Greens apprentice. He had once with his grandma's help, he helped Lockjaw a big turtle who was sad and tired of being cooked up in a aquarium, he and Grandma had broke him out. It was something he liked to keep quiet. He even saved the neighborhood. It was that moment that it Arnold realized how much he would miss the neighborhood. But his favorite memory, the one even better than saving the neighborhood. That one Christmas, Mr. Hyunh was his the one he was supposed to be secret Santa for.

Arnold came back down as he continued to reminisce.

The boarders assign each other a Secret Santa, and Arnold has to get a present for Mr. Hyunh. Arnold hears Mr. Hyunh's story about his lost daughter Mai. Mr. Hyunh was caught up in a war back from where he came from. He had a daughter and was planning to go America to make a better life for him and his daughter. But when it was time to leave he was forced to send his daughter alone. He decided to go to America later and find her. But after years in his search he could never have any sign of her. Being with his daughter Mai was all he wanted, and Arnold had intended to give him that. Arnold attempts to locate Mai Hyunh through government records, but is rebuffed by the archivist. Eventually Arnold and Gerald work out a deal with him; they do all the employee's Christmas shopping and he will give Arnold the information to find her.. Gerald and Arnold nearly complete the list, but fall short in getting a pair of Nancy Spumoni snow boots. Without the critical item the archivist refuse to give the boys the location of Mai Hyunh. Arnold could still remember feeling so empty watching Mr. Hyunh by himself looking into the fire.

"You tried Arnold."

"I know, I just wanted to give Mr. Wynn a great Christmas."

Then there was knocking at the door. Grandpa had gone to open the door while grumbling over thinking that it was some prankster. But it was someone else. It was Mai. It was her, Mr. Hyunh's

daughter. They had shared a look and within a moment, embrace.

But how did it happen, Arnold had failed. Was it really a miracle? Gerald said Arnold had an angel looking out for him.

"An angel."

Who was it that helped him. Who was his angel. Arnold thought while pacing around the room and then Arnold tripped along with a bunch of books and pictures from his shelve. He opened his eyes to a unusual sight. A picture of him in Pre-school with Helga hugging him. When did that happen.

"I don't remember this." Arnold said to himself. He picked it up and walked over to the trash can. Arnold stared at the picture for a little while. And the memory began to appear.

It was on his first day of Pre-school and Grandpa was driving him in the old packered.

Arnold spots a little girl walking in the rain just as his grandpa stops at the school. His grandpa looks sympathetically at the little girl.

"who would let there kid walk in the rain. Worse, someone could take her." Grandpa mumbled to himself. But Arnold was not worried about that, he thought she was pretty. Especially her bow.

Arnold jumped out of the car and got his umbrella over her head.

"Hi. Nice bow." Arnold said happily.

"Huh?"

"I like your bow, because it's pink like your pants." Arnold says while walking in.

The little girl is completely confused. She follows him and swoons at him through the window.

Later that day Harold was making fun of her for something. It was right after Arnold had given her some crackers after Harold eaten hers. And then, … she snapped.

"Quit laughing geekbait, or you'll have to answer to Old Betsy and the Five Avengers!" Helga said becoming more violent.

" Old who and the five what?" Harold said confused.

"My fists, stupid! That's their names!"

"What? Wait, wait, your fists have names? Oh, you're confusing me!" He whined loudly.

Arnold laughed. That was something that Arnold had become accustomed to. But something weird had happened that day.

As he walked to the car to go home Helga grabbed him and hugged him. Arnold was not sure why she hugging him but at some point the smiled an innocent smile. His grandpa had convientlly brought a camera with him to take a picture of his first day. He took a picture of Helga hugging Arnold and she snapped out of it.

"H-hey! I only hugged you because you were nice to me, for a…a…a…a Football head!"

"Uuuhhh, okay. My name is Arnold, not Football head."

"Your name is whatever I say your name is!" Helga scowled.

"What an idiot." Helga said to herself.

Arnold was standing there baffled as she walked home.

Arnold got into the car and Grandpa asked who the girl was.

"I don't really know, but I think she's nice."

Arnold began thinking about a bunch of memories with Helga.

Glue in his hair.

Squirting water from a fountain Arnold's crotch.

Slipping on Helga's beads.

Feathers glued to his butt.

Faking blindness.

Spitballs.

The list goes on and on and on. It got really annoying, but he knew he she was a good person. That she cared. And other thoughts started creeping in.

Helga gives him his hat.

Arnold and Helga find the egg with the baby chick.

Romeo and Juliet play.

The beach.

And then, the day we saved the neighborhood on top of Sheck's building.

Arnold realized that he was he was thinking way to much lately, and this probably not the best subject to be thinking about so he opened trash can ready to drop the picture into the trash can.

As it began to slip through his fingers Arnold gains a better grasp to it, he wanted to look at it one last time.

Helga is what he thought she was, she is really nice. Though she does not like others to really know that. Arnold knew from the beginning that she was nice, though maybe it's hard to see sometimes. Arnold also began to realize that she had a great sense of humor though sometimes it can be nothing short rude. Well her being raised a Pataki it's all she knows. But a Pataki or not she turned out all right, at least Arnold thought so. No he knew.

And Arnold continued to look at the picture and chuckled to himself.

"I got to show this to her. She'll die of laughter!" Arnold said while putting the picture in his pocket.

Arnold slept well, even though he was about to go to on the trip tomorrow. Arnold knew that no mater where he was or how much things changed he would always have memories of school, helping friends and family, miracles, dreams that came true and a girl with a pretty pink bow.