Kryten - It was a complete oversight on my part that "Inception" premiered long after the series. Still, Arnold could have been watching a movie with a similar premise. :D :D :D
acosta perez jose ramiro - Also, the dream doesn't focus on his parents, but on Arnold. Y gracias por explicar lo de "Lalo".
Human Dictionary - As I told you before, the whole issue with Anastasio Somosa kinda wrote itself once I came up with La Sombra's "real" name. :D :D :D
Starfiction123 - Plenty of more dream crushings to come, and this chapter might have what you call a plot twist...that, or just something no one ever thought of until now. Love reveal? Wait and see!
Ezza - And yes, I had a real doctor go over the symptoms and procedures for comas. Who called? You'll find out in this chapter.
DeepVoice'06 - I wonder if the producers made those "mistakes" in the movie to see if we were paying attention, or even remembered what actually happened in those episodes. But there is still plenty more dream bashing to come! And wait till you see who called!
Inudaughter Returns - Yup, whoever wrote that part of TJM obviously didn't have much of a medical background, or didn't bother doing much research. Helga in Arnold's room? Well, it's a start. :D :D :D
Miyasa - Y eso que todavía no acaba de recibir la evidencia. También me pareció raro que todos le creyeran a La Sombra, QUIEN ACABABA DE SECUESTRARLOS, que a Arnold, quien habían conocido desde los 3 años. Y fue culpa de la pizza y las películas.
What's this? No one mentioned the Easter eggs in the previous chapter? No one saw them, or just forgot to mention them? Well, I'll let you read the previous chapter and see if you can find them now. No Easter eggs on this chapter, but there will be an interesting plot twist. Class, can you say "extrapolation"? :D :D :D And now, back to our story...
EIGHT – FAMILY
The usual mob of animals poured out the front door, only this time, they were definitely giving Arnold a wide berth, from how he treated them this morning. Though again, he made sure to take a closer look at the animals that ran out…
…and Helga definitely noticed that. "What?"
Sighing after getting yet another confirmation that he was awake, he explained, "In my dream, after we returned, a snake, a monkey, a parrot, and a few pink butterflies came back with us. They joined the animals that show up like this…"
Now it was Phoebe's turn to scoff. "Really? All those tropical animals, on a plane? On an American plane? In an American airport? Please, Arnold, if it was impossible enough for a pig to stow away on a plane, even a charter plane, wildlife authorities—both in San Lorenzo and the U.S.—would have got VERY upset if all those animals tried to board a plane, or even get off one in an American airport. They definitely would have at the very least tried to arrest SOMEONE for trafficking wildlife."
Arnold's fist trembled with rage, and he growled. "Nghh…this dream gets stupider all the time!" He stomped inside, and his friends warily followed. Moments later, they found him sitting at the dining room table and furiously writing down what Phoebe had just explained.
Cautiously, the short girl approached her friend from his right, making sure to stand out of his arm's reach. "Arnold…Arnold…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. I just…said what I knew was true…and what I thought was common knowledge concerning international flights and what is allowed and prohibited to bring on a plane…"
Her soft voice seemed to calm him down, so he stopped writing, looked down, and sighed, "It's…it's not your fault, Phoebe. It's nobody's fault…none of it is. But I guess…" he stood and closed his journal. "I guess it's about time I stopped living in a fantasy world where everyone had a happy ending because everything conveniently came together in a convenient timing." He turned to his friends and added, "It's time I woke up, for real. Now, come on, let's go upstairs and find those movies and trash them," he smiled.
They all agreed and smiled as well, and were about to run up the stairs, but found their path blocked by Phil, arms crossed, as he stood at the bottom of the stairs. He glared at his grandson and demanded, "Arnold! Where have you been? Why did you run off like that without telling anyone where you were going? We all were worried sick!"
The boy's anger resurfaced with a vengeance. Defiantly, he walked up to his father's father, and scolded back. "YOU were worried? Grandpa, since you're asking, I went to the Helpers for Humanity office here in Hillwood, TRYING to get information about my parents! You know, the same ones who HAPPEN to be your son and daughter-in-law?"
Total silence.
Gerald, Phoebe, and Helga stood aside, waiting for everything to explode…and getting caught in the middle of it.
Then, Arnold let out a long breath, and continued softly, "And there…I found out that you go there every week, precisely asking about your son and daughter-in-law." He looked up at his caretaker, "I'm sorry, Grandpa. For a long time, I…I thought you honestly didn't care about them. You hardly ever talk about them, you never look like you miss them…or want them back…or want me to know anything about them…"
The elder uncrossed his arms and looked softly at his grandson, "Because it looked like I didn't do anything about my missing son, whom I haven't seen in six years? Arnold, every day, every single night, before going to bed, I see his face, I see him smiling along with your mother, smiling at you, and frankly…it's been driving me and your grandmother crazy. You have no idea how much we long to have them back…and…if I could do anything to have them here again, I would. I…I really would…"
The two hugged in the middle of the stairs, finally understanding each other.
Behind them, Gertie added, "Arnold, the only reason we looked like we didn't care about them or mentioned them or if it seemed like we weren't doing anything to bring them back, is because we wanted you to live a normal life as best as possible, and not worry constantly about them. Instead, we decided to do all the worrying for you and take your mind off the whole situation…but you still ended up taking after your parents more than we ever thought you would. Like your parents, you want to help others, and you've done wonderfully so far, but you still ended up worrying about them. And now you had a dream about them?"
Arnold released his grandfather and explained, "It was a really stupid dream, Grandma, it wasn't even a nightmare, just something really stupid. Basically, I dreamed we went to San Lorenzo and found them, but the whole thing, the video report contest, the trip, Abner, getting caught by a thief, a jungle adventure, lost temples and relics, people waking up from a long coma, and even the trip back, everything…was just too good to be true…much less real. All the research I did was to see if anything I dreamed was in some way possible…and I found out I was wrong in just about everything. The only good thing about the dream is that it had an ending where everyone lived happily ever after," he almost spat on that last part. The others approached him, ready to act in case of another meltdown.
"What did the people at Helpers for Humanity tell you, Shortman?"
"Nothing more than what they told you before. The government of San Lorenzo called off the search five years ago, but everyone at Helpers for Humanity continues searching, but have found nothing so far. You know, I always had hope that one day they would be found, and everything came to a head because of that dream, so it was about time I just…woke up and faced reality."
"Reality isn't as hopeless as you think it is, Cousin." Sniff.
Everyone turned.
Helga groaned. Crimeny, not him again…
"Arnie!" exclaimed his cousin, as he looked at his relative as he walked out of the hallway. "When did you get here?"
"About an hour after you left this morning," he replied in his monotone speech. Left eye blink, right eye blink. "While I waited, I spent time reading all the ingredients of all the canned food in your kitchen…" He turned to look at the others, and added with a definite spark in his eyes, Sniff, "Hello, Helga my love."
Gerald and Phoebe tried not to chuckle at his emotionless declaration of love. Meanwhile, the girl in question supressed a blush, crossed her arms, and quickly replied, "Sorry to break your heart, Bucko, but I already have a boyfriend."
"BoyOOF?!"
Arnold and Gerald reflexively were about to ask Helga "Boyfriend?" and "What boyfriend?" but Phoebe, who stood between them, thought quickly and silenced them with two well placed elbow jabs on their ribs.
Left eye blink, right eye blink. "Oh, okay," said the pretender, with a definite disappointment in his voice. Sniff.
"But hey," Helga quickly added. "Lila still thinks the world of you, you know. She just might still like-you like-you…if you hurry and give her another chance."
Sniff. The weird cousin tilted his head slightly. "You really think so?"
She waved her arms at him. "Look, just go talk to her, doi!" And get the hell out of my sight, you weirdo.
Arnold, meanwhile, stepped away from the stairs and approached his cousin. "But why are you here? You never mentioned that you were coming over to visit."
Sniff. "I wasn't expecting to come to visit soon, either." Left eye blink, right eye blink. "Everything was unexpected and very sudden, because—"
He was interrupted by a rather loud toilet flush, and moments later a woman stepped out of the hallway to stand behind Arnie.
"Because I needed to talk to you right away, Arnold."
The boy looked up at the woman; the lighting inside was seemingly playing tricks on his eyes, but he could swear that the woman was…was…
"M…Mom?"
"No, dummy." Left eye blink, right eye blink. "MY mom…"
Indeed, the woman bore an uncanny resemblance to Stella Shortman; same height, same slightly oval-shaped head, practically the same face…
…but with a closer inspection, Arnold saw that her head was just slightly less oval than his mother's, her brown hair had a darker shade and was longer, going just past her shoulders, and her eyes, nose, and mouth seemed slightly smaller, and she was perhaps two fingers shorter than his mother. The woman wore a blue shirt, blue jeans, and black shoes.
"…and dad," finished Arnie. Sniff.
A rather tall Caucasian man now entered the scene. He had a resemblance to a somewhat thin Dino Spumoni, with dark hair, and a long clean-shaven split chin. He had an orange shirt, black pants and blue sneakers.
"Oh," said Arnold, now coming to terms with who had arrived. "Hi, Aunt Esther. Hi, Uncle Kurt. Been a while, huh?"
"Indeed it has, Arnold," replied his aunt, again with a voice somewhat similar to Stella's. "But why don't we sit down? We have a LOT to talk about, which is why we are here in this surprise visit."
The boy shrugged and agreed, "Okay, sure. The living room's this way—"
"Hey, Arnold," said Gerald. "You want us to give you some space? We could burn those movies another time, you know."
His friend stopped for a moment, remembering the ordeal that La Sombra had given him because he told him to keep a secret. "No, Gerald, in fact…to show you that I'm nothing like my dream self, you three can stay here and listen, because I know I can trust you all."
"Now THAT'S the Arnold I know," smiled the dark-skinned boy. The two did their secret handshake, and everyone filed into the living room.
After everyone sat down and all the introductions were done, Esther, sitting in front of the couch where all the kids were, began, "Arnold, do you remember the last time Arnie came to visit you, six months ago?"
"Yes, he flew here because you and Uncle Kurt had to travel…somewhere…but we never got to talking about where you went."
"Yeah, it was one weird day here," quipped Helga, sitting on the armrest on Arnold's left.
The boy glared lightly at the girl, but his aunt continued, "Arnold, I don't know if your grandparents already told you this, but your uncle and I are also members of Helpers for Humanity."
"WHAT?!" asked all the children, except Arnie.
Then Arnold glared at his grandparents, who were standing at Esther's left, "Well, that's certainly a surprise…"
Phil raised his hands innocently, "Now, Shortman, remember that we tried to keep you out of the loop for as long as we could. Would it have helped you at all to know what your aunt and uncle did?"
His grandson huffed for a moment, and then calmed down, "No, I guess not."
Esther continued, "Arnold, your uncle and I, as members of Helpers for Humanity, are among the hundreds who haven't stopped looking for…" she sighed, "…my sister and my brother-in-law…your parents…" Then she stated resolutely, "And I won't stop until I find them."
Arnold felt ashamed once more. He never considered that there were other members of his family who also worried about his parents, besides his grandparents. Still, something didn't add up. "When did you join Helpers for Humanity? I mean…my dad only mentioned you when he wrote about their wedding…"
The woman rubbed her temples with both hands, "Ooohh, that's just TYPICAL of Miles! Well," she began. "I signed up around the same time your mother did, but I was assigned to Central Africa while your mother was sent to San Lorenzo. And we exchanged letters all the time, so I was very surprised when she first mentioned meeting your dad, dating him, working with him, and then getting engaged. I was already married to your Uncle Kurt before my first assignment, and your mother was able to come to my wedding back then, so I was determined not to miss HER wedding! Your uncle and I rushed to San Lorenzo as fast as we could, but with flight delays, layovers, and everything in between, we barely made it some…five minutes before the ceremony began, so I wasn't able to get into the bride's maid dress, sadly, but the good thing is that we made it, period. I got pregnant with Arnie around the same time your mother got pregnant with you, and I told her that I was going back to America and take a break from work for a while. Your parents decided to stay in San Lorenzo for a bit longer, but I guess they changed their minds and came back when you were a few months old. For a while, it seemed like we were all going to stay here for a rather long time, but then your mother called me after Eduardo came looking for their help when another epidemic broke out in the jungle. We all thought it was going to be a quick mission, which is why they left you with your grandparents, but after they disappeared, I took it upon myself to continue the search until they were found."
Arnold shook his head. "All this time, I honestly thought no one cared about them except me, and I once thought that I was going to have to look for them all by myself because there would be no one to help me…ugh, I can't believe I was so stupid!"
"Not stupid," corrected Kurt, standing at his wife's right. "Just…not fully informed. Like your grandfather said, we didn't want to burden you with information you couldn't handle, but now we can see that you're ready for the whole truth, and we're giving that to you now."
His nephew looked up at them, and cautiously asked, "Is that why Arnie stayed here six months ago? The two of you went to San Lorenzo?"
"Yes," replied his aunt. "We went to San Lorenzo because we were told that they had found a lead on your parents' search, and we had to leave Arnie with you while we rushed down there. Unfortunately, the lead went nowhere, and we came back shortly after that."
"However, the reason for this unexpected visit…" Kurt spoke with a definite dramatic flair, as if he were making a voice-over for a cliff-hanger, "…is because we have another lead."
This time, the whole group exclaimed, causing birds to flutter away in fright. "WHAT?!"
Esther chuckled. "Yes, that's why we're here, Arnold. Maybe your dream was a sign that there is hope of finding your parents."
"But…but…" he stuttered. "Just…what kind of lead did you get?" he asked, not quite daring to hope that everything was going to turn out like in his dream.
Kurt explained, "Explorers in San Lorenzo have found what COULD be parts of Eduardo's turboprop plane. Before now, they had only reported items without any serial numbers, so they were nothing concrete. Now, however…"
His wife finished, "Now they appear to have found a large piece of one of the engines. The engine number is rather scratched, so it's difficult to read, but with luck, it just might match Eduardo's engine number."
Arnold's eyes brightened, and his face lit up like the sunrise…
…and he suddenly deflated once more; the reality of the research he did today brought him back down, and blocked any hopes of actually finding his parents, at least not until he knew for sure:
"But…it's…you only found a piece of Eduardo's plane? You didn't find…anything…or anyone else?" he asked cautiously.
His aunt smiled at him with assurance, "Like we said, Arnold, it's a lead which might help find your parents AND Eduardo." She sighed, "No one has heard from him either for such a long time…Arnold, I know you don't want to think about this, but…it's possible that if…if…we find the plane…we…we might find your parents and Eduardo still in it."
The boy looked at his aunt for a while as a deathly silence filled the room.
Finally, he replied, "I…I know, Aunt Esther. From what Miss Sandoval told us earlier…I've…come to terms that it's something that could definitely happen. I've rejected that idea for so long, in hope that they might be found alive, but…but I guess it was stupid of me to not consider it as a real possibility. And if they're still in that plane, well…" he tried to keep his voice from cracking. "At least we would have closure, since they would no longer be missing…just…dead…and…" He straightened up. "Killed in Action, because they died trying to help others." He sighed, suppressing a shiver, and asked, "Is that why you brought Arnie here again?" He nodded at his cousin, who was on the opposite side of the couch from Helga. "You're going to San Lorenzo again to follow the lead?"
"Oh, even more," she smiled at her nephew, proud of how maturely he was taking the whole ordeal. His grandparents had certainly done a fine job. "When I called your grandparents to tell them about the lead, you had just left to go talk with Michelle. I waited a bit and called Michelle to see what she told you, and your 'interview' gave us an idea. Arnold," she leaned toward him, "I'm here to tell you that this time, not only will your uncle and I go to San Lorenzo, Helpers for Humanity will pay your and your grandparents' tickets so you can come along with us!"
"WHOA!" If Arnold hadn't been sitting down, he would have fallen to the floor.
"That's right, Arnold!" added Kurt. "Your grandparents have told us so much about how you help others here, that we think it's about time someone helped YOU—"
"—To show me I'm not alone in this…wow, thanks, Uncle Kurt, thanks, Aunt Esther." The boy was obviously trying not to cry for joy, and to help out with that, he turned to his best friend, who was sitting on his right. "Wow, Gerald, it looks like I'll be going to San Lorenzo this summer after all!"
His friend hugged his shoulders, "Man, Arnold! This hit just about everyone out of left field! But I tell you, this summer won't be the same without you."
"I'll say," quipped Helga, hiding a hint of sadness and despair in her voice, since her beloved would not be with her in the near future. So much for another wonderful beach trip, my love. "I just hope my summer isn't more ruined by Olga suddenly showing up and wanting to spend time with her 'baby' sister, puh…" She crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.
Her beloved chuckled slightly at that, and said, "I know, I know, Helga, too bad you can't come along. But hey, this isn't a dream, it's Real Life, right, Gerald?"
"You know it, buddy," was his logical response, but still, he was happy for his friend.
Left eye blink, right eye blink. "Why can't you?"
Arnold did a double take at his cousin. "Why can't we what?"
Sniff. "Go to San Lorenzo with you. What's stopping them?" Left eye blink, right eye blink.
The boy with the blue cap straightened up, thought for a moment, and explained, "Please, Arnie, think about it. With my grandparents and me, the trip is expensive enough as it is. And I doubt that Helpers for Humanity will pay for three more kids who aren't our relatives."
"Yeah, Bucko, and do you actually think that our parents will let us go to the forsaken jungles of Central America, even with plenty of adult supervision?"
Obviously with more than ONE chaperone, thought Arnold.
Helga added, "I mean, did your parents take YOU on that trip six months ago? Are you going with them NOW?" And even if Arnold is with us, there is NO WAY I'd ever go on a trip with YOU, Bucko!
Gerald added, "Not to mention that there really isn't any reason for Helga, Phoebe, and me to go along. It's not a class trip, school is out for the summer, we're not related to the Shortmans, we're not archaeologists or anthropologists, much less archaeology or anthropology students, and we wouldn't exactly be doin' much to help if we were actually over there. We'd just be…well…"
"Non-contributing spectators," finished Phoebe.
Left eye blink, right eye blink. "Oh…I guess you're right…" Despite his monotone, he definitely sounded dejected. Sniff. "I know I can't go because I can't stand being on a plane for more than one hour before I get hit with the worst bout of motion sickness you've ever seen." Left eye blink, right eye blink. "Seriously, the last time it happened I almost coughed up my stomach." The others were about to beg him to shut up, but he mercifully finished, "I always hoped to travel with you, Cousin, to give you support, but since I can't, I was hoping that maybe your best friends would be able to go with you instead. I guess I was wrong about that, too." Sniff.
The other four kids felt dejected at this point, until his mother said, "Not necessarily."
"Huh?" asked everyone in the room, simultaneously again.
Esther leaned toward Arnold's friends again and explained, "You three are very close friends of Arnold, from what I've heard, right?"
The three cautiously agreed.
"Well, since Arnold hasn't grown up with his parents, and his grandparents—despite their efforts—aren't as close as a true parent should be—"
"Hey!"
"Oh, hush, Popsicle Chin!"
"—if Arnold confides in you more than he does in his grandparents, maybe, just maybe, you three could come along, to give him the 'moral support' that Arnie mentioned."
Helga raised the right half of her eyebrow. "You mean make sure he doesn't fall apart?" Much like we did today, my love.
"Or fly off the handle?" asked Gerald.
"Or keep him from suddenly going on a rampage and beat to a pulp the nearest person he finds annoying?"
At that, all the adults turned to look at Arnold, who blushed in shame and shrank into the sofa.
Phil crossed his arms and demanded, "Okay, Arnold, what happened at school?"
The boy rubbed his head with his right hand, and explained, "Wolfgang…that's the fifth-grade bully…caught me just as school let out. He refused to let me pass, claiming he had pending issues with me from the football game he lost to us several months ago. I…I didn't want to fight him, but he swung first. I…" sigh, "…defended myself as best as I could…but I was so upset then that I…didn't hold back, and didn't stop until Wolfgang fell down. Hopefully he won't bother me again, unless he gets another bully to help him out."
It was Esther's turn to facepalm. "Let me guess, Gertie. Karate?"
Arnold's grandmother proudly defended her grandson. "Hey! He needed to know SOME type of self-defence, Esther! You know that not even public buses are safe, and what I taught him helped him defeat a bully!"
"That's right!" Gerald jumped in. "It was either Wolfgang or Arnold, and I, for one wouldn't have liked havin' to bring Arnold home on a stretcher! You should have seen him, Mrs.…um…"
"Doctor Antoine," said Esther.
"…Doctor Antoine! Seriously, that Wolfgang guy should be in high school by now, and he's twice Arnold's size, but thanks to Gertie's trainin', Arnold left him flat as a pancake on the sidewalk! And Wolfgang never landed a punch or a kick on him, either!"
At that, Gertie wondered. "Really now?" She walked up to her grandson, leaned down, held his shoulders, and looked carefully all over his head and face. Then she took his arms and inspected them as well. A minute later, she stood and beamed, "Amazing! Not a scratch! Well, your knuckles got bruised slightly, but that's to be expected."
The boy smiled, but still felt somewhat ashamed. "You taught me well, Grandma."
"Heh, maybe TOO well," murmured Gertie and Esther simultaneously.
As the elder woman returned to her husband's side, the female doctor declared, "Well, that settles it. Arnold needs you three to go with him on this trip. Now comes the part of convincing your parents to let you go on the trip, and maybe help out with whatever expenses they can. It IS a rather expensive trip—"
She was interrupted when she saw, near where Phil was standing, a portrait on the wall slide up, and a panel behind it slide open to the left. Something pushed a piece of paper out of the hidden space, and Phil caught it just as the panel and portrait returned to their original positions.
Arnold turned to look at what appeared to be a security camera on the corner of the living room. Mister Smith? He's been watching all of this?
The elder man read the note, suddenly smiled with great joy, and exclaimed, "It's from Mister Smith! Arnold, he's been listening to the whole situation and he wants to help your friends take the trip to San Lorenzo!" He looked at the children, "If your parents agree, he can help with three plane tickets!"
Arnold jumped from the couch and fist-pumped, "YES!" Turning to the camera, he smiled, nearly crying, "Thank you, Mister Smith!" The others also stood and thanked the mysterious man who was watching them on CCTV.
"Mm-mm! Arnold, this looks like it's going to be a very interestin' summer after all!"
"You know it, Gerald!"
Esther stood, enjoying seeing the children practically dancing for joy in front of her. "Okay, so it looks like we have an anonymous sponsor." She also turned to the camera and saluted the benefactor. "Thank you, Mister Smith." Facing the children, she added, "Now, the sooner we talk to your parents, the better. Um…would it be possible to bring them here?"
Her nephew calmed down at that question, stood still, looked at his friends, and said, "She's right. You'd better call them, guys."
Wait, call Bob? Call MIRIAM?!
"Uh…" Helga rubbed her left arm. "You…want us to call them, and bring them here?" She knew there was no way Bob nor Miriam would ever agree on her taking a trip to a forsaken Central American jungle!
"Sure, why not?" her beloved asked innocently.
The blonde girl had to think quickly, and think quickly she did. "Um…tell you what." She turned to the oval-headed woman, and suggested, "Esth—Doctor Antoine, we're having trouble with our phone, but I can run to my house and bring Miria—uh—my mom here. It's not that far. I'll be right back!"
Helga dashed out of the house, barely avoiding the animals that were now rushing to go back inside.
Everyone looked oddly at her as she did that, and Gerald commented, "That was weird."
"No, it wasn't," said Phoebe quite suddenly. "Trust me, it wasn't. We'll wait for Helga to come back with her mother, and if she takes a bit long, I'll call her on her cell phone."
Left eye blink, right eye blink. "She has a cell phone?" Sniff.
After calling them on Sunset Arms' landline, the children's parents were now crowding the living room, about thirty minutes after Helga ran off. Phoebe's parents stood behind their daughter, while Gerald's parents did the same with him. Also, the rest of the boarders completed the audience, since the decisions taken here would also affect them this summer.
Esther stood on one corner of the living room so she could look at everyone, and began, "Thank you all for coming on such short notice. I'm glad you all could make it…" She trailed off when she saw Helga, panting, and standing next to her nephew.
Alone.
"Helga, where are your parents?"
Without missing a beat, the blonde girl replied, "Well, Big B—my dad is too busy with his store to come here; it's going through a HUGE transition and he won't have a moment's peace for quite a while, and Mir—my mom is…busy helping him out, but she did write down and sign a permission slip." As she spoke, Helga walked toward Esther, pulling out the folded note in question.
The girl handed it to the doctor, who unfolded it and read:
I, Miriam Pataki, hereby give permission to my daughter, Helga Geraldine Pataki, to assist Doctor Esther Antoine and the Helpers for Humanity organization in helping Arnold Phillip Shortman with the search for his parents this summer.
I also give her permission to travel to wherever it's necessary to do so, within reason, provided that Helpers for Humanity pay the travel expenses and pledge to keep Helga safe at all times.
Signed,
Miriam Pataki
It didn't seem odd to Esther that the permission slip had no spelling mistakes and was written in flowing penmanship, but one thing rather stood out. "Your mother has very lovely handwriting, Helga, but she has a rather odd signature. It almost looks like she signed it when she was half-drunk."
Helga laughed and tried not to sweat with sudden nervousness, and tried to casually wave off the whole thing, "Oh, that, no, of course she wasn't drunk, doi! She just got…a hand cramp…from…all the other signatures she's been signing lately, heh-heh…"
At the Pataki's house, Helga had swiped some stationary from Big Bob's Beepers, and wrote down in black ink, in her best handwriting, the text of the permission slip, making sure there were no spelling or punctuation errors. Once that was done, she went to the kitchen, where Miriam was sitting at the table, half-conscious, AGAIN, with empty glasses in front of her, all having previously been filled with her infamous smoothies.
The girl walked up to her and barked, "Miriam! I need you to sign this end-of-the-school-year notice! I need it signed before I go to school today!"
The woman lifted her head, blinked at the blurry girl in front of her, and a minute later, slurred her response, "Oh? Oh…um…sure, sweetie, just…give me a pen…"
Moments later, she scribbled what she thought was her signature, and fell asleep on the table again.
Helga looked sadly at her mother, and thought, Crimeny, she wouldn't notice if I was the one who was missing for six years…
She left her house and ran back to Sunset Arms…
Arnold, Gerald, and Phoebe were looking at each other, and Phoebe's expression clearly told the boys to go with the flow and not give Helga any trouble.
"Okay, Helga," said Esther, pocketing the note. "Just let me know when I can talk to either of your parents, okay?"
"Heh, sure," she agreed, and returned to her position next to her beloved.
The oval-headed woman turned to Gerald's and Phoebe's parents, and asked, "Now, on your way here, did your kids tell you what was involved in this trip?"
Martin Johanssen, Gerald's father, who wore glasses, a white dress shirt and brown tie, black pants, and black shoes, wasn't entirely comfortable with the whole idea. "Gerald gave us a brief rundown of what you had in mind. But you say that Helpers for Humanity will pay for the whole trip?"
"Yes," nodded Esther.
Kyo Heyerdahl, an Asian-American man with glasses and a moustache, wearing a yellow shirt, green vest blue pants, white socks with sandals, asked her, "And how long will the trip take?"
"Two weeks at most, and should there be any delays or unforeseen situations, Helpers for Humanity, and Mister Smith, will pay any additional expenses. Even if the mission extends for much longer, you can rest assured that your children will return by mid-August, just in time to get ready for the next school year.
Gerald's mother, who wore blue earrings, a turtle-neck blue sweater, maroon pants, and brown shoes, also shared her husband's doubts. "Are you sure you need Gerald for 'moral support'? Won't Arnold's grandparents be enough?"
Esther explained, "I don't know how much Gerald told you, but Arnold had a meltdown right after the last day of school. While his grandparents and I will certainly go along, Arnold needs his friends because they've shown that, since they're his peers, they can keep him from having another meltdown, especially in the case that…" she breathed deeply, "…that the worst-case scenario presents itself. Arnold needs all the help he can get, Mrs. Johanssen, especially when dealing with these kinds of issues."
Martin turned to his son, scowled and said, "Gerald, if you really are Arnold's best friend, why didn't you do anything to stop the fight?"
His best friend came to his rescue, "It all happened very fast, Mister Johanssen. Wolfgang had no qualms in attacking me right there and then, in front of the whole school, and practically without any warning. He wouldn't listen to reason, and he would have hurt Gerald probably more than what he wanted to hurt me. And if we had tried to delay things, other kids might have ended up getting hurt as well. Wolfgang doesn't care about rules, honour, or a fair fight, or even about hitting girls. He just wanted to attack and hurt others."
"Especially kids who are much younger and smaller than he is," added Phoebe.
Reba Heyerdahl, a Caucasian woman with red-brown hair, with a light-purple shirt, a dark purple ascot around her neck, purple pants, and brown boots, looked at her daughter for a moment, then turned to Esther and drawled in her Kentucky accent, "Wut worries meh is that three kids are need'd t'help Arneld. D'yew really thank that if th'worst case sc'nario happens, hee'll have a big meltdaown?"
Esther explained, "Reba, in the absence of his parents, they are the best help he has now, in addition to his grandparents, and his aunt and uncle. Believe me, if his cousin could go along, I'd take him in a heartbeat."
Left eye blink, right eye blink. Sniff.
"Also, you all know how much Arnold has done for you all, for your children, and for so many people here in town, not to mention this neighbourhood, which includes your homes and your jobs. This is but a small favour that he now asks of you; he has helped you, will you now help him?"
Before the parents could answer, Ernie did so, "She's right, you know. If Mister Smith decided to help, there's no reason we can't."
Phil smiled at the midget, "I'm glad you say that, Ernie. Gertie and I have decided that, for the length of our absence, Mister Hyunh and Suzie will take care of Sunset Arms and will handle everything."
Oskar balked at that, "What? Why Mister Hyunh? What about me? I'm Suzie's husband! Why can't I also be the one in charge?"
His wife just patted his left shoulder and said, "I think we all know the answer to that, dear. Just make sure YOU pay the rent on time, or I will be forced to evict you, and don't think that I won't just because I'm your wife."
The bum cowered at that while the room was littered with snickers of various pitches.
Kyo sighed and asked, "Well, I guess everything has been set in motion. What exactly do we have to do, Doctor Antoine?"
Esther took a folder from the table and began handing out sheets to the parents, "This is a list of the documents you'll need to bring and sign, as well as the items required for the trip itself—"
Martin was about to ask something, but his wife intervened, "No, honey, this won't cost us much. Keep in mind that everything will even out with all the food Gerald won't eat while he's gone." She smiled, trying not to snicker as her husband actually considered that.
"Hey, what do you know? You're right!" He eagerly read the list to see how he would have to adjust this month's budget.
Esther moved on to the Heyerdahls, and finally to Helga. As she gave the girl her copy of the list, she leaned down and whispered, "And yes, Helga, I'm going to need a real signature this time, please, preferably of your father."
Nervously, the blonde girl stuttered, "Hey! That…that was a real signature, Doc!"
Arnold, who was next to her again, added, "It really was, Aunt Esther. If she says it is, then it is. After all, I know I can trust her." The boy smiled, and Helga thought she was going to spontaneously combust from the mixture of embarrassment, fear, nervousness, and the love for Arnold that she was feeling simultaneously today.
Crimeny! Not only can that woman see through me, my beloved is practically in cahoots with me right in front of her face!
Moments later, Kyo said, "Well, let's get to work, then."
Author's note: If you want to see who I think MIGHT be Arnie's father, check out my DeviantArt page (can't post the link here, so just go to my profile here and copy the link there. Be sure to remove the spaces).