Chapter 37: Something Borrowed
The next morning, the two awoke knowing Helga had some shopping to do. She wasn't too anxious to let go of the covers. "Good morning Helga." Arnold said, as he faced toward his loved one. "Morning." she replied, still trying to wake up.
"Are you ready to get some new shoes?" Arnold asked optimistically as she rolled her eyes "Only if you shop for, try them on, and buy them for me."
Arnold helped her up, knowing she wouldn't enjoy this anymore than she had dress shopping. "Do you at least know the store you'll be shopping at?" he asked as she scoffed "Pttss...I'm sure it'll be one from that list I rejected a couple months ago when we were dress shopping."
"Why not call Olga and see if she has a pair you can borrow?" Arnold suggested as Helga glared. "Uhh because that would mean talking to her, and I'm trying to keep that to a bare minimum."
Just as Helga was getting up to get dressed, her phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Helga. It's Rhonda!"
"Hey Princess."
"Listen, if we want to get everything done this weekend, we'll have to see the makeup artist at noon. Which means if we want to be able to discuss the different types of hair styles as well, we may not have as much time for shoe shopping. Is there anyone you could borrow a pair from?"
"Not that I know of"
"This is an emergency! We need to get everything done today!"
"Uhhh fine! I'll see if Olga has a freakin' pair I can borrow! Crimety!"
"Perfect! See you at my place at eleven!"
Helga sneered as she hung up the phone. Holding her face in her hand. "What happened?" Arnold asked curiously.
"Princess says the makeup is going to take up a huge chunk of the day. Therefore if we want to 'stay on schedule' I have to borrow a pair of shoes from Olga! You two telepathic or something?" she sneered.
Trying not to laugh, he asked "So, does this mean you're going back to your house?"
Sitting back down, she sighed "I don't know. The last thing I want to see is Bob and Miriam...let alone her. I doubt your family wants her to bring over an entire collection of shoes though!"
"How about you talk to the makeup and hair stylist with Rhonda and Phoebe. Then while you're doing that, I'll invite Olga over with all her shoes. Your dress is already here, so we can pick which one matches the best." Arnold suggested as Helga rolled her eyes. "You're such a girl, but all right."
The two went downstairs for breakfast, as they saw the family eating eggs and toast. "Hey shortman! How goes it?" Phil asked, enjoying his breakfast.
"Good grandpa. While Helga is out with the girls today, her sister is going to come over for awhile. We need to pick some shoes to go with her dress, if that's okay?" Arnold asked as Phil gave a surprised look. "Okay? Seems like the bride would be the one to pick out the shoes. It's your wedding though."
Arnold rolled his eyes as Helga continued eating. Looking over, she noticed him slipping her a napkin. "What's this for?" she muttered. "If you're going to be picking out your makeup today, you'll want to make sure your face is clean." Arnold pointed out as her face began to blush. "I can wipe my own face dingus!" she scowled as he smiled "It never hurts to accept help from someone."
She thought back to her dream. It all felt too real to her. Perhaps that was because it was. Her hands shaking as she grabbed it, she wiped her face. "Well, I'm going to Rhonda's now. Pheebs is probably already out there waiting for me." Helga insisted as she got up from her chair.
The family waved goodbye to her, as she headed out the door. Helga made it outside, but didn't see Phoebe. She shrugged her shoulders and began walking, until the two ran into each other at the corner. Nearly bumping into each other, the way she always used to with Arnold. "Sorry I'm late Helga. Gerald and I hung out later than planned last night, so I overslept a bit."
Helga smiled as she patted her friend on the back. "So, can I assume your wedding will be next?"
Phoebe blushed as the two continued to Rhonda's house. "Do you know the name of the stylist Rhonda has selected?" Phoebe asked as Helga rolled her eyes. "Beats me. She seems excited about it though. Oh brother!"
The two then made it two Rhonda's, as they saw her with a notebook in her hand. "There you two are! Come with me. We have so much to get done!" Rhonda exclaimed as Helga wondered to herself What is she so worked up about? She's not the one doing the makeup?
Rhonda led them over to a place called 'Studio Fix You.' "This is it girls! This place has the finest makeup and hair stylists in town! I've already spoken with the manager about setting us up with their top artists for the occasion."
Helga rolled her eyes as she and Phoebe followed Rhonda in. Rhonda led them up to the counter as she said "We're here to see Tracey to discuss Helga Pataki's wedding makeover."
"Right. Have a seat and she will be right with you girls." The lady at the desk insisted. The girls took a seat as they examined the place. This certainly is a unique environment Rhonda." Phoebe couldn't help but admit.
"It's all the rage!" Rhonda agreed as Helga remained silent, wondering how things were going with Olga.
Back at Arnold's house, he heard the doorbell ring. Knowing who it must be, he ran to grab the door. Opening it, he saw Olga with three overflowing bags of shoes. I can't believe girls have that many shoes! He thought to himself as Olga threw her arms around him. "Arnold! I'm so excited! Where's my baby sister?!"
"Oh, she's already makeup shopping with the other girls. I told her I'd help you pick out the shoes, since she wouldn't have time for that later." he explained, as Olga began to smile.
"Wonderful! Let's get started!" she insisted, as Arnold began to stop her. "Uhh why don't we take the bags up to my room? That's where the dress is."
"Oh goody! I can't wait to see it!" she exclaimed as the two raced up there.
Meanwhile, Helga, Phoebe and Rhonda had just been called to meet Tracey. "You must be Helga Pataki! I can see you'll need some help choosing your makeup for the wedding." The stylist insisted, as Helga rolled her eyes.
"Well, here is a book of all the makeup choices we have. Different brands and colors of eye shadow, lipstick, mascara, foundation…" Rhonda couldn't help but snatch the book as Tracey began explaining everything to Helga.
"I must insist ruling out anything dark if you're going to be wearing a dress with pink, while carrying carnation flowers." Rhonda insisted as the stylist nodded her head.
"That is good advice. Perhaps some light pink eyeshadow, with red lipstick. You also seem to have snow white skin. Therefore, we wouldn't want foundation that appears to be too noticeable." said Tracey as Helga thought to herself Yeah, wouldn't that be terrible.
"I'd recommend going with this porcelean shade. It will put a light touch on your skin, while keeping anyone from being able to see you're wearing anything!" Tracey continued as Rhonda nodded in agreement.
"Fine! Are we done here?" Helga scowled as Rhonda responded "Ummm no? We haven't even talked about your hair yet!"
Back in Arnold's room, Olga had dumped her shoes all over Arnold's floor. He couldn't believe how much room it had taken up. "Have you really worn all of these before?" he asked in amazement.
"Oh yes! I've had so many different award ceremonies and special events that required dressing up. It's not professional to wear the same shoes to an event twice in a row!" she explained as Arnold thought She sounds like Rhonda!
"I see. So, which pair do you think Helga would like?" he asked, not being a good judge when it came to shoes.
"If I know my baby sister, she'll want something that goes with pink!" Olga exclaimed.
Arnold began searching the shoes. He didn't see too many that weren't more than just plain white. Every other had sparkles or were open toed, but nothing that screamed 'Helga'"
"Oh, I just want my baby sister to be happy! Here I have all these shoes, and none of them are fit for her." Olga said sadly as Arnold began to notice her pain. Suddenly, he came across a pair with tiny pink flowers on the buckles.
"What about these?" he asked as Olga smiled widely. "Oh! I wore those the night Lila and I went to our music performance at the opera house."
Arnold scratched the back of his head as he replied "Oh, well let's not mention that part to Helga."
He held the shoes up to the dress as he asked Olga for her opinion "What do you think?"
"Ooohhhh I love it! Oh my baby sister is growing up!" She screamed as her eyes began to water, mascara pouring down her face.
"I think we all are. Let me help you with the shoes." He offered, seeing her reach over to pick them up. As she walked out the door with the bags, Arnold said "Thank you for your help. I know Helga will love these!"
"You're welcome Arnold! See you at the shower!" Olga exclaimed as Arnold waved goodbye.
Arnold went back to his room, looking at the shoes he and Olga had picked out. Holding them up to the dress, he thought to himself I know she'll look beautiful!
Back at the salon, the girls were deciding what would be the best hairstyle for Helga. "No! No! No! There is no way you are keeping your hair in pigtails for the wedding!" Rhonda exclaimed, as Helga crossed her arms. "You gotta better idea Princess?"
"Why don't we curl it with a curling iron?" Rhonda suggested, while Helga raised part of her eyebrow. "If you're suggesting I get a cheap perm, I'd rather have a root canal!"
Phoebe watched Helga's annoyance, wishing she could think of a solution. Then, she suggested "Helga, do you remember the hairstyle you chose for the dinner we shared with Arnold and Gerald at Chez Paris?"
Helga thought back to the night as she replied "Yeah, I was trying to act 'sophisticated.' All it did was result in the four of us washing dishes. Oh brother!"
"Putting aside how the night ended, what would you think of that hairstyle for your wedding?" Phoebe suggested as Helga shrugged her shoulders. "Eh, I guess it wouldn't be so bad."
The girls then flipped through the book, hoping to find an example of what to show the stylist. They could see Rhonda was becoming annoyed, not knowing what they were referring to.
"Here's what her hair looked like!" Phoebe pointed to the picture as the stylist said, "That's actually a popular wedding style."
The girls all smiled as Helga asked "Are we finally finished here?"
"I just need the information for the wedding." The stylist asked politely as Helga groaned. "Wedding's May 31, starts at 3, Bus leaves at 6 am at 'The Knot' if you need a ride over there. Takes place at the beach. You've got Rhonda's AKA our wedding coordinator's number if you need more information."
The three of them left the salon as Helga anxiously headed for home.
"Well girls, that's all for this month! We are keeping ahead of schedule! See you later." Rhonda said proudly, as Helga and Phoebe headed in the opposite direction.
"How do you think picking shoes with Olga went for Arnold, Helga?" Phoebe asked, hoping to break the silence between them. "Crimity, if he's as optimistic as he's made himself out to be, I'm sure he handled her just fine."
"Have you given any thought to your something, old, new, borrowed, and blue items?" Phoebe asked as Helga paused a moment.
"Uhh not really. I guess if I'm borrowing a pair of crummy shoes from Olga, they can be both my something borrowed and old." Phoebe smiled as she watched her best friend scratch the back of her head. "Then I'll just do what most brides do and use the dress as my something new."
After a moment of silence, Phoebe asked "What about your something blue?" Helga's first thought was Arnold's hat. What would she be doing wearing that however? "I don't know, I'll figure it out."
After walking Phoebe home, Helga made it back to the boarding house. She walked inside to see the family eating dinner. Arnold stood up, anxious to see her home. "You're home! How'd your day go?"
She took a seat beside him as he pulled out a chair for her. "Well, we picked out my makeup. Pink eyeshadow, red lipstick, faded foundation. Then Pheebs suggested I wear my hair the same way I did the night the four of us had dinner at Chez Paris."
As she explained this, Arnold smiled and replied "You did look 'sophisticated' that night."
"Oh shut up football head!" she scowled, knowing he was being sarcastic.
"I don't think I've heard that story before?" Miles interrupted.
"Oh, well Helga invited Gerald, Phoebe and I to eat dinner there after she won a free dinner for four for a poem she had written." Arnold began as Stella jumped in "That sounds lovely."
"Turned out the certificate was for the restaurant Chez Pierre. Which meant the four of us spent the evening washing dishes like a bunch of losers!" Helga added
"It was worth eating with you." Arnold winked as he put his hand on her's.
After dinner, Arnold and Helga cleared their plates, and went upstairs to his room. "I want to show you the shoes we picked out for you." As the two went upstairs, Arnold seemed anxious, although nowhere near as anxious as when he told her about the job he had set up for her. He was always happy to tell her he had done something for her.
The two entered his room as Helga took a seat on the bed and Arnold went to grab the shoes. Arnold brought over the shoes to place in Helga's hands as she examined them. "These are the shoes she was wearing the night she went to that opera thingy with Ms. Goody Two Shoes."
"Yeah, I told her not to mention that to you." he looked away, rubbing the back of his neck.
She let out a weak smile as she tried them on. Her feet slid in perfectly, as though it was meant to be. Arnold watched her continue to stare at them, until he finally asked "So, what do you think?"
"If the shoe fits, I guess. This one sure seems to." she said wittingly, as he walked over to hug her.
"So, how was your time spent with Big Ms. Perfect?" Helga asked, as Arnold looked at her. "Not bad. I can tell she really misses you, and is happy this is happening for you."
"Pttss….That girl could find a way to bring happiness to a funeral!" Helga scowled.
"Maybe, but it was still nice of her to lend these to you." Arnold pointed out, as he sat down beside her on the bed.
"Yeah, now I got my something, old, new, and borrowed. I just gotta figure out something blue. Mind if I borrow your hat?" She said sarcastically.
"What about your eyes?" he asked as she looked up at him. "What?" she asked, surprised at his response.
"Your eyes are blue. A deep ocean blue. They would be more than noticeable." He smiled as she began to blush.
"I guess that's true." she replied, shrugging her shoulders. He leaned into kiss her passionately. Falling on top of her, the two laid there holding each other's faces. Arnold my love! Taking the time to notice such personal traits of mine. Appreciating me for who I am! Not wasting a moment of the day to make our dreams come alive!
Releasing her lips, he asked "Are you going to take those to San Lorenzo? Maybe the Green Eyes will worship you this time."
"Shut up Arnoldo!" she scowled, pushing him off of her. Unfortunately, he pulled her off the bed with him. The two went rolling across the floor together as Helga scowled "Way to go Arnoldo! You almost made me knock over my wedding dress!"
"I think you'd live without it. I couldn't live without you however." he winked, making her gulp.
Pressing his lips against hers, he slid his hands under her back to push her against himself harder. She began to moan as she felt his heavy breathing. Being with him and the thoughts of everything he had done for her each night made her a whole different person than she was without him. He truly was her inspiration.